It is no secret that technology has become a way of life in today's society. We find it in our personal life, in business, in fun and entertainment and particularly in education. Countless articles have been published promoting the use and integration of technology as the means to capture and hold the attention of our students. Teaching all students at one speed is no longer necessary. Programs like these encourage the student-centered approach to teaching and learning.
Students become active learners and are able to pace themselves to what they can accomplish.
While the use of computers, graphing calculators, and other equipment has been received with open arms by most school districts there are still many barriers that need to be overcome if students are to learn how to best utilize the technology available in the world today. Expectations of colleges and universities as well as the general workforce are high in the area of technology. It is our job as k-12 educators to ensure that they do. We do children an injustice by graduating them without the skills necessary to succeed in the 21 st century society. In an attempt to protect our students from the evil that lurks in the Internet, in chat rooms, via email, we are depriving them of the value that exist in these same places.