Emerging Technologies for Learning

You know, there is an old saying that you can't teach an old dog new tricks. However, in todays ever-changing world of technologies, teachers need to be constantly learning new skills. Technology is here and it is here to stay. We, as teachers, need to able to teach the proper usage of the technology available to students. Or rather, we need to be able to teach the proper etiquette of using the technology available. Students need to learn when it is okay to text friends. They also need to learn how to research a paper and exactly what is plagiarism. These ideas are a part of the article by Marc Prensky, "How to Teach with Technology." He advises teachers to use what the students know about technology to create new ways of teaching old subjects. He thinks that Wikipedia, podcasting, instant messaging, and mobile phone cameras all have a place in today's classroom.

I agree with him for the most part. Technology does have its place in today's world, and teachers do need to be able to teach the proper usage and etiquette of using it. However, I am not sure that every piece of software out there has a place in the classroom. Also, I am not sure that I want to assign students projects that require them to have access to computers, cell phones, etc. when not every student has these items available in their homes. Does technology need to be taught? I would have to answer, yes. Should it be in every lesson plan a teacher presents? This I would have to answer, no.