Here is a link to 10 reasons for technology in education.
http://www.mathopenref.com/site/techreasons.html

I see these 10 reasons coming true pretty soon. Soon we will see our
students carrying laptops to their classrooms instead of paper and
pencils. School Districts will soon do away with books
because it is more economical to purchase laptops. Students are already collaborating with each other through the internet. And we see ourselves a facilitators as the students learn on their own.

Since starting the MTT program my classroom has become more tech savy, I am now not afraid of letting my students on the computer without me logging them in. They are not afraid to get on the computer at all. They even try logging into sites with games and they are Kindergarteners. I also see my self using my wiki to embed educational YouTube videos to use in my Science and Social Studies lessons. I think my students are enjoying the change too.

Making teachers accountable for having the students use Web 2.0 tools and other technology would be good only if the curriculum provided that time for it. With all we have to teach the students there is no time to teach any thing extra like these Web 2.0 tools. Now using technology lab time for this would be great but they want us to use that time for Lexia or other reading and math programs. I think the Administration in the District should get familiar with all these new technologies out there for them to see that we need a set time to teach them to our students so they can become familiar with them, in turn so they can use them for classroom projects.

I do not know what generation I would place myself under because I actually didn't like using technology much until recently. I have found myself looking up information for my lessons using technology when in the past I had to scrounge around looking up information in books and making copies. Now I find myself enjoying using the technology available. I can now show my own children how to use certain Web 2.0 tools that they are not familiar with. Makes me feel a little smarter than them when it comes to the new technology I've learned..

Taking this MTT program has really opened my eyes. I thought technology was just a way to communicate. It actually teaches us and helps us teach others. My daughter is in ninth grade and she was the one teaching me how to use some of the technology out there and now I'm the one showing her how to use some of the cool Web 2.0 tools. If there is one thing I enjoyed in taking these courses it would be learning about these Web 2.0 tools, because it sure has been stressful.

True about being afraid to use these Web 2.0 tools. I teach Kindergarten and I have been afraid of using these Web 2.0 tools with my students but just the other day a substitute teach came asking me to help with the Smartboard and when I went to help, one of the Kindergarteners in that class was already getting the video working. I asked her how she knew what to do and she said she had seen her teacher do it several times. This got me thinking about how afraid I've been about introducing my students to this knew technology. Students are eager to learn about technology, this means I need to be eager to teach them, not afraid because they aren't afraid.