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Not sure if technology replaces an intimate, interactive learning environment. The problem is defining which classrooms benefit from it rather than a university-wide policy. (I meant to post this when I first read it but came back to it around after watching another digital education seminar).

Campbell added that increasingly, employers are searching Facebook and Twitter before hiring and that there are jobs out there for young people with social media savvy. Starting in Grades 4 and 5 teachers want to teach students to have a responsible digital footprint. Campbell's teaching style is not uncommon. The provincial curriculum has required technology to be woven into the classroom for several years, said Clare Brett, an associate professor at the Ontario Institute for Studies in Education. This article refers to our discussion in much earlier weeks where talked about the importance of engaging students and the younger generations in technology to avoid having a lack of a digitally literate society.

Is it the technology or the teaching? Toshiba says: "Creativity, innovation, information fluency, critical thinking, problem solving- these are the skills that students need in order to work effectively and live productively in today's digital world," said Kimberly Giles, Principal at St. Leonard. "The use of technology in the classroom helps us create an environment that fosters these skills."

This article really draws out a lot of the concepts we've been discussing in class in terms of popular assumptions about digital usage. I don't necessarily agree with a lot of the things Mann is mentioning, but I do think it is worth a read.

This article is based on a study in the UK that found that digital technology often sits in classrooms unused because teachers do not know how to use it to its full potential. Oftentimes, it's not about having the finest technology, but how it is being employed.

While writing my blog, I found this article which backed up an opinion I had about the use of technology. This is a blog written by an elementary school teacher in California. He writes about using technology in the classroom -- that it should be for learning and not for technology's sake. He brings up some interesting examples and scenarios.

It's amazing that we repeatedly face this debate. Educators at all levels are continually facing a technologically determinist position from the public, technology companies and policy makers. But the writer of this post illustrates really well, that it's how technology is used that's important. Thanks for the great post.