It is always fun to show my college students some of the technology they used a few years ago and now have become something of the past--ex: floppy disk. The constant change of technology makes it a necessity for educators to continue to grow in the field of Educational technology. Although it is difficult to keep up it is a necessity.

It is not the students that have issues with technology, it the teachers that struggle the most with learning new applications. Technology is constant and therefore the learning process for both students and teacher should also be constant.

Tablets are a great tool when used effectively in classrooms. Most of the my experiences have been that teachers are having a greater difficulty knowing what to do with the technology. This tool allows for instant research of questions--Millions of questions are asked of google every day--the video "Shift happens" says who were these questions asked to before google.

Martin- I always explain to my daughters that if I only would have known back in college what I know now things would be different. I strongly believe that college changes a person-- the more education or the more knowledge you acquire the person adds value. What a person makes out of that education is what is the most valuable, the educational experience. Is a college education important? It opens doors and provides opportunities, it provides structure, work ethics--Remember we finished our degrees-however the percentage of student that start do not complete is high. I would argue that college is a good investment--what I do not like is that college is an expensive investment.

Technology are excellent learning tools, however too much of something can interfere with child development. My oldest daughter was punished for staying up late and reading with a flashlight during school nights. My youngest daughter gets in trouble for using too much her tablet or phone. When is the appropriate age for technology? My granddaughter uses her ipad and she is two--is this early? The digital students will always use technology, our responsibility is to teaching them responsible use.

This article discusses how some schools are using technology to hold "virtual school days" and continue the learning process during periods of school cancellation because of inclement weather.

Technology is moving fast and at times difficult to keep up with the trends. App night is a great way to keep the students and parents up with the resources that are available in the classrooms. The Thursday morning training for new apps also allows teacher to come up with ideas for lessons and way to engage students--this can become part of their PLCs- professional learning communities

Every conference and every technology article you find new Web 2.0 tools that are new, just to keep us is an experience. Great article

My new teacher have a good grasp on some of the new technology tools that are used as part of 21st century learning.What they are struggling in is on merging technology and pedagogical concepts into the classroom. The art of teaching and mastering technology.