Technology in the classroom: Keep up or get out of the way

It almost amuses me that the debate over technology in school is a debate at all.

I understand that, with regard to change, schools move slow -- iceberg slow. But to ignore that the world is changing, and students along with it, is like denying the passage of time.

The way students communicate and learn is changing drastically. MP3 players, tablets and personal communications devices, among others, are replacing telephones, televisions and even video games after school hours, and they each have their own language. So, teachers and administrators had best become fluent or they risk losing they will discover a new language barrier.

This means incorporating these new technologies into the classroom, where they can benefit the teachers as well as the students. Many of these devices offer a broad range of audio and video capabilities that can expand the way teachers teach and students learn.

Teachers can assign a video lesson that students can watch any time on their cell phone, iPod or iPad, and  students can respond, recording their own podcast.

Or teachers can continue to assign traditional textbook readings, in hopes that students still know how to read textbooks.