Growing up, (like most others), I didn't have much access to technology. I was a 90's kid through and through, as the most television I watched consisted of Friday nights being glued to the television watching Corey and Topanga and other characters of TGIF shows. Though the internet was completely foreign to me when I was young, I did experience it more as a teenager when social networking sites grew in popularity. Beginning with message boards, AOL chat, Myspace, and eventually Facebook, I can say technology came into my teen years. However, the current young generations are beginning with this new Web 2.0 age, not knowing of a time before. It is not uncommon to see an elementary child with a laptop or iPhone, "twittering" or "facebooking" to their friends. (Websites are even changing our vocabulary- all you have to do is add an "ing" to the end of a site name! Isn't "googling" officially in a dictionary or something?)It does not take a genius to discover that technology is changing the way of our future, including the future of education. The 2008 Horizons Report even shows how schools, universities, and educational companies are participating in internet media to connect to others, including students. Other perspectives, such as Teachers 2.0 and Web 2.0: A Guide to Educators, explain that it is our duty as educators to become involved and integrate it into our classrooms.
Technology is already a part of our lives and to embrace it and use it to our educational advantage will benefit our students.
And, hey, technology probably isn't going anywhere, huh? Let's put it to good use!
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