A recent study reports that many teachers are incompetent in the use of technology in the classroom and some are slow to learn. The Internet is changing how we learn and absorb information, and children are becoming much more knowledgeable about computer and gaming technology than adults. If the old-heads are unwilling to accept that change, they will die a slow illiterate death.

High-speed Internet access is as common as a laptop. Electronic commerce, as epitomized by eBay, Yahoo and Amazon.com, has dramatically altered the way society shops. Communications has shrunk the distances and brought the four corners of the globe much closer together. Voice over IP telephony is targeting the consumer market.

Wireless technologies have already revolutionized classroom teaching. Online applications are commonplace. Email is the preferred mode of communication at many schools. So why are teachers poorly trained or inadequately prepared to integrate new technologies into the classroom? It is vital that schools implement this integration process, for these new technologies are the tools used in the global workplace. Educators will jeopardize the country's economic future if they produce students who are not in the vanguard of technological advance.

"In the 1998-1999 school year, public schools across the nation spent more than $5.5 billion on K-12 technology. Yet, according to MDR's recently released New Teachers and Technology report, less than 40% of all teachers feel 'very well prepared' or 'well prepared' to integrate technology into their classroom."

The more teachers understand the deep-seated nature of this revolution, which is technology, the more they will want to be a part of it. Every subject area can be enhanced and revitalized with technology. Email alone will open lines of communication to students efficiently and dramatically.

Remember: the Internet had its birth in the research and academic communities. It was created to allow the free and rapid flow of information to benefit higher learning. Schools must recapture that focus in their efforts, and enrich teaching in the process!

© 2004 by AfroStaff