My essay on using technology in the classroom, titled Are Tech-Savvy Students Leaving Teachers Behind?, discusses some of the ways that teachers can harness the power of technology without overshadowing what is actually being taught.  Some of the points covered in the paper include:

• Technology is creating a “power shift” in the classroom due to students’ proliferation with these various forms of new media.  This "Digital Divide" is the point in which “students are often more technologically adept than their instructors” (Vie, 10).
• Technological proficiency among students also means that the things teachers say in the classroom can be instantly checked on the internet, which calls into question the idea of teachers as the sole providers of knowledge.  This is further proof that “teachers need to be able to connect with their students’ digital worlds to engage and motivate a new and very different type of learner” (Larson, 13), one who does not necessarily need to rely on a teacher for information. 
• Furthermore, the popularity of Facebook and other social networking sites has caused a shift in students’ writing practices, in which the majority of their writing is now being done digitally in computer-mediated spaces, outside of school and without teacher supervision.
• Students possess technological know-how and access to computers but lack critical technological skills (Vie, 10).  Therefore teachers must find a way to implement technology into the curriculum in order to help students’ improve their writing skills within the places they are most apt to write.   

Rob Garnier - Successfully Using Technology in the Classroom.doc