Technology Requirements for Teachers

Okay, let's hear some enthusiasm for this one: How many teachers want to do more work for the same pay? I know, I know, the last thing any educator wants is to have to do more work for the same astronomical salary. Seriously though, have you ever felt technologically inept or lost? I have, and I'm not afraid to admit it. When I finally got my classroom projector at the beginning of last year, it took me two hours of painstaking experimentation just to realize that I didn't have all of the necessary cords. Needless to say, I felt the weight of that old friend of teachers from years past - the dunce cap! At that moment, and many others since, I have wondered just how much more I could be missing with my lack of technological savvy. I'm not talking about expert level or anything even close. It would just be nice to walk around in a room with some lights on rather than stumble around in the dark. I'm like you, I don't do cartwheels and back flips at the thought of more work, but more than that, I consider myself a realist. Times are changing, possibilities are popping up all over the place, and I want to be a part of it. I believe it is time to increase the technology requirements of teachers. I would be perfectly okay, and I hope many of my fellow educators share the same feeling, with spending a few more hours a year finding out what is out there and how I can use it to improve the learning experience of my students.