Generation IM

This article is both inspiring and intimidating!  The practical ideas suggested for incorporating technology into classrooms are extremely insightful.  They will undoubtedly enrich class curriculums by keeping students both engaged and challenged.  Resources like Google Earth give kids an opportunity to see how enormous this world is and realize that they can access places across the globe with the touch of a finger!  Inspiring as "Generation IM" is, it is also intimidating because it challenges teachers as well to test the waters of technology.  Teachers must know what is available and how to integrate certain resources into their lesson plans in a way that will help students.  I am blown away by the realization that our generation is expanding in knowledge of/and resources so rapidly!  Children who have not yet entered kindergarten are learning things that Seniors in America have never heard of in their lifetime!  It is amazing.

My prayer is that all of these techno-gadgets would truly be used to enrich students and teachers rather than demolish them.  Indeed, many of these resources can be used for marvelous purposes, but they can also be used with negative motives that may only hinder moral/academic/psychological/social growth.  Perhaps the greatest lesson that this article has taught me, is the fact that teachers have such a powerful influence in whether technology is used in their students' lives for the better or for the worse.