back to basics

i spent some time talking to one of the recent graduates of the program who was mentored by my mentor teacher. i had seen the school before, and i had a hint about the poor conditions. but after talking to her, she says the extent of the classroom technology doesn't go beyond an overhead projector.

all through my life, i've been in classrooms that had at least one computer. in elementary school, we had old apple computers. in middle school, each teacher had a computer in the classroom. in high school, each department had its own computer lab.

but as there was a ton of technology present in all of these schools, i feel that teachers must not only be knowledgeable of that technology, but must also be able to use it effectively. in elementary school, we spent an hour or so every week in the computer lab playing oregon trail (which was such a great game). in middle school, we learned to type. in high school, we used those computer labs to sometimes for word processing, but it was more of a way for the teacher to make sure the students did their work.

so the question comes down not to how much technology we have, but what we do with it. still, i wonder just how much technology i could teach if all i have is an overhead projector.