Value-Added Technology

I was taught the old-fashioned way--with books. Much as it pains me to admit it (and dates me) there were no computers in the classroom when I first attended school. I didn't work on a computer until I had my first post-graduate job. Lack of technology didn't hurt me, I went on to a successful career, but I have experienced in my career the way advancements in technology can make a j0b easier, better and in some instances, even more difficult. The same would apply to the classroom. Technological advancements have opened up a new world on learning. The concept of UDL transforms the access students have to learning and allows educators to reach a broad spectrum of learners. So what is the value added to the classroom by technology? New ways to teach students, greater access to information and a variety of programs to help teachers and students utilize that information. While there are downsides to technology: privacy issues, Internet predators, time wasting, expense etc., I do think the pros outweigh the cons. One big problem we have not addressed in class is those students being left behind because their schools and their families can not afford to provide them with the access to the technology that other students enjoy. That is elephant in the room that needs to be acknowledged in any discussion of technology and teaching.