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===I came across this letter to the editor yesterday in the Trib (I think I am one of the few who reads the paper the old-fashioned way and I fear I may not have a paper to read soon…) and I thought it worthwhile to share. It supports my forever viewpoint that technology is one more tool that we as teachers must use wisely. Thoughts? scooper===

CLASSROOM VOICES LETTERS FROM SCHOOLCHILDREN //Chicago Tribune, March1, 2009// =Classroom Voices= —Lauren Rooney, Park Ridge  February 28, 2009
 * Technology in the classroom**

High school has always been a place for young minds to expand their knowledge. When our parents went to school, they had books, notebooks, folders and an occasional computer to do all their learning, but today that is hardly the case. Each classroom is equipped with a projector, at least one computer, a document camera and even some with tablet computers. These tools can be helpful but only in moderation. If these technologies are overused and the basic idea of using books is lost, students will have to rely completely on technology and never be able to function without it.

Being able to write a paper by hand, address an envelope, graph equations without a computer—these are the skills that are being lost in this new generation of technology.

Technology in the classroom can have one extreme or the other: too much or too little. As a student, I am half asleep when I walk into school each morning. The last thing that is good for me at that time is to walk into a classroom that is completely dark with only the light from the projector shining on the screen. Straining my eyes to stare at the screen throughout class just makes me more tired. A class where the student barely interacts with the teacher or others because of the technology being used doesn't promote the understanding of the topic. Technology in the classroom is not bad, but its overuse leads to tired, unhappy and potentially sick students.

Technology in the classroom is not bad, but its overuse leads to tired, unhappy and potentially sick students.