We think it is, but how do we know?  A T.H.E. Journal article, "Teachers Report Educational Benefits of Frequent Technology Use", posits that technology integration reaps tangible benefits.  The article refers to a study, "Educators, Technology and 21st Century Skills: Dispelling Five Myths", commissioned by the Richard W. Riley College of Education and Leadership.  The report maintains that there is a lot of work to be done in the area of technology integration and implementation. 

Many of you are probably familiar with Thinkfinity which links out to a vast store of quality resources.  A recent visit brought me to Illuminations, a product of the National Council for Teachers of Mathematics.  If math is part of your curriculum, take a look.

According to this website, digital information fluency is the "...ability to find, evaluate and use digital information effectively, efficiently and ethically."  Check out the resources to help your students achieve their information needs.

 

Videoconferencing is catching on in several of our schools.  At the high school, teachers who are participating in the LI Cares Grant have introduced videoconferences to some of their classes, and elementary classes have enjoyed online visits to museums and other programs.  Introduce yourself to this technology by visiting the website below. 

 

Maximize your time on Google!

The website from Arapahoe High School in Centennial, Colorado features an extremely helpful section to point users in the direction of the right software or application for specific tasks. After you determine the purpose of your project and the audience to whom it's directed, you can decide what tool would be best. Use this site in conjunction with Atomic Learning (username and password needed--see your librarian), our subscription site that offers tutorials on myriad applications.

Thinkfinity has treasures for teachers to use with their students, many of which are interactive. A good example is Ker-Splash, a game that introduces students to algebraic concepts.

For the artists among us, and those of us who aspire to a new level of creativity, here is a site that demonstrates just how to put pen (or pencil or crayon or whatever...) to paper to create a drawing by showing us, stroke by stroke, how a drawing is made.  Check out Sketchfu.