There are many wonderful learning environments that technology tools can assist us in generating.....There are also some things technology can magnify which are not desirable.

Consider the following:

Lee Steinberg, Troy Aikman's agent, has been quoted in the Dallas Morning News this past year (Sunday, Dec 10, 2000) as having stated...

"I am increasingly disturbed by what I see in young people today.... specifically because of their:

	incessant demands for instant gratification
	appalling lack of impulse control
	pervasive coarseness characterized by MTV-driven life styles
	short attention spans
	need to be super-charged by high sensory stimulation & addictions
	self-absorption which makes it impossible for so many in this generation to contemplate in silence
	inability to place themselves into another person's realities
	lack of patience to live with the natural ebb-and-flow processes in life."

DON'T ....

	use technologies designed for the very BASIC mastery levels which are "super-charged" REFLEX-based rather than REFLECTION-based.
	stick a computer screen in each child's face for one-on-one computer time that isolates students with meaningless reflex-based tasks over large portions of the day.

DO move your students TOWARD .....

	more REFLECTION-based, project-based, collaborative use of technology
	more collaborative use of technology by placing several students at one computer to negotiate, collaborate, investigate, communicate, and deliberate creatively through the following research-based process Research, Collect, & Verify Information Organize, Eliminate, & Prioritize Information Categorize and Summarize major issues Delineate & Develop a Reporting Agenda Collaborate & Negotiate through a Presentation Process Design & Deliver Meaningful Information Explain & Defend Project.
	becoming Quality Producers vs. Thoughtless Consumers.

Think of computers as little campfires around which students develop the Six Life-Long Learning (SCANS) skills with valued human interaction.

No one wants to live next door to someone who has little or no impulse control or patience with others.  

Schools should not foster instructional methods that develop these characteristics.  

Too often technologies are used as a "reward" when class work is "finished".  The very nature of this philosophy defeats the purpose of using technology as a significant tool for student progress.

Technology is not a "baby sitter".

Remember:   Wisdom is not inherently attained by youth. Wisdom is something that must be gained through experience.  The teacher / facilitator is responsible for nurturing wisdom with experience and wise, ethical, and productive use of technology must be held as a standard.

The SCANS & Character Counts! curricula are wonderful resources for building excellent student character and enhancing student progress while utilizing technology tools.