Technology in the classroom

As technology becomes more advanced, teachers are finding it harder and harder to gain ground on learning the new technologies that become available. The first thing a veteran teacher should do is gather in the basics. Often when you just know the basics you can assign to the students to figure out how to get the new technology working. This way they dont realize that you are trying to get by with explaining only for them to later on jump you in the process. Also, often you can just ask your current students, "How do I get this to work?." Many times there will be some students in your room who will be more than willing to help you get going with your technology. Here are some basic technologies that a teacher can incorporate into their classroom:
Wikipedia: There are many arguments against using Wikipedia. Many believe that students will find false information for use in reports and so therefore they just ban the source all together. Finding false information on this technology is rare and should be overlooked. Because otherwise Wikipedia has a vast amount of information that is hard to find elsewhere on the internet. As teachers we should allow our students to get information from Wikipedia and also allow them to be contributors to the Wikipedia websites. Students can write articles that Wikipedia doesnt already have, including local events. Teachers can then evaluate the students writing on these wikis.
Podcasting: This is creating audio or video files than can be downloaded and viewed over the internet. This technology can be used in several ways in the classroom. For those who already know about technology, podcasting certain lessons or activities would be a good way for students to go back and review materials and also for parents to see how the classroom works. Another use of this technology is allowing the students to create their own podcasts. This puts the student in charge of all of the technology components of the assignment and all the teacher has to do is listen to the completed podcastings.
Instant Messaging: Just about every child in your classroom will know how to instant message. So why not use this to your advantage. Students can learn when to use formal and informal messaging. Teachers can assign assignments that require the students to interview experts using standard English or doing research on instant messaging and text messaging and what are the health risks associated with these activities. Many teachers also install an open phone test instead of an open book test. This allows students to broaden their pool of information while completing assessments.
Mobile Phone Cameras: This technology has often been banned from the public school eye. They have said that students do not use this technology properly and cannot be trusted with it. Rather than ban such a thing, why not teach the students to use it in a proper manner? Visual scavanger hunts could be created. The students team would just have to take a picture to prove that they were there. Students can also use their camera phones in order to take pictures of animals or insects they are studying when they come across them. They could take pictures of things they see that catch their eye and then later write about them in their English classes.