I work at The Academy of Innovative Technology, a new small public school in Brooklyn. We have access to two computer labs and the SMARTBoards were installed this week. There is a traveling computer cart, and each classroom has one computer. This is technology, though its innovation is still subject to question. The true innovation lies with how its instruction centers around teaching to specialist certificate programs, as it is a Career and Technical Education (CTE) school, but at the end of the day, people want to "see" technology in lesson planning and physical spaces. Reading in the Barton that writing is a form that REQUIRES technology repositioned the concept of technology for me momentarily.

This pause brings to mind ideas that question access and affordance, but more deeply, causes me to question the practical uses of technology. What is the purpose of technology in the classroom? Is simply typing an assignment in a word processing document an effective use of technology? Typed papers always look so great, but is this the best use of technology we can muster in the educational system?

Recently when choosing a reading assessment, I was asked to select one that "used technology." Is this the best qualifier for instructional decisions? Thinking of all of the technology, or implements and instruments, that can be used for a test, are pencil-and-paper exams, scantron bubbles, or computer-based programs necessarily better than a portfolio or oral report, or do they feel more "advanced" in their use of technology?

I suppose I have many questions as I read through these texts, and I'm refocusing a lot of what I do every day through this new lens. What I wanted to do most was go through a day and list the times I've read, hoping to note the "technology" I've used. This is a rough idea, though I'm sure the list is endless:

• Time - Alarm Clock
• Weather Ticker - Television News
• Notice in Elevator - Printed Paper
• Coffee Menu - Printed Sign
• Metro (News Paper) - Printed Text
• Time - Digital Sign in Subway
• Advertisement - Printed Signs in Subway
• Email - iPhone
• Email - Desktop
• Assessment Information - Website, Desktop
• Student Scores - Excel Spreadsheet, Printed
• Student Work - Pen/Pencil on Paper
• Pattern Book - Printed Pages, Bound Text
• Text Message - iPhone
• Desk Clearing - Printed Papers
• Computer Menus - Word, Excel, Photoshop, Firefox, Internet Explorer