What is your take on Technology? are the principals listed still current and important?

I think that our generation has evolved so much over the 10 years since the article has been written. I feel it is no longer an issue of "infusing technology", but rather technology is already intricately woven into our lives. So much so that it is an integral part of our lifestyle today. Our students are already users of technology on their own and may even be more advanced than some adults.

However, students may not be aware of language acquisition while they are online, and among youths, the quality of language used online, more so on social networking websites, is dropping. Although students are communicating all the time using technological gadgets and programs, the language they used are limited to short forms, broken sentences, Singlish etc. Also, the economy for students to use proper, grammatically correct sentences is low. In order to communicate at a higher pace, students don't bother to check if they have used the correct tense or are even using any tenses in their sentences in the first place. Teachers need to cultivate a habit of using good language at appropriate instances. Help students become aware of different registers to use and choose the appropriate register.

It is not wrong that students communicate in utterances online. However, can they still write or read different text types, which is a lifeskill they will need as they proceed to higher education or when they enter the workforce.

Technology is like second nature to the younger generation, however, there still exist a group of students who are living under poor financial environment. They have less access to technological tools and gadgets and this is the group of students who will face difficulties in assimilating to a technological environment. Teachers must make the extra mile to provide equal learning opportunities for these students, perhaps using facilities in school.

I do agree with the article that the teacher must be a critical evaluator of technology to be used in class. The amount of content and choices have proliferated over the decade and it is still growing. Teachers must constantly keep up with content online, to make materials used authentic and relevant for the students. Technology has shortened our generation gap from a number of decades to a few years. What is current today may well become obsolete by tomorrow.