The cover story for NEA Today’s March issue is entitled Ready to Upgrade?, which discusses using technology in the classroom. If you missed the last issue, you can also catch the story at http://www.nea.org/neatoday/0603/coverstory.html

The article has ideas for integrating technology at the elementary, middle and high school levels. Specifically, it discusses the use of handhelds (like a Palm Pilot) or podcasting for education. The article also stresses the importance of teacher input for technology purchases in district so they are meaningful and relevant in the curriculum. The last line of the article sums it up nicely: “As a teacher, hopefully your number one priority is to inspire your students to become lifelong learners,” says Lynn Lary. “These new technologies are a powerful way to do that.”

At the bottom of the article is an online technology guide for educators. There is an excellent ‘Gigabyte Glossary’ if you want to see the definition for such terms as ‘bluetooth’, ‘applet’ or ‘blog’. Within the technology guide you also might find some helpful site such as: Learn how to operate a data projector or Using a digital camera in the classroom.