"Technology lite" Article Response

A point this article made that I had never thought of before is that being truly literate is not only being able to use the technology but to use it thoughtfully and with a purpose. Rather than simply teaching how to use the technology, we should be teaching how to use the technology so that it provides some greater understanding that could not exist without it. The article gave an example of this with the student who did an interpretation of a poem using a powerpoint; without that technology, she would not have been able to interpret it as she did. I know from my experiences in school that generally teachers are only concerned with making sure that their students can use technology, and not whether they are using it to its full potential. I've made more powerpoints than I can count in my middle and high school years, but I have never once had a teacher explain how they can be used not only for presentation but for understanding; how the different elements do not have to be separate and unrelated components but can combine into one whole, deeper understanding. Something I particularly liked about this article was that the authors admitted that technology can be difficult to work with and frustrating, but it is worth the frustration. When it comes to the topic of integrating technology in the classroom, people are usually very black and white in their opinions. Either they argue that it is too difficult to learn, particularly for older teachers, and that teaching the students can be a pain. Or, people argue that technology is just so easy to learn and students pick up on it without any effort. It is interesting to read an article in which it is understood that working with technology can be incredibly frustrating, but that there is reward to be found in the struggle; and that "a sense of humor always helps."