Academics and technology have been moving from two separate disciplines to an integration of the two. The move is to teach about technology and technology skills in context with the content standards taught in the classroom. With few staff support resources, many teachers continue to shy away from using technology as a tool for teaching and teaching students technology skills, mostly because they are not comfortable with it. Teachers do not like to teach about subjects they are not proficient in, and integrating technology is no different. Teachers need to be comfortable with technology skills so they can integrate it as a teaching tool and subsequently pass the skills on to their students in the form of meeting standards. In many instances, technology standards are not being addressed by the teachers and are not integrated in the curriculum. Therefore, the students miss out, depending on if they are placed with a technology-savvy teacher or not.

Using technology in learning has improved student achievement. A recent study by Harold Wenglinsky (1998) examined technology's impact on student learning in mathematics for fourth and eighth graders. Student performance was measured using the 1996 National Assessment of Education Progress. Wenglinsky concluded that technology does affect academic achievement and its impact depends on how the technology is used. The grade-appropriate use of computers was found to be more important in producing increased learning than the amount of time computers are used. According to the study, when computers are used to perform tasks applying higher order concepts and when teachers are proficient in directing students toward productive uses, computers are associated with significant learning gains.

It is also important that students acquire the necessary technology skills. Many high schools expect students to come in with a certain technology skill set. Many jobs and careers require an increasing amount of technology skill. Jobs are also shifting to areas with intensive technology use. For students to be able to compete for these jobs and careers, they need to be comfortable with knowing and using the technology that exists at their level today. This must begin in elementary grades.

It is important for teachers to become technology savvy. Connectivity in public schools has come a long way. Gone are the days of the computer lab, staffed with one technically conversant instructor. It is now common to find computers in almost every classroom, playing a significant part in students' daily lives. But building the infrastructure and establishing the connectivity was the easy part. The biggest challenge for educational institutions at this point is to address subsequent issues that, if left unchecked, could curb the effectiveness of digital educational tools. Many teachers agree that technology skills are important for students to have and use, however, the teachers are not adept in using the technology in the sophisticated manner it should be used. In fact, a U.S. Department of Education study reports that four out of five teachers don't feel prepared to use technology as part of daily classroom instruction.

Summary

One solution is the Generation Youth program, or Gen Y. Gen Y is the premier solution for schools looking for research-proven methodology designed to infuse technology throughout the school. Students work with teachers to bring effective technology into the classrooms and libraries. The resulting collaboration provides the students with project-based learning and the teachers with on-site sustainable professional development.