My sense is that technology is not really a choice, anymore. Technology is what we use on a daily basis to help us find information, communicate with others, and produce something of ourselves to the world. Therefore, when planning for an integrated curriculum, once students are given access to technology, teachers are not the drivers of the process. In a 2009 article I wrote, I explained it as follows:
Additionally, misconceptions exist around the direct role of technology in the learning process, and, often, the technology is regarded as the teacher rather than a tool used by teachers and students to support the dynamic process of learning. As such, teachers sometimes distance themselves from these tools in the hopes that their jobs will remain secure. (If everything is being painfully scrutinized and you simply do what you do as a teacher because that is how you learned and were taught, then it is very probable that your outlook is threatened and that you would become insecure.) Why do you grade the way you do? Why do you create assignments the way you do? How do you know that the learning outcomes of the course you are currently teaching truly reflect student needs and global application requirements?
Therefore, it really isn't about "knowing more" but "thinking differently" about how you are designing your lessons and supporting students in their learning. We cannot continue to teach simply how we were taught, but instead, teach to empower current students towards their own learning success.
To help students make the relevant learning choices and comprehension connections for their own learning success is really about preparing them for life-long learning and overall, long-term success. Therefore, try and take some steps back in your planning and think creatively about how your students should learn authentically for their own understanding. Using technology in the process helps to facilitate and enhance the experience for each student.
TIP: Plan instruction to empower students in their own learning experience.
Coming up next, "What do you mean by "Inclusive Instruction"?" Stay tuned...