Four Score and Technology from Long Ago

Just as Abraham Lincoln was trying to preserve the foundation that our nation was built on, yet trying to change society's view on slavery; we have reached a crossroads in education in our own time.  Teachers that are ready to retire have seen the classroom go from no computers and technology to an overload of computers, ipads, iphones, and apps for information.  Information and answers are only seconds away that once was two days in the library.  This technology is great, but we should never forget that the goal of an educator is the same as it was in Abraham Lincoln's time.  Teaching students to think and problem solve should always be our goal.  When we go to the science lab, I try to accomplish this.  Because of today's technology, it is no easy feat.  In the science classroom, we have two types of technology;  we have technology for use in the classroom that all teachers have and then we have technology for the science lab.  I am fortunate to have in my classroom: an ipad, a macbook, a think pad, two flip cams, a digital recorder, a clicker system, two digital cameras, a smart board, a projector, surround sound, and an elmo.  I am in technology overload.  I love using the smart board.  We can do things and show virtual labs that normally we could not do.  I love using the ipads, I wish they would come out with flash player though, we would be able to do even more.  We will even use the ipads this Spring for the students to play a game at our school that was designed at Hudson Alpcha.  The students enjoy the technology and actually take pride in taking care of it.  However, when we go into the lab, our technology consists of microscopes that are not much different from the ones used in Abraham Lincoln's day.  Technology in the lab has not changed.  It is frustrating to be able to connect with anyone in the world in my classroom, yet struggle to show students any technology outside of computers that a sceintist would use today.  AMSTI and ASIM works really hard to get us technology for our labs.  For this I am very grateful.  So for me, technology has its ups and downs.  Students are comfortable with the technology, however I am afraid if google ever shuts down, my students will have a tough time trying to decide the difference between animal and plant cells.