Integrating Technology Into a 1st Grade Classroom

America\u27s public schools are in the middle of one of the most exciting periods in history. Changes in society, technology, and the economy are creating a demand for well-educated people. Vice President Al Gore has estimated that by the year 2000, sixty percent of new jobs in the United States will require advanced technological skills (Clinton & Gore, 1998). Burness et al. (1997) maintain Hundreds of reports and articles have detailed the shortcomings of our school system as well. The gap between what people need to know to thrive in today\u27s world and what they learn in school is very real. (p. 1) Our educational system was not designed to prepare youth for the rapidly changing, highly technological society of today. It was created for a simpler time. Forty years ago a student could drop out of high school, walk into a factory, and earn enough money to raise a famil