Even more teacher resources

I have recently come under a veritable bombardment of information concerning how information technology can be utilized in a classroom. Last week I heard from several people who each had found websites full of educational content, well packaged for the use of either teachers or students. All of these websites had distinguishing features and aspects that made them irreplacable for certain uses. The individuals had also come up with rather detailed plans as to how specific lesson plans could be drawn from their respective websites. I was especially fortunate in that the people I heard from shared an interest in social studies, something I clearly value. This made me think that perhaps the web's greatest asset t teachers is it's vitality. Their is a unique stigma associated with text books commonly used in school. No matter what one's background or use for the material, text books are declared dull, dry, cumbersome, and often outdated for classroom needs by almost universal agreement. While one must be discerning when scanning the web for reliable information, the simple fact is that no shortage of great ideas exist online. More are being added everyday, so no teacher can claim not to have fresh material from which to draw lessons. I believe the web could greatly accelerate the rate at which new ideas and new methods are introduced into classrooms, reducing the chances of children becoming bored with their classroom experience.
I also had the honor of hearing from one of the leaders of the Internet Public Library. This resource offers an banquet of reliable, helpful informatin for anyone intersted in learning. They are also responsive to public input, so they can best adapt the services they provide. I saw many examples of great work, however, the skop of a project like, just seems like more than I could every handle.
In thinking about all of this I was again reminded of the stunning speed with which our youth are adapting to the information age. It brought to mind some questions I have had over whether a teacher can truly hope to stay as technologically adept as her students, especially given her other responsibilities. If I have the oppurtunity to speak to a young teacher who has found uses for technology in the classroom, I'd ask if they'd yet encountered a situation where the students were teaching them, and if they have thoughts on how to deal with such an event.