Like most first-grade teachers, Shannon Smith at St. Michael Elementary School in Albertville, Minn., never lacks for tasks to keep her busy in the classroom. Wrangling eager students, planning appropriate lessons, and grading assignments are just a few of her daily activities, and with many other "to dos" on her agenda there never seems to be enough time in the school day to get everything accomplished.
While the promise of classroom technology offers great advantages, for many teachers it often seems like more of an inconvenience than a resource. Using technology to shape lesson plans is important to Smith, but the time it takes to manage the different tools occasionally becomes a challenge. After all, it's difficult enough to hold the attention of two dozen six-year-olds and keep the lesson plan on schedule, much less figure out how to toggle from one media input to another or adjust the volume.
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