Beyond simply the need to keep up, teachers who are adept at
digital technology say it allows them to reach a broad range of
students, including those who have been reluctant to speak up in
class, are not able to attend school regularly or who simply
process information differently.

“This can be an incredibly exciting, rich time for educators
because there are so many options for helping all our kids succeed,
and so many ways for reaching students with different learning
styles,” says Hunt, who also teaches computer programming.

Hunt, who says she “was put on this planet to teach teenagers,”
embraces the new world order.

“This generation of kids, and all those to come, are digital
natives who have grown up with this technology,” she says. “As
adults, we’re on the other side of a divide, a generation of
digital immigrants, having to learn an unfamiliar second language.
As educators we have to adjust to what for us is kind of like a
foreign country. But do we have a choice on whether to go there? I
don’t think so. The kids are already out there, ahead of us.”