Why might it be important for students to learn with technology?

I think I have learned a lot this semester about technology in the classroom thus far. I feel like before this course began, I understood that technology as a "bonus" to get to have available-- like a priveledge that could be taken away or given. Now I see technology as something necessary, just like pen and paper. This course has shown me that the students I will be teaching truly are "technology natives," and that if I want to be marketable in this field, I need to get (and stay) with the program.

I think actually going in and using the Wiki for so much stuff in our own class made me realize how functional that aspect was. Just looking at it for our purposes I can see how I could adapt those to use in a highschool classroom. I could have links for my syllabus, assignments, contact information, student contact information, and a place to upload important artifacts.

I think the only thing that was really redundant thus far for me was the mp3 player section, and ironically, that was my technology group.

I really want to know more about ebooks-- how affordable they are, how realistic is the idea of using them in a highschool setting?