Pros

Some pros of technology use in the classrooms of low income schools:

1. Increased student motivation. Tools such as Google Earth or Prezi can add an extra engagement factor to a lecture and can also get students more interested in doing their own independent assignments.

2, Preparedness for the work force. Almost all jobs available to the next generation will require basic computer skills and we cannot just assume that low SES students will have those basic technology skills because they have a Facebook, especially if they do not have a computer at home. Using computers regularly in the classroom, even if it is simply to use Microsoft Office, will hone those crucial skills and the more advanced presentation skills students can learn from digital storytelling or video creation and editing will further improve their job prospects.

3. Connections to their lives. Students that will be in high school soon, even in low income areas, have grown up in a world where technology has always been an omnipresent part of their experiences. They almost all use Facebook and/or Twitter and there are websites available that allow teachers to make their own class pages which resemble Facebook in their layout and will therefore interest students.