Information technology is changing the way business is done in many industries, including education. For teachers, new devices like personal digital assistants (PDAs) and tablet computers are equipped with software that offers the latest in information and communication technology. These devices have the potential to make both planning and implementing classroom lessons easier, as well as organizing grade books and keeping track of student documents and transcripts.

Accessibility
Many schools use smart phones, laptop computers and other mobile devices in the classroom, beginning with teacher training. Teachers are trained to use these devices and to teach their students how to use them in the classroom, which gives everyone access to the vast amount of information online during class. Schools often send teachers to workshops or hire experts to lead seminars on how to plan more interactive lessons, leading to a greater level of collaboration between teachers and students.

Administration
Touchscreen devices use a type of technology known as "digital ink," which takes the place of regular ink and paper. Teachers are trained to use these devices, which include tablet computers and PDAs, to keep digital records of tests, student transcripts and parent contact information. Many schools also use teacher in-service time before school begins to educate teachers on how to use online grade books, which make sharing scores and classroom information with students and their parents much easier.

Literacy
Information technology offers teachers another way to approach increasing student literacy in all subjects. While most teachers traditionally planned lessons using lectures and text, many are now taught to use a full range of multimedia, including video and audio, in their lessons, which may serve to reach a wider variety of types of learners in the classroom. For example, a governmental affairs teacher can stream live election results in the classroom as part of his lesson, adding not only an interesting visual element but also a sense of relevance.

Online Education
Information and communication technologies have already opened more job opportunities for teachers, as both have improved the quality of distance learning courses. Teachers who wish to further their career by pursuing advanced educational degrees can obtain higher-level degrees online on their own schedules while maintaining their current jobs and incomes. Teachers interested in teaching an online course undergo special training that involves learning to use video conferencing applications like Skype, as well as other programs that allow them to share media and information with students on the Internet.

Expert Insight
The Griffin Technology Advantage is a program of Seton Hill University that aims to provide all teachers and students with a laptop and a tablet computer for both personal and classroom use. The university says providing staff and students with this information technology will help teachers show students "not just how to find the information they need, but how to process it in a way that allows them to make sense of the information, apply it to actual situations and use it to solve problems."