"Although innovations such as video, computers, and the Internet seem to offer schools improved methods for instructing students, these technologies all too often distract from real learning."

In early twentieth century people thought that the car was a fad; they would never replace the trusty hard-working horses. In the middle of the twentieth century people thought that television was a fad and that it cannot replace the radio. In mid 1980's people thought that vcds and videos were a fad and; they would never replace the experience of going to the movies. Now we can drive our cars and watch movies concomitantly. Virtually everything that makes life more convenient would say and thus this forms the basis of my choice of differing with the authors assertion that innovations such as videos, computers, internet distract from real learning.

Teaching and learning has been paper intensive. Teachers in every discipline assign books to their students and use paper to keep track of which student has which book. Students use paper to complete assignments associated with those books and handed them in to their teachers, who carried those papers home to grade them. This process is repeated all over the country by millions and billions of students. Technology has the potential to prevent mass slaughter of trees by providing web based applications, that allow students to complete a variety of work and submit online. Most notable of these application is Google docs, where students can create a free account and create writing pieces, presentations and spreadsheets. Students can share their work with teachers which can grade, comment and even highlight specific corrections. In fact student and teacher can work simultaneously on an assignment while "chatting" in the side bar. Another feature of Google doc's is that it saves a students work instantaneously and stores it online. This removes the need of carefully preserving the assignments for finals. Additionally, all the assignments would be available on the go.

Technology is a double-edged sword when it comes to research. On one side large quantity of information regarding any topic is available at the click of the mouse. On the other side, there is temptation for students to directly cut and paste from the sources. There are always students who plagiarize. But also their are programs made to detect plagiarism and can aid the teachers in doing so. Thanks to the Internet gone are the days of creating Works Cited and References Pages by hand and agonizing over alphabetically and citing correctly. There are both free and subscription services which can do that for students. When students and the teachers can focus on what the child has to say and how he says it, real learning happens.

The introduction of tablets is already revolutionizing learning. It is likely that the students will be carrying backpacks crammed with book and brinders. Rather, they will glide from class to class carrying slim computer onto which they have downloaded their textbooks. Thus when the accoutrements of education becomes easier there will be a clear focus on learning.

Videos serve as a boon to teachers and students. Teachers who find it difficult to teach at many places can simply make a video of their lecture and play it for children in many classroom. Therefore mass teaching can be accomplished in a shorter duration of time than it would usually take. Moreover students can also be provided with a teacher's video lectures and the students can play the video as many times as it takes to understand the concept.

Thus in the light of above, Internet, videos, computers have enhanced real learning automating tasks such as formatting, presentation, availability of documents and diverging students focus on more concrete material such as explanations and communication.