Changes in My Thoughts on Technology in the Classroom

Honestly, before I started this semester, I had thought about integrating technology into the classroom, but never really put an in depth brainstorm on what I am going to do. Since this class I have had my eyes opened as wide as the Grand Canyon. I just don't know how anyone can conduct a class without some kind of technology in the classroom. I am disappointed to have had a lack of experience with technology when being taught mathematics. In high school the most math I had ever used in a program setting was a bridge builder in my sophomore Geometry class. This really didn't teach me anything about math, or so I thought, but it did create a fun learning environment that year. Some teachers that have come to attend some of our online class sessions have shown me how they use technology in the classroom. SMART board was one really cool thing I saw, where you can sort of make a power point, and then draw on it so that it may be printed for later use. Technology is a great way for preventing kids from getting behind in class. I remember if I missed class, I would start to become behind, and would have to try and catch up on my own time. With technology like the SMART Board and even a simple Power Point presentation can eliminate the lag.
Not only have my thoughts changed on technology in general, but the amount of knowledge I have gathered about different technologies has vastly improved. I purchased a Ti-Nspire and have been working on it most of the semester so far, and yet I still have only touched the tip of the iceberg when it comes to things I can accomplish with such a tool. Before this semester, the only programs I had even known about (and hated) was Mathematica, a little bit of Geometer's Sketchpad 4.0, and the use of Microsoft Excel. In Mathematical Models (MATHS 335) I learned a lot about what Excel can do in creating recurrence relations. In the 5 weeks I have been apart of this class, however, I have learned a lot about online classrooms, Geogebra, Tinkerplots, the Ti-Nspire, Geometer's Sketchpad 5.0, Terrapin Logo, free versions of Terrapin Logo like MSW and UCB logo, the use of PowerPoint in lessons, SMART Board, Voice Thread, and others that I am sure I'm missing.
If I were to gather my thoughts into a few sentences I would say I went from thinking technology can limit students and create dependencies to thinking how a class could function without some sort of technology. My main change of heart has come across the last two weeks of class, listening to how Mr. Reed and Mr. Pinkerton use technology on a daily basis, and say they feel like they could not conduct a productive learning environment anymore without the technology. Hopefully, this class will help me to become fluent in at least a few technologies that I can take with me into the teaching field and beyond. With all the technologies in the world, it's amazing how far we have gone, but have yet to gain any surmountable amount of knowledge.