Technology doesn't need to be taught in isolation. Integrate technology with other content areas, teaching students technology while helping them gain skills in math, geography and language and other subjects. Help students of all ages see how ordinary technological applications can be used to create unique experiences and projects.

Virtual Vacation
A virtual vacation teaches students about geography in a way that no textbook can come close to matching. Show students how they can take a vacation anywhere in the world by using the satellite and street maps readily available online. Show students how to use an online map application by doing a whole-class activity. Project the online images while looking up the school's address, as this is always an attention-getter. A virtual vacation can be either formal or informal. Students can choose a location and explore it randomly, sharing their discoveries with classmates as they go. Alternatively, the students can explore a location related to the region being studied in social studies, visiting specific locations that you have listed and taking notes about their "trip."

Poem Podcast
Liven up literature classes by inviting students to broadcast the poems they are studying. Learning to create a podcast will show students how to use current technology that many of them are familiar with, such as mp3 players and blogs, in a new way. Before creating the podcast, make sure that students are aware of the podcasts that are available and how to access them. Teach students how to read the poems you are studying for dramatic effect, and as a class, work to create a podcast featuring the poems. Promote the podcast by asking school officials to feature it on the school's website. To make podcasts part of an ongoing class project, devote a website to them and provide an RSS feed so that parents and other interested parties can easily subscribe. Other classes that may enjoy this activity are foreign language classes and drama classes.

Jammin' Graphs
A graph can make statistics come alive in math class. Instead of breaking out the graph paper, show students how to make a colorful graph using spreadsheet software. Before teaching about graphs, assign students a data-gathering project. Students can survey other classes to find out which genre of music is the most popular at their grade level. Students then input the data they've collected, and create a graph that they've personalized with their favorite colors. Encourage students to experiment with a variety of graphs and choose the graph that they feel best represents their data. Follow up the activity with a class discussion about how students chose appropriate graphs and why.