For a generation being reared on e-readers and gizmo toys, learning in a traditional classroom atmosphere can be frustrating. Harnessing information technology to teaching can grab and hold the attention of such children. Using technology in the classroom is no longer only about including pictures and sounds in the presentations a teacher prepares. For the best learning experience, you have to provide children with hands-on experience in the use of tools that enable them to learn effectively from educational software and the Internet.

Browse the SchoolTool website and find links to simulated science experiments and animated demonstrations to explain basic science concepts. This can include topics as diverse as the working of the human body, replication of DNA, principles of magnetism or making a rocket from seltzer tablets. Use these resources to promote a deeper understanding of complex physical, chemical and biological processes that can be difficult for children to visualize.

Encourage students to use technology in communication by exposing them to word processing and graphics software. Have children compose a story, a book review or a brochure on a health topic using a word processor and illustrate it using clip art. Explain the use of tools like the thesaurus, spelling check and grammar check to improve the quality of the written work.

Use technology to train students in the process of inquiry. Teach students to use online databases to search for information about topics the class is studying. Use the Internet to track a variety of data such as stock market changes or the temperatures in different cities. Teach about historical places, cultures and the geography of far-flung places by making use of the virtual field trips provided on websites such as The Teacher's Guide.

Allot themes to groups of students. Train them in the use of presentation software. Explain how to go about choosing templates, adding animation, inserting images and adding visual and sound effects to best effect. Have the groups prepare presentations on the themes allotted to them and teach them the process of uploading them on the school website. Alternatively, take your students through the process of creating an exclusive web page where they can showcase their presentations.

Set up a projector and a screen in the classroom. Use a computer or a laptop with a broadband connection and connect "live" to the Internet to learn more about a subject the class is studying. Viewing images projected on the screen will make the topic more interesting.

Find a webinar on an area that higher class students are studying in their syllabus. Provide students with prior information of how the webinar works. Give students an opportunity to interact with the faculty presenting the webinar. Encourage them to observe how all participants can share information, compare notes and ask questions during the session.