Technology: Hindrance or Help?

Technology in some form has been present in my education as far back as I can remember. I remember back in 3rd grade when we used those desktop word-processing keyboards to learn typing skills. And then in 4th grade we spent an hour a couple days a week playing math- and logic-oriented computer games on the square, cryptic Macs that used Verbatim floppy disks. 5th grade you could use one of the 2 computers in the classroom to play Oregon Trail on Fridays if you had earned enough "plus points".
Technology has been used as an educational tool for years, and in today's increasingly scientific and technological world it has become the norm. The majority of American families have computers at home, and many school systems use computer networks as integral parts of their administration, as communication for their teachers, to run grading systems, and to provide media access for students. Today's generation has become incredibly computer-literate...it always baffles me when my parents ask me how to do something on the computer that I find completely second-nature.
The question is, however, does this overwhelming technological presence, access to computers and the internet especially, offer promise for the future of education? I think it does in many ways. The internet truly is a infinite wellspring of information. So the first and most obvious perk is that students have access to this information. Yes, much of the information is unreliable, but I think this gives great opportunity for teachers to help their students understand the difference between reliable and unreliable sources, and help them become discerning consumers and members of society. Plagiarism is of course always an issue with the internet, but again, with a teacher's guidance, it's easy to help students understand what is acceptable in terms of original work. Teaching about plagiarism is also a great opportunity to help instill the younger generation a sense of integrity and morality.
Technology and the internet are also incredibly efficient means of communication. I check my e-mail here at school probably 10 times a day. It's a helpful way to organize my life and stay on top of things. I think the internet is also a great tool to accomodate and encourage curiosity about seemingly useless subjects that generally contribute to wordly knowledge. Just the other day I googled the London Underground because I was curious about how deep the Picadilly Line runs underneath London, and I ended up reading for 20 minutes about the history of the underground system over there. Information I probably would never have had access to otherwise, or information I would not have had the patience to sift through books to learn about.
I suppose that's the argument to technology in education: it promotes laziness and generally makes younger generations less intelligent. But I think that, although younger generations of students will grow up in a completely different world than we or our parents know, their instinctive curiosity as humans to learn and create will not be changed. So the internet and other technologies will simply remain as tools to access information that will allow new ideas and creativity to continue. Using the internet and technology in the classroom to promote these ideals is a good thing.