Our school uses a computer lab/ technology teacher model. The "computer teacher" provides contractual release time for teachers. As a result, every student gets consistent time on the computers. Most projects come from things the homeroom teacher is working on, so the kids learn skills in the context of "doing work."

In addition to the lab, there are computers in the classroom (more as you go up in the grades), in the library, and in the hallway. Projects are saved on a server so kids can work everywhere. (It must also be said that the number of computers in classrooms is limited by the size of most of the rooms.) We start keyboarding in mid-second grade.

Most kids come to school with quite a bit of experience with computers already. I've noticed a big difference over the 5+ years I've been here. Our goal is for the kids to see technology as just another tool to find out stuff, makes sense of stuff, and tell other people what they think.

We use the Office Suite for the most part. We do a lot of word processing, because that's really important for kids. I once heard my old boss say that the kids were only doing "word processing." The problem with this statement is that it looks at the software too much – and not what it's being used for. A kid writing a letter to the principal to solve a school problem is certainly a higher-level use than a pointless PowerPoint project.

We also use KidPix in the lower grades. It allows for simple writing and can still capture the artist. We use Ten Thumbs Typing for keyboarding practice. We occasionally use iPhoto for digital camera work. Of course, the Web gets a lot of use.

In many ways my use at home is the same as at school, but for a different audience. I keep most of my schoolwork at school, with the exception of blogs, personal pages and podcasts. That's where most educators hang out to share ideas, and they're blocked at school.

I have an analyst who helps me from time to time, but I'm pretty much self-taught.

Journey North and Flat Stanley are great and are still around. But the number of collaborative sites has shrunk. And of course many that were once free are now charging.

One of the sadnesses of the Web is how the early promises – "there will be a treasure trove of sites for kids!" – never really materialized. Instead, most of the games are associated with "products."

I remember a keynote speech by Vince Cerf (one of the fathers of the Internet) at a conference in Austin. He talked about the emerging portals for kids, and the idea of the Web putting kids of different regions and cultures together to solve problems. Wouldn’t that be amazing?