The Changing Roles of Teachers Teachers are on the frontline of technology efforts and are essential to effecting the successful implementation of any systemic reform. Teachers face great pressure to incorporate technology in classrooms and may feel threatened because the change effort represents a journey into the unknown. Many teachers may not feel adequately prepared to face these challenges. Chris Dede writes that many visions of educational technology place too much emphasis on instructional activities centered on presentation and motivation. He describes this model as "kids continuously working on machines with teachers wandering around coaching the confused." 6 This emphasis on presentation and motivation is not limited to classrooms with technology;it continues an antiquated model of instruction. The effective integration of new and emerging technologies requires simultaneous innovations in pedagogy, curriculum, assessment, and school organization, not just more wires and boxes. New roles for teachers de-emphasize the presentation of facts and instead ask teachers to help children learn how to think critically, solve problems, and make informed decisions. This new role is often described as "facilitating" the acquisition of knowledge and skills. Calling the teacher a facilitator suggests less need for specific content knowledge and greater need for knowledge about how to support learning and guide students to relevant resources. Meet the Expert Dr. Chris Dede is the Timothy E. Wirth Professor in Learning Technologies at Harvard University's Graduate School of Education. His fundamental interest centers on the expansion of human capabilities for knowledge creation, sharing, and mastery that emerging technologies enable. He currently works in the areas of virtual reality and creating technology-based educational materials for students with learning disabilities.