What is technology integration in eduation all about?

In response to Web English teacher creator Carla Beard's comments on this topic on her own blog (and in English Journal this month), David Warlick asked his readers if it is not about the technology "What is it about?"

This is my response to Warlick's query (and Beard) which I also posted as a reply to his blog:

In my role as a teacher, technology is about inquiry, engagement, cognitive and social development, and practicing in a particular discipline. (The latter is the classic difference between learning *about* “doing English” and actually “doing English.”) When I design instruction for my English (and Psychology) classes, I want my students to experience different access points to the learning and to think about that learning critically. Some of these methodologies are traditional - mostly to create a cognitive schema/baseline for the learning - including note-taking, reading, discussion, and lecturing, while others are intended for collaborative learning that builds on those schemas. However, lately I have found that my own use of technology has completely shifted the way I think about collaborative learning. I no longer want to use the term “group work” because it is inadequate to describe the way my students interact and construct knowledge. The availability and use of the web for productivity, communication, and research as well as the shift from designing all classwork for students to “do on their own” to collaborative learning activities is a major paradigm (sorry, I can’t think of a better word!) shift. While I do consider the technology hardware, software, and connectivity available to me when designing instruction, I find myself leaning more and more toward a collaborative pedagogy that is introduced earlier in the lesson/unit and that can be facilitated with our without the actual technology. Finally, while “Digital literacy” did not exist as a term when I started teaching 20+ years ago, it is essential to integrate those critical skills and concepts beyond the research paper into the curriculum beyond our research and persuasion units - and in fact, across the disciplines, much as we have done with reading and writing. Integrating the use of technology into our curriculum and our methodological strategies is one way for teachers to provide opportunities for students to develop critical thinking and social literacy skills that are necessary in our digital world.