Effects of Technology in the Classroom

I really got to thinking about our discussion we had in class about the way technology can effect learning. Does it make one better at using resources and obtaining more information, or does it turn a student into a lazy, robotic type learner?
Honestly, I think the answer really does just depend on the person and the way the technology is used.
I found a really interesting article on the Huffington Post: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/william-astore/of-moocs-and-technology-o_b_3967397.html.
In the article, the writer talks about MOOC's, or Massive Open Online Courses, that he participated in while studying in the Air Force. He talks about how hard it is to give education the "spark" that it does in real life; it is hard to inspire children or even adults over the internet without personal social experience. He mentions that the classes were very mundane, in that you study the information, memorize it for the tests, and then he completely forgot everything he was taught. It can be hard to get creative with teaching methods over the internet, sometimes things are limited and it can be tricky to make the information engaging and not simply tests.
I think that this is something that is very important to keep in mind while we are trying to decide how much technology we should include in future education. Yes, technology has it's many upsides. It can be wonderful for students who think better with technological resources. Sometimes computer games or something of the like can be more fun to some students than a traditional hands-on experience. It allows for collaboration. With the internet at our fingertips, it can give us access to so many resources and new types of information that one teacher just simply cannot have in their mind. Finally, it can also allow students to become more independent and teach them how to learn by looking for resources.
However, it is important to remember how truly vital it is not to let this take control. Students need to have a base knowledge that can help them know how to look for these resources in the first place. They need to have some kind of knowledge already in their brains that we humans don't become so reliant on technology to give us answers all the time.
In my opinion, a good balance of technology and hands-on personal experience is key to having a successful education program in the future.