Technology in the Classroom: Helpful or Harmful?

http://www.education.com/magazine/article/effective-technology-teaching-child/

Technology can be viewed as helpful to some and harmful to others.  There is a divide when it comes to integrating technology into the classroom.  It seems like technology could deliver results, but student scores have not been increasing even with the insertion of much more technology.
According to the article, students are drawn to technology and it surrounds them everyday.  They have so much information at their fingertips it seems logical that they should be able to improve their learning.  One challenge that teachers have regarding technology is that they have to spend precious time learning these new tools and figuring out where they will support the learning objectives.  This is a time commitment many teachers cannot afford.
The article also describes the many benefits of the use of technology in the classroom.  The time saving aspect of technology is huge because teachers gain more face to face time with students and can cover material more in depth or possibly cover more material.  It is also useful and efficient for tracking student progress.  Digital reports offer teachers instant feedback without having to shuffle through hundreds of papers.
Technology is useful if it is viewed as a tool that supports learning objectives.  If teachers integrate technology wisely into their classrooms their will be benefits, it is all about the application of the tool.  Technology does not replace teachers, it only enhances what they are able to do with students.
I agree with most of the points made in this article.  The benefits are undeniable regardless of the lack of data.  Technology is a more efficient and resourceful way to access and create content.  Teachers can assess students more quickly, thus providing more feedback.  The tools have never been greater, however, the time to learn to implement these tools does not always exist.  Therefore you will see a lot of teachers just substituting old methods using technology (ex. online textbook).  Technology will see benefits when teachers change the way they teach because of technology.  The day so of memorizing facts are over for the most part, new skills need to be taught that focus on being able to identify and find the information needed and presenting it in a coherent and effective way.
In our district we have injected a lot of new technology throughout the school, but I do not think it has changed much.  Teachers are in the substitution phase of the SAMR model.  Does this mean we should not be using the technology?  Absolutely not.  There is a long learning curve and it will take years for teachers to change lessons to teach more effectively with the new tools that they have been given.  I think we need to be patient in making our judgments about the effectiveness of technology.  Standardized testing I do not believe can assess the way students are learning problem solving skills and 21st century skills.  So we need to wait until we can accurately and reliably assess the effectiveness of technology.