One of my goals as a future educator is to have my students carry their learning outside of the classroom.  In order to do this, I plan to teach them to do research online.  By doing this, my students will have a wider access to literary criticism and outside commentary on what they are learning.  It is important to make the world as small as possible for students.  Giving them access to limitless information would do that for them.
    I, specifically, would try to use technology often in my classroom.  By seeking out pertinent websites, I would be able to offer my students as much outside help as I could.  Also, I could try to create our own class website so that students could e-mail each other, participate in chat rooms, and have their own discussion board.  This would also give them permanent access to me if they had any questions or issues to raise.  A good website to use to help me incorporate technology effectively in my classroom is http://www.tcet.unt.edu/START.
    By teaching my students to use technology to do research and to communicate with other people, I would be empowering them.  With limitless knowledge and assistance at their fingertips, my students would learn to help themselves and become mature individuals.