is it really ok to allow teachers to choose whether or not they incorporate modern technologies into their instruction?

I can see both sides to this issue. First of all, I feel that teachers should be allowed to decide how they want to teach an idea and implement their own creative ways to get information out to the students whether they choose to use technology or not. However, in many cases the use of technology is unavoidable and teachers need to learn how to use and teach with it. For example, in the case of online grading. Online grading makes it a lot easier for parents to be aware and helpful about their child's progress in the class. If teachers choose not to use this new technology, they make it harder on parents to aid the students in their progress. Also, I believe with new technologies such as the SmartBoard or Geometer's Sketchpad now available to students, teachers need to be trained in these new technologies before they can make the decision whether or not to use them in their classroom. In this way they will be forced to try and learn how to use new tools in their classrooms and hopefully see the advantages and positive learning they would have on their students.