When Denise received a computer from her school for use at home, she was told that it was easy to use - that she couldn't mess it up. "Contrary to what they said," she says, "you can mess it up." She mistakenly chose a program called Restore, which did more restoring than she bargained for. It took her system completely back to where it was right after she opened the box - in the process, removing all the files she had ever created. Denise's initial problems, however, only made her more determined to learn computers. "It was a challenge," she says. "I went home that night and began picking at things."

Her hard work has paid off. "My students have a new energy, especially in writing," Denise explains. The four computers in her classroom serve as writing assistants for her students, helping to make sure that her students follow the five steps of thoughtful writing - from prewriting to final draft. They also offer a comfortable environment for challenged learners. "They don't mind working on the computer," Denise says.

She believes that technology in the classroom is here to stay. "I'm finding that technology is now making teaching interesting," she says. "It's not just looking at gadgets. Students are retaining information."

On the necessity of failure:
"One of my mantras is that in order to be a success, you have to fail... whatever you think you've messed up, there's something in technology to fix it. There's an undo button."