I'm not one of those mentors who try to become a personal role model for their students. My goal, however, is of a different kind. I would like all my students to take something useful with them upon leaving my class, something that will help them be better learners, better professionals and ultimately find their places in today's world. Whether or not they realize it, in a few years, these students will be judged by what they have managed to learn and achieved along the way. Therefore, I see my role as a teacher in providing my students with guidance, support and learner-centered environment that makes learning an enjoyable and rewarding experience.

Luckily enough, modern teachers are not limited to the chalkboard. Instead, we have technology at our hands to make learning process more effective. "Mediocre teacher tells, good teacher explains, great teacher inspires". In my opinion, the most important and exciting role that the use of technology can play in the process of education is to help inspire and motivate students. It is becoming more and more difficult to use traditional methods to make students interested in a subject that does not have much in common with the world they live in. On the other hand, as electronics, such as computers, PDAs and projectors, etc. are getting more and more popular, we have more options to fully live up to students' expectations in teaching, other than traditional methods of teaching mathematics, both instructionally and organizationally. To grab students' interests, we need to be able to talk to them in their own terms. Technologies make it definitely doable in mathematical teaching. Numerical algorithms, various industrial applications and even abstract theories can be visualized and explained by computer-enhanced presentations. Technologies allow us to present well-known concepts in a different light, by providing new tools and ideas that reveal hidden connections between practice and theory, and also allow students to explore mathematics with their bare hands.

Technological advances change the way we communicate. Anything that has a chance of making the educational process more productive deserves a try. There are lots of computer-based tools and packages available nowadays. One only needs to have the courage to try them. In my experience, students respond well to innovations, and are ready to provide feedbacks if they feel their opinions will be taken into account. This will definitely help to create healthy working environment in the classroom.

However, as everyone discovers, it might be dangerous to go too far. While playing with technology, we may forget to teach our students how to "read and write" in mathematics, and very soon they may lose the ability to understand the language of mathematical abstraction. Therefore, it is also extremely important to maintain a healthy balance between tradition and modernization, no matter what goals we choose to pursue.

Overall, my philosophy on teaching with technology can be summarized as follows: good use of technology is a moderate use of technology. I am always careful when experimenting with new approaches and tailoring them to my audience. I believe that with wise uses, technology in mathematical education has a great potential, which not only can better serve students' aspirations, but can also foster curiosity and critical thinking.