I think that educators could succeed in going quite far with incorporating technology in classrooms as long as they continue to keep an eye on students actions throughout. If there is nobody checking up on students, the technology may become counterproductive. Just like students being in a classroom discussing face to face, teachers need to be aware of misbehavior and off-topic banter.
When talking about the discussion forums, it would be interesting to see how people communicate when there are no cultural biases (from appearances) in the way. However, when involving a classroom of students who already know eachother, there wouldn't be much difference from in class. The one difference that it might make is that students have more time to formulate their ideas before responding to a thread/topic, instead of having to think while others are talking and in a limited time amount. I think that these can add to student learning if the students are given interesting topics and are taking the discussion board seriously. If they don't care, they aren't going to learn much. Asynchronous, text-based communication may create an inability to understand other students if the student has not explained their thoughts clearly. Then, another student will either ignore the post or ask for it to be explained differently. And, the latter option takes time and who knows what will happen once the time has elapsed.
It is possible that chat rooms would distract from learning. However, if you limit the number of people who are in the chat or monitor the chat to make sure people stay on topic, it may be beneficial. It may be especially beneficial if students need to talk outside of class. That way, just like 3 way calling or conference calling, students can communicate in a group rather than having to relay conversations to every person in the group. Another positive attribute to discussion boards is that if they are used frequently, students may be able to clear up questions before class even reconvenes. It can make it easier to devote classtime to more things.
I think podcasting can be very helpful, once again, if monitored. It is just like the discussion board in that you can formulate ideas beforehand and make multiple corrections to your ideas. And, the major plus about this, is that you aren't limited to words. You can also incorporate tone of voice and other sounds that can further convey your thoughts.
I think that videogames can be good learning tools as long as they seriously use the information in a challenging and entertaining way. Students will be more engaged in learning when it's in the form of a game. Instead of moning and whining about doing homework, students may even look forward to it. And, like the article says, the computer can be used like a teacher because it can aid a student by telling which answers are wrong/right and why. This repetition from the program will help students a lot more than a worksheet would. It will show the student immediately what they are doing wrong, instead of letting wrong answers marinate in their head. They will remember it quicker when shown immediately rather than having to wait until the next class or longer. And, students can repeat games and will be more likely to do so. They probably aren't going to be willing to repeat the same worksheet over and over. That's not fun. So, in conclusion, games can be educational and fun; learning just got better.
