a call for more tech in the classroom

I was interested in a recent Read Write Web article which stated:

...there is clearly a pressing need for bringing more technology to the classroom to train students for a job market where these skills are now mandatory. It should be noted, though, that technology is often the least pressing of all the problems faced by some of these disadvantaged schools.

I agree that this is a "clearly" pressing need, but not even everyone at my 1:1 laptop school agrees on how pressing. In developing this conversation about the role of technology in the 21st century classroom, I believe that it is important to include as many voices as possible-the critics and the enthusiasts as well as the rich and the disadvantaged. But is it reasonable for this conversation to take precedence over other problems which plague disadvantaged schools? Or, can access to these new technologies help in alleviating some of those historic problems? Any thoughts?