Regarded as the future of education, computers in classrooms are now seen as an essential tool for learning.
The drive to introduce more computer technology into schools is leaving many teachers struggling to keep up with their pupils.
According to one of the unions, teachers are not being given the training or the access to computers they need to make the most of new technology.
Regarded as the future of education, computers in classrooms are now seen as an essential tool for learning.
A government drive to train and equip teachers in England with their own computers is ongoing, although a similar scheme is Wales is yet to begin.
Unions say much more support is needed to make sure teachers' knowledge keeps up with that of their pupils.
"Essentially the problem is that you don't get good at something until you've had a lot of practice," said Gwen Evans of the Association of Teachers and Lecturers.
"You don't get a lot of practice yourself if you're supervising a class. So the implication is that the teachers are in the situation day in day out where there's at least one person in the class who knows a lot more than they do."
Head teachers say it is important that teachers are clear about what they intend to achieve when they start using information and communication technology - it is not an end in itself.
"I think if you put a lot of technology into the classroom, and the teacher who's not organised, who doesn't plan well, who's not clear about learning outcomes, then that class is going to be worse off," said Jim Donnelly, head teacher at Litherland High School, Liverpool.
"They're going to be wandering aimlessly around the internet or using Word to do silly things with, rather than concentrating on the learning."
Pupils at Newnham Junior School in Ruislip, west London, embrace computers from an early age.
They are fans of technology, but even here it was a challenge making sure the teachers could cope.
"We are in the 21st Century and I think computers have a role to play," said the head teacher, David Kidner.
"They're never going to replace teachers, and I think it's the quality of teaching that the children are actually going to receive from the teacher that's important.
"If I worked out the percentage of the week that they're using the computers it's still quite small. Many, many times during the week they're using paper and pen - traditional methods."
The percentage of schools connected to the internet has risen considerably over the last few years, with almost all of England's secondary schools now online.
But without investment in training, teachers say the money spent on computers could be wasted.