The creation of an effective learning environment requires cultural competency--the ability to interact effectively with people of different cultures. Cultural competency means knowing and understanding the people that you serve. This study compares American and Chinese student's readiness and willingness to use innovative technology by assessing their technology readiness through the use of the Technology Readiness Index (Parasuraman, 2000). The findings show that Chinese students exhibit higher levels of discomfort and insecurity, and lower levels of optimism and innovativeness with regard to using new technology. Implications for cross-cultural technology-based learning environments are also provided. (Contains 2 tables.)