The pace of education technology innovation outpaces many professors' abilities to thoughtfully integrate new tools in their teaching practice. This poses challenges for higher education faculty as well as those responsible for planning professional development in higher education. This article explores recent trends in education technology and the capabilities that new pedagogical tools make possible. It also introduces readers to three foundational educational technology theories: Rogers' diffusion model, Davis's technology acceptance model and Mishra & Koehler's technological, pedagogical and content knowledge model. Each theory holds important implications for those interested in helping higher education faculty members to make the most of emerging classroom technologies. Higher education leadership can help their faculties make the most of education technology tools by including the implications of these theories in their professional development designs.