by Carolyn Gudenau

Created on: September 12, 2009

Technology is a tool that is available. As with any tool, though, it can be used productively, non-productively and even destructively. It is not really technology that saves us time or wastes our time. It is how we use the tool.

Productive business and personal applications that save time

Non-productive games and other applications that spend time

Destructive spammers, viruses

In the ideal situations, technology saves us a lot of time and money. For example, videoconferencing enables business partners as well as families, to save the cost of airfare and hotels because they can see and talk to each other in real time. Frequently, the software is available and affordable.

Cell phones allow us to communicate quickly and directly to the person we want to reach, whether by voice or text. These brief contacts save us from driving somewhere to meet them or stopping to find a land phone to call them, only to find that they are not available. More and more children are using 'chaperone-enabled' cell phones to stay in contact with their parents. On this anniversary of 9/11, we can all remember the 'last call' from a victim to a loved one, which would otherwise not have been possible. The brief connection would simply have been missed.

Software productivity programs such as Word, Excel, Access and PowerPoint, in the business office or home office have saved us time retrieving data with features such as filter, search, and edit: find and data sort. This is even more important when managing large amounts of data, as in customer lists, address books or products listings. What might have taken hours before technology, now takes a matter of minutes.

Another plus, using technology gives everyone the ability to read what is written because it is typed. Even doctors, instead of scribbling a script, will type it into the computer and send it directly to the pharmacy, where it can be saved until needed. On the down side, the art of handwriting is getting lost because of lack of use.

Technology is increasingly convenient too. Today students bring laptops to the classroom. Hand-held computers are even more popular, for all ages. Now, when we get a bright idea, need directions or want to check our bank balance, we don't have to go all the way back home to login to our pc.

Even though games can be fun, they are easily habit-forming. Choices such as playing the computer or playing other strangers online means you don't even need a friend to play. Some games, as soon as they end, show the option Play again? prompting you to keep playing and spending more time than you planned.

There is nothing wrong with technology. It's up to us to use it wisely.

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