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How Technology has Changed Our Lives Technology has allowed us to connect with people with ease, and has made many tasks so much easier. From desktops to IPhones, the world we live in allows us to communicate with anybody with wireless access with just a couple of clicks of the mouse. From listening to Led Zeppelin, to navigating to the mall, technology has made everyday life more convenient. We can text on cellphones, connect on social networking sites and video chat on Skype with little to no effort at all. It really is amazing to see how much technology has advanced and what it allows us to do today. Imagine attempting to live the way you do today, a decade ago. Remember having to yell at your brother to get off the phone so you could go on AOL Instant Messenger because of dial-up? How about calling your friends from, dare I say it, a house phone? At one time, we all had one of those Nextel phones that could withstand a nuclear explosion. With all of the new technology that was introduced, it was difficult to see what else the technology world could improve on. Sure enough, they never cease to impress us. In the last couple of years, technology has done things we could have never imagined in 2002. Now they have computers you can take anywhere, with internet that works at lightning speed. Our cellphones answer questions for us, as well as allow us to have a video chat with our friends. The communication options are endless! New technology has made many tasks easier and more convenient. It was amazing when they introduced phones we didn’t have to have plugged into an outlet. Now, we are now able to access web, e-mail and social networking sites right from our cellphones! Another really huge advance we’ve made technologically is the sharing and listening of music. We have gone from Walkmans to Ipods, and from radios to Pandora radio right at our fingertips! I don’t think we ever thought it would be possible to watch season after season of a show without...

How Technology Has Changed Our Lives

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How Technology has Changed Our Lives

Technology has allowed us to connect with people with ease, and has made many tasks so much easier. From desktops to IPhones, the world we live in allows us to communicate with anybody with wireless access with just a couple of clicks of the mouse. From listening to Led Zeppelin, to navigating to the mall, technology has made everyday life more convenient. We can text on cellphones, connect on social networking sites and video chat on Skype with little to no effort at all. It really is amazing to see how much technology has advanced and what it allows us to do today.Imagine attempting to live the way you do today, a decade ago. Remember having to yell at your brother to get off the phone so you could go on AOL Instant Messenger because of dial-up? How about calling your friends from, dare I say it, a house phone? At one time, we all had one of those Nextel phones that could withstand a nuclear explosion. With all of the new technology that was introduced, it was difficult to see what else the technology world could improve on. Sure enough, they never cease to impress us. In the last couple of years, technology has done things we could have never imagined in 2002. Now they have computers you can take anywhere, with internet that works at lightning speed. Our cellphones answer questions for us, as well as allow us to have a video chat with our friends. The communication options are endless!New technology has made many tasks easier and more convenient. It was amazing when they introduced phones we didnt have to have plugged into an outlet. Now, we are now able to access web, e-mail and social networking sites right from our cellphones! Another really huge advance weve made technologically is the sharing and listening of music. We have gone from Walkmans to Ipods, and from radios to Pandora radio right at our fingertips! I dont think we ever thought it would be possible to watch season after season of a show without...

Has technology improved the quality of our lives?I think that it has improved us moreover disproved us because there is the fact that it made 60% of America obese. Other then that, technology has improved so many things!It has saved over 95% more lives today then it did back in the old days. People used to die, and others will say Oh, well. But because of technology, we have medicines, defibrillators, hospitals, casts, X-rays, and more!The weird thing that I noticed about technology, is that more technology helps speed up the process of making even more technology. I realized that early homo-sapiens took over a course of 800 years to invent a spear. In the steam age, the light bulb came out after 30 years of the idea. But now, a new amazing invention comes out every month! At home, I order a magazine called Popular Mechanics monthly in which it features something new every time. First, a cloaked tank, next, a faster version of the concord, then, a plugin car that can last for over 600mi in one full charge!Also, over the last five years, technology has been rapidly changing and expanding in many ways. Our average laptops have grown every now and then. From faster processing, to paper thin lightweight computers. Smart phones are now capable of acting as complex computer devices that can take pictures, search the Internet, send emails and text messages, and they even make phone calls. While it might seem that the technology of today has reached its limits, is still actually expanding more and more. Because of this, it makes people lazy and they end up not using their brain most of the time. Then they cant remember simple mathematics.Technology has helped us learn many things. Such as; Earth rotates around the sun, Pluto is a dwarf planet, species in deep ocean trenches, how old the earth is, and many important discoveries that help us understand the world we live on. With these discoveries, weve been able to adapt to our environment. Because of this, we are now the most adaptable species existing.

The Internet is probably the most revolutionary idea since the invention of cell phones. The reason for this is that they are changing the way in which we live our lives and run our businesses in ways that we had never imagined before. There are several examples of how the Internet has made our lives better and easier. Take for consideration, the number of those that they have been able to go back to school because they are taking online classes through a university. This is an opportunity that many would not have had if it were not for the Internet. In addition, people are now doing their banking and paying bills online, limiting the financial sensitive information that is written down on paper that is floating around in the world just waiting to be taken and misused.The Internet has also given us the ability to find out information at the simple click of a mouse and a few strokes of the keys. If we need to find a recipe for a new dish, find the product review of something that we are considering or simply want to learn more about the new scientific finding, we turn to the Internet. Years ago, we would simply have to find this information through others or books, which was time-consuming. Now, we can get right down to business and get what we want. And we may find that in the progress of getting what we need, we are able to find it for lower prices since we are utilizing the Internet, thus saving a little money in the process of this.For businesses, the Internet has proven to be most successful with what they are doing. For example, the Internet encourage social networking that has led to businesses doubling their profit due to the marketing advantages that the Internet has made possible. Also consider that the businesses are able to reach more people than if they were to simply rely on word of mouth. If we are looking for a business that specializes in shoe repair, we simply go online and have a slue of choices. We can then read reviews from other consumers and make our decision based on the information that we have found there.Businesses have always benefited from the use of the Internet in that they are now able to offer their products and services online. People can purchase these through the major credit card without even having to step foot into a store. For those that are wanting it all, it does not seem to get any better than that.For thosebusinesses that are located onlineand entirely online, then they know that without the Internet, their business would not be. And many self-employed people work online. It would mean that the economy had a higher unemployment rate if it was not for those that have their online business. As you can tell, the Internet has made many things easier and have brought to mind many new ways of doing the things that we normally do. For more information visit centertech.org.

All of us here were born before the internet came along. Before we had the oportunity to connect globally.

Before the emergence of the internet we only had the local community to connect to, learn from, be influenced by.

Today, we live in a global village that gives us access to knowledge, gives us inspiration, gives us understanding of who we are and how everything works. All this, the online experiences of all sorts, may be just as valuable in our life everyday life experiences.

It can build your character, show you what's important.

How did the online experience change your life?

And if you were born before or after that (the emergence on internet), how do you think your perspective is different from the people who haven't had the internet all their life?

All comments, links and stories are welcome.

There is a big influence of technique on our daily life. Electronic devices, multimedia and computers are things we have to deal with everyday.Especially the Internet is becoming more and more important for nearly everybody as it is one of the newest and most forward-looking media and surely the medium of the future.Therefore we thought that it would be necessary to think about some good and bad aspects of how this medium influences us, what impacts it has on our social behaviour and what the future will look like.The Internet changed our life enormously, there is no doubt about that. There are many advantages of the Internet that show you the importance of this new medium. What I want to say is that Internet changed our life in a positive way.First we have to make a differentiation concerning the usage. You can use the Internet at home for personal or you at work for professional usage. Lets come to the first. To spend a part of our day on the Internet is for many people quite normal. They use this kind of medium to get information about all kinds topics. Maybe some of them are interested in chatting, probably they are members of a community. Whatever you are looking for, you will find it. Even if you want to have very specific information, you will find it in a short time. Normally, you often have to send a letter, than you have to wait for the reception of the reply, or you have to make some telephone calls and so on. In any case, the traditional way is the longer one. To put your own information on the Internet is also possible. Create your own homepage, tell other users about your interests, what you want, thats no problem at all.As we all know, software costs a lot, if you buy it legal. Free software, free music is available on the Internet. You just have to download the program, the mp3-file or whatever and thats it. Why do you want to pay more as you need to? Special websites are created just to give you the newest programs, or to tell you where you can get it from. Napster might actually be the most famous one.The computer is a fix part of every modern office and the greatest part has also an access to the Internet. Companies already present their products, their services on the Internet and so they get more flexible.The next advantage I want to mention is the faster development. Many universities and research institutions are also linked. They are able to exchange experiences, novelties and often they start new projects together. If they are linked, they can save time and money.Especially at the business sector knowledge is power. If you are the leader of a product, of a technology or just of an idea you are able to make a lot of money. To get into this position, the Internet can play an essential part. Companies all over the world are online. If you want, it is no problem for you to exchange experiences, you will hear new things, you will see some facts from another point of view. For this reason you will find new solutions, new ways to go, so take this chance!Learning by doing, everybody knows this phrase and its still an essential part concerning the Internet. Children also use the Internet, most of the time they will play over the Internet, but they learn to work with the computer. There is only one way to learn something, you have to do it. Even its the first contact with the computer, after a few minutes the person will know that the computer-mouse is no animal running on the monitor. He or she learns to write on the keyboard, to navigate, to open and close programs, to save data... within hours. Try to do that on a normal computer course for beginners, you will need more time and the most important fact, its not as funny as surfing on the Internet and so they participants are less motivated.Lets change over to another positive effect of the Internet.In any case, everybodys private situation is different. For many women their own children are the main reason for staying at home. Nowadays this wont be a problem any more, you can do work on your computer at home, called tele-working. Also men take this opportunity to work at home. What are the consequences, the advantages of tele-working? Sure, if you have a family, you can spend more time at home, probably you can spend more time with your children. Next is, that you can organize every day in the way you want to. Meetings at the company are reduced to a minimum. Tele-working is also an advantage for the owner of the company. Official studies substantiate that people who work at home are more motivated than their colleagues at the office. .You see, the Internet is really a very positive medium. Use the Internet and discover the advantages of this new, forward-looking medium!Markus TemmelAnother advantage of the internet is that you can join a community.You can create new social contacts all over the world, which you could not do so easy without the internet.Such communities can also help people who can not go out to find friends in the real life because they are disabled. Therefore they can chat with other people via the internet. Sometimes it is also easier for people, who are afraid to look into the others face while talking, to chat with a person that they do not know. There is something between them which makes it easier for them to communicate. It also does not matter if you have a terrible appearance because you can pretend to be whatever you want. You can also change your gender and your age to talk about topics which you do not normally do.However, there are no time and place limitations and there are no boundaries, both geographical and political. You can chat with people in Australia and you have freedom of your mind in a way.Moreover the internet is much cheaper than the real life, e.g. phoning a friend in Australia costs more than to chat with him.From my point of view the e-mail has replaced the traditional letter. You do not have to buy stamps anymore and it is much faster and also for free. You can also add files to your E-mail and thats why a big data transfer is possible. Therefore you do not have to send disks with information around the world anymore and you have your information in a digital way.Another free service of the internet is sending SMS. You can save a lot of money if you do not send it with your mobile phone especially from Austria to America. You also have the opportunity to register as a user. Then you can use more things, e.g. sending E-postcards, I-messages (messages between registered users), and lead an address book.You can also place your digital photos in the internet. With a password and a login name your friends in America can look at your photos without sending them to them.Another important part is online gaming. You can play with people from all over the world and share your knowledge. In my opinion its more exiting to play with friends than playing alone.Additionally, another big advantage of the internet is the easy access to information. Online reference books and dictionaries replace the way to the bookshop or to the library. It is again cheaper to search for information in the internet than to buy a book, that is old after one year. In the internet a lot of information is renewed and up to date. You can also find information which is very new and a book does not exist yet.Moreover you can read the daily newspapers from all over the world, sometimes for free. You do not have to buy them anymore. In addition, most newspaper sites have an archive in which you can search for old articles.However, the internet is also a big advertising company. A lot of enterprises have a homepage with ads and support opportunities. On some of them you can order products online. Then you do not have to go to the city anymore. You avoid waiting in front of the cash because of a long queue.Moreover, you can get the newest stock exchange courses because the stock exchange in the Internet is always the most current one. You also have the ability to tell the computer to buy shares when the course is down.Besides you can learn with the internet. CBTs (Computer Based Training) already exist but you can also join an internet course with other members.Furthermore you can hold videoconferences which means that e.g. your teacher is sitting in his office in America and teaching you in Austria.This is very important in the medical sector because doctors from all over the world can join an operation. So specialists can give tips and help other doctors to complete the operation successfully. The patient has not to wait until a specialist will come from America.But this is only available because of the internet 2 which is much faster.The internet is a database full of information and offers us a lot of services, sometimes for free. This makes our life easier and sometimes also cheaper.All in all I think that the internet is very useful especially for students.Martina TheuermannClicking on the Internet-Button is getting more and more thrilling nowadays. Sometimes it is a real adventure not being sure if you have downloaded a virus or if it is only a hoax. You even cannot be sure to be alone if you are alone. Is there someone else working on my computer or is it only me? To have more security you have to install a firewall, buy anti-virus-programmes and update them regularly. So you have to spend much money only for preventing a virus-caused breakdown or hacker-attacks. It is annoying not being sure if the money you have spent will prevent all those things or if there is already a new virus and a new way hacking into computers. This is no more an investment into security it is a steady consumption which will not end.Some people even have to take up a loan to buy a computer. They are forced to buy one. Otherwise they maybe would not be able to stay in their job. What will the poor people do? They will be rarely informed about news and the space between rich and poor will become bigger and bigger.Having downloaded the latest anti-virus-program it will not prevent meeting bad people on the internet. If you chat with someone you cannot be sure about the truth of his/her words. Most people cheat emotions, cheat about their appearance, age, job. That can be funny but if you want to meet someone talking to each other seriously it can be hard to do so. Is it a man, is it a woman or is it someone I already know? You never can be sure. Is that something on the other side already hacking into my computer reading personal information? If you get to a web site of a bank is it a real bank or only a faked one? There have to be some signs which identify an original website reliably. How can I be sure if I want to buy something on the web and send my credit card-number that nobody will read it?Imagine the following scene: You are surfing through the internet and suddenly you are just downloading the latest screensaver of Verona Feldbusch the whole internet breaks down. What would you do? Trying to build your own internet? Worrying about the lack of Verona? Sitting in front of the computer waiting for hours and looking into a black screen? Seriously, what would happen? I think most of the people would wait an hour or longer. Some people would stop existing because they have no real life. They only exist on the internet with their avatars in the chat rooms. They have given up reality for cyberspace. It is more practical for them because they do not need to ask someone to meet someone. The other one is just on the other end. Seriously speaking, I think people would not be glad about having to get out of their rooms. They feel uncomfortable about leaving their beloved computer. They do not know what to do. I think many even do not know any more how a book looks like or a typewriter. Besides losing our social abilities we are also losing our every-day-abilities. The computer is a nanny, a dictionary, an information centre, a job, a shopping centre. Nobody has to know anything about everyday business because the computer does it for us.Internet user are becoming younger and younger. For children it is no problem to work with a computer. They just accept "him" as partner. But what do the older people do? Some even do not know how to switch the computer on. I know some people who are afraid of the computer. They think everything they do is wrong and the computer is breaking down on purpose. For these people the computer is already too complex. There has to be something like a computer for beginners. Otherwise there will always be some people who do not want to know how to use the computer because there is too much to know about it.There are people who do not read the paper in the morning any more. They are reading the e-paper. Even in the morning they are sitting in front of the computer and not talking to each other while drinking a cup of tea. In the future there will be more and more e-papers and the newspapers will disappear. Some are beginning to talk to their computer (Come on, lets work!) but they are not any more able to talk to each other. While chatting in the internet you are frequently using abbreviations, uncompleted sentences and so on. This leads to speaking disabilities in everyday life.Eva UkowitzOne of the most negative aspects of the impact of the internet on our daily life is, in my opinion, that it alters the social behaviour, habits and abilities of people.Especially children are often badly influenced by the internet.Therefore I want to deal with the impact of the internet on the social behaviour of children.In our times, when nearly every household has a computer and access to the internet, it is only clear that also children deal with computers and the internet. They should learn how to use it, of course.The world of the world wide web and virtual space is going to become more important with every year and everybody should be able to use this tool even children.They should know how to get information, how they can buy something on the web, where they can meet people online.They should be able to use the internet because if they are not, they are going to have great difficulties with getting on in their lives without knowing how to use the internet later on. Simply because it is a very powerful media which is going to be the main medium in the future.But what I am worrying about is that children will be very competent experts on using the internet but not on how to live in the real world anymore.The first point I want to mention is that I dont consider the internet as a suitable babysitter or friend for children.As I have already said, I think that it is important that children learn how to use the internet but it is also very important that they learn to have the right attitude towards the internet.The internet will never replace the real world and therefore it is important that children see that the internet is a great tool if you know how to handle it but it should not be a replacement for real friends, for a real life. Its the parents duty to tell their children so.Parents should not just put their children in front of a computer and say Oh well, thats the internet, go on, have some fun and be quiet. The internet was not made for children and so it should not be used as a babysitter.You can never be sure what the child will get to see when it is online without an adult sitting next to it. There is so much harmful, offending and simply disgusting material on the internet, that it is in my opinion totally careless when you let your children surf through the net all by themselves.By reading the emails from the discussion group I often heard that if you teach your children the basics of ethic and just tell them not to look at harmful material then they can go online and surf through the net alone. Im not of the same opinion. Children are children and they are not adults. If you tell them not to look at for example pornographic sites, you can never be sure that they will not. Children are nosy ones at least most of them are and most children will go and have a look at pornographic materials on the internet. The only way to provide that children do not see harmful things on the internet is to sit next to them and supervise them.I have a little brother, aged seven and when he wants to go online, then he has to ask my parents or me to come with him and sit next to him while hes surfing. Surely, it doesnt mean fun when you have to sit next to him and listen to the Teletubbies talking or see Mickey Mouse bowling but I am far more interested in hearing and seeing these things than in not being sure what he would see if I was not sitting next to him.Thats the one point why the internet should not be used as a babysitter.The other point is that it is in my opinion not good for the children to sit in front of the computer all day.Children need friends and they need to play with friends to learn how to behave and how to interact with others.Human beings are not born with any social abilities we have to learn all of these stuff.And if children sit in front of the computer and dont play with other children when and where should they learn how to behave?Another question is whether the internet is a useful medium to educate children or not.Well, in my opinion it is not.Even for adults it is often a problem to say whether an information is right or wrong on the internet. So when adults are not able to be sure about it how should children be?The risk to learn wrong things from the internet is very big and so the internet should not be used to educate the child right from the beginning on.But: You should try to tell your children how they can distinguish between good and bad information. (Be critically, try to figure out who has written the information, when was the last update, and so on.) Later on, they will have to get information for the internet and then they should be able to use it, of course.But in my opinion theres no sense to teach them the basics with the help of the internet before they have learnt how to distinguish between good and bad information they are simply too young to be sure about that.Tanja Vogrin

It is very difficult to differ between the good and bad aspects of internet. There are good and bad things about every service of the internet.If you chat you can meet many interesting people which come from all over the world. Distance is not important any more. You can meet people which are not able to find friends in reality because of their appearance. In cyberspace there is no appearance - the character of a person counts. But you also can meet people, who cheat on you and fool you. That can be funny, but it is not if you want to meet real, devine friends. Sometimes, if you meet your online friends it can be very thrilling. You make your own picture of your chat-partner in your mind. And what about your friends in reality? There will be less time left for them, if you sit in front of the PC all the day. But there is also the possibility to make your real friends your online-friends.Searching for information you will find a huge amount of it on every topic you are searching for. This can be very comfortable. You only have to type in a word and you will find everything about it. But be careful! There is also false information. Sometimes it is hard to distinguish between true and false information.Often you have the possibility to listen to music on the internet. You may also download it for free. That is very cheap because you only have to pay the telephone-costs and the music is for free. What does that mean for the musicians? They will not get all their money they would normally receive. That is not too dangerous for the well-known musicians but it can become dangerous to the little ones who cannot afford to lose a part of their income.What about communicating with an online-friend? You will send him/her an email. It is faster than a letter, cheaper than a telephone call and easier to use than a radio set. But: Is the encryption-code secure enough? Many hackers will try to read the message you send to your friends. This leads to the next problem of the internet: How can you provide privacy in a non- private world? Everybody wants to know everything about everyone. How can you say: This is my private zone, nobody can get into it. A few minutes later someone will try to get into the privacy-zone. Why? Everyone thinks there must be something very interesting and secret inside this zone. Nothing is more interesting than a forbidden place. There is some special anonymity about the internet. You may tell anything about yourself and everyone will believe you if nobody checks the information. You also may swap your gender and nobody will recognise it.What will happen, if you are ill and cannot leave the house? No problem! You can do everything on the internet without leaving the house. You can do the shopping, meet friends and so on. The only problem is the way of paying. It is very easy, you only have to type in your credit card-number and the goods will be paid. But some transmission techniques are not very safe and so someone could read your credit card-number and use it to buy things himself. You always have to inform yourself about the transmission-techniques to be sure about security. Otherwise you may pay for being uninformed later on.This leads to the costs of the internet. The only good about it is that the surf-cost are low (depending on the provider). But anything else is very cost-intensive. You have to buy anti-virus-programmes, software, computer, And that is not enough! Internet is developing very fast for this you have to update the programmes regularly. You will also not abandon the option to get a faster computer.Which are the points we have agreed on?Information is difficult to divide into true and false. It is too much information to be able to view on everything.It is a strong positive argument that internet does not care about time or distance. Everyone can be online every time and communicate with everyone everywhere.Though you have the possibility to meet many people on the internet frequent use of this will cause loneliness because you wont have real friends anymore.It is very difficult to give children access to the internet. There are many things which are not suitable for children. Either you sit next to them during surfing or you believe in the internet that it will not show harmful things and in the children that they will not try to find harmful things.

Computers how they have changed our livesPosted on August 21, 2013 byadmininHardware// 0 Comments

The invention of the computer is one of the most remarkable innovations that have occurred over the last ten decades. The modern world is deemed digital, what most people fail to appreciate however is that the source of life being digital is the computer. Gone are the days when executing stuff was done manually. Today at the click of a button, rocket machines has been launched, ICU life-support is run, instant communication is enabled, to mention but a few.Computers are defined as programmable machines that have two key features :they respond to a specific set of instruction(given by the human) that have been well defined and they can execute a pre-recorded list of instructions usually referred to as a program. Therefore computers execute what they have been instructed to.Computers have evolved over the years from the static mainframe computers to the portable modern computers that we use today. Modern computers are both electronic and digital, and consist of the actual machinery such as wires circuits and transistors these are referred to as hardware, and the data and instructions that are fed into the computer which are collectively referred to as software.

How Have Computers Changed Our Lives?

A couple weeks ago I blogged about life in the Sixties and mentioned that computers were in existence, but housed in temperature controlled rooms and took up a great deal of space. This made me wonder how our lives have changed since computers have become commonplace.I attended high school in the late 70s and remember a small group of students were selected to take a computer class which turned out to be a programming class. I wasnt one of them. In fact, I didnt see another computer until my first office job in the early 80s. The insurance company I worked for used computers to store information about a policy holder andgenerate whole life dividend charts based on a potential clients age and gender. They were printed out on dot-matrix tractor feed printers (the kind with the holes and perforated edges).Today computers can be traced to every aspect of life. I write on a computer, send and receive email, check my bank balance, schedule appointments with an online calendar, shop online, put books on hold at the library, do research, play a game of solitaire, store my digital photographs, sell a no longer needed dresser on Craigs List, pay a utility bill, download music, and stay in touch with friends through social media sites like Facebook. Theres no doubt that computers (and the advent of the Internet) have made life more convenient.As a writer, computers have brought the world to my doorstep. Access to online resources like Wikipedia, articles, maps, news coverage, quotes, statistics, etc. make research a lot easier, let alone how computers have made the writing process itself more efficient. I remember my college days when term papers were painstakingly produced on my old Olympia typewriter and you had to retype the whole paper if you decided to move a single paragraph.Another major change in our culture was when computers became portable and started running on batteries. Today I work on a laptop, but my iPhone is my pocket computer which allows me to have access to the Internet pretty much anytime and anywhere. Work, for many people, is no longer location dependent. Stay-at-home moms have the flexibility to run businesses from their kitchen table while their babies nap.I realize that I havent even begun to scratch the surface of this question, but its a blog post, not a research article. The truth is that computers are here to stay. A few years ago my Dad, who was approaching eighty, decided to go out and buy himself a Mac. He signed up for Apples in-store training and drove into town every week for a year to learn how to use this new contraption of his. He said to me, I never thought Id live to be eighty, but now that ninety seems to be a possibility, I decided it was time to tackle this new technology so I could stay in touch with the world. Hes been like a kid realizing all the ways he can use a computer and has recently started designing furniture. From toddlers to the elderly, computers have revolutionized the way we live.

The internet has impacted my life in scores of exciting ways. At one point in my career the internet made me a better teacher by offering me access to resources and ideas that I would otherwise not have had access. Now, as a teacher in an online school, the internet makes it possible for me to be a teacher. The influence of the internet has gone far professional assistance to impact my personal life as well. The internet has allowed me to keep in contact with friends and family who are far away and in a world without the internet may have become mere distant relations or former acquaintances. Additionally, the internet has allowed me to make new social connections through my involvement with blogging.

The internet, particularly email, has improved my ability to communicate, save time and money, and collaborate. I do side work for my father's photography business. Many of the files used are emailed back and forth. Ten years ago I would have had to physically spend the time and money to travel from Hartford to Menomonee Falls to do what we do today. It saves on expenses and increases profit for all involved. Unfortunately, my father has both poor English and typing skills so sometimes I have to call long distance (no cell or high speed... yet) just to figure out what he wants. But for the rest of the family, friends, and contacts, email does improve the bottom line.The internet for all intensive purposes is my life. Its hard to believe how quickly that has happened. I graduated from college only ten years ago. I did not have my own computer. I did not email anyone. I did not use/search the web very much. Today, I check my email as Im getting ready in the morning. I pay my bills online, conduct any research online. I rarely use the phonebook anymore. When there is a computer issue at work, like the network being down, it seems like life comes to a standstill. It is truly amazing how fast and how much the internet has become an integral part of my life.

My life has changed immensely due to the Internet. First of all, my job as a high school English teacherhas gotten much easier. With online grading programs and email communication, keeping parents informed of their child'sgrade is more efficient and less time consuming. Also, my lesson plans change and improve constantly. I am able to access a multitude of new information, ideas and lesson plans from educators world wide. With easy access to so many resources, one should feel ashamed to use the same lessons year after year. On a personal note, I can't imagine my life without the Internet. Email is a wonderful way to keep in touch with family members throughout the state and country. Also, paying bills and shopping online saves time for a single mom. I don't always have time to browse through the stores, but I could do so online, create a shopping list and head out to the store with a mission in mind. These few elements really have improved my life.

Most important change in mylife because of internet is being able to stay ineasy contact with my friends all over the world. One of my very closefriends serves in the army in Afghanistan and it is nice to be able to emailhim and get a quick response saying he is ok.

The question for today is what do I believe to be an important change in my life because of the Interent. On personal level, I could probably begin by saying that using the Internet has greatly assisted me in my research and post-graduate work (access to libraries and databases from around the world).

In the classroom alone, it has allowed me to greatly increased daily communication with parents. I believe that by using Email, Webgrader, the school's website etc, parents are becoming more involved in the education of their children.

I thought long and hard about the importance of the change the web and internet have had in my life. It came down to a matter of convenience having information at my fingertips without having to leave my house. On the down side it is easy to get lost in the sea of information forgetting your original goal. The internet or web has provided a means of using my time more efficiently. The web has provided a proficient communication tool between the classroom and parents. A medium where class assignments and expectations can be posted and resources to help students complete assignments. With the glut of information at my finger tips I am able to comparison shop, read reviews, and purchase items from my home and have them delivered to my home. I am able to pay bills and manage my bank account over the internet. I found and applied for my current position online.

Ability: Can, Could and Be Able To

Chooseone wordto complete each sentence (note: contractions such as "couldn't" count as one word).

Principio del formulario1. I'm right-handed. Iwrite with my left hand.2. Spidermanclimb up walls.3. you usually remember your dreams?4. People used to think that witchesable to do magic.5. When I was young Ieat anything I liked, I never got fat.6. you able to come to the pub tonight?7. I think my computer's broken. I'm notto send any emails.8. I'm ablestart work tomorrow.9. How long have youable to speak English?

Final del formulario

1If you hear people screaming...[N.B. This is a ZERO conditional!]

what do you do?

what would you do?

2She wouldn't help anyone...

if they are in trouble.

if they were in trouble.

3I'll be back here by ten p.m. tonight...

if the train wasn't late.

unless the train is late.

4If there isn't enough food for the guests to eat...

we can get some Chinese take-away.

we would get some Chinese take-away.

5I might possibly lend you my mini-scooter...[N.B. This could be a ZERO conditional!]

if you promised to be careful.

if you promise to be careful.

6If no-one calls by next week...

I would sell the stereo to you.

I will sell the stereo to you.

7I would tell you of course...

if I knew the answer.

if I'll know the answer.

8What will you do...

if she refuses to go out with you?

if she'll refuse to go out with you?

9If you studied more...

you won't fail your exams.

you wouldn't fail your exams.

10I'll give you the money tomorrow...

if I can

if I could

Principio del formulario1. If aliens (land)on Earth, I (be)frightened to death.2. If my sister (not help)me immediately, I (go)somewhere else.3. I believe that most people (stop)work if they (win)the lottery.4. What (we do), Doctor, if she (feel)any pain during the night?5. I (not marry)him even if he (be)the last person on earth!6. If a bomb (go off)in the market-place, the results (be)terrible!7. Unless you (hand over)the money at once, I (shoot)you!8. If you (be)late, she (not allow)you to stay in class.9. If you (ask)her now she (possibly - accept).10. I (probably - go)to the Lost and Found Office if I (lose)my wallet.Final del formulario

CONDITIONALSInsert the correct form of the verbs in brackets so that the sentences express real conditions and consequences.(first conditional)1. If I(see) John, I'll tell him your news.2. He(be) very pleased if it(be)really true.3. If you(go) to town on Monday, you( meet) my brother.4. If you(need) help, my father(help) you.5. We(have) a picnic lunch if the day(be) fine.6. If youa policeman, he(tell) you the way.7. I(finish) the job tomorrow if I(can).8. I(not require) an umbrella if it(not rain).9. If she(think) it over carefully, she(form) a clear opinion.10. If they(catch) the bus now, they(arrive) at half past nine.11. He(find) the answers if he(look) at the back of the book.12. If you(want) me to, I(come) for a walk with you.13. If he(write) to her, she(answer) at once.14. If you(wait) for a moment, the waiter(bring) your coffee.15. He(lose) weight if he(stop) eating too much.16. If she(be) patient, I(try) to explain.17. I(wear) a purple tie but only if I(must).18. If we(leave) at once, we(catch) the early train.19. If he(do) that again, his father(punish) him.20. If she(drink) this medicine, she(feel) much better.NOW THE SENTENCES EXPRESS UNREALISED CONDITIONS WITH IMPROBABLE CONSEQUENCES (SECOND CONDITIONALS)1. Her health(improve) if she(sleep) longer.2. If she(want) to talk to me, she(ring up).3. I(understand) Mr Brown if he(speak) slowly.4. If you(give) him good meals, he(not be able) to work hard.5. It(seem) nearly such a long way if she(walk) fast.6. You(make) a fortune if you(take) my advice.7. If I(think) that about him, I(say) so.8. If he(promise) to behave in future, his mother(forgive) him.9. If we(can) come on Sunday, we(come)10. If he(need) help, I(give) it.11. Life(be) monotonous if we(have) nothing to do.12. He(not phone) me here unless it(be) urgent.13. If they(love) each other, they(quarrel) so much.14. If Peter(ask) Mary, I'm sure she(marry) him.15. She(get) fit if she(walk) to Trafalgar Square.1. If I get home late tonight, I(not eat).2. If Jan could run 100 metres in 10 seconds, he(be) an athlete.3. If Simon catches a fish today, we(eat) it.4. She(buy) a Porsche if she won the lottery.5. If it(rain) in the Sahara desert, everyone would be very surprised.6. If it rains tonight, we(can/go) to the cinema.7. If you dog spoke, you(can/sell) it to the circus.8. If we play football on Saturday, I(be) tired on Sunday.9. You(become) fat if you eat too much.10. If I(be) you, I wouldn't accept that job. It sounds terrible!!

Giving newsThere are different ways to give news:Giving good and bad news I'm really pleased to tell you... I've got a bit of good news to tell you.. I've got some good / brilliant / great / wonderful / splendid news for you... You know what! I've got a bit of great news for you... Great news for you... I'm afraid I've got some bad news for you... I'm sorry I've got a bit of bad news to tell you.. I really dont know how to say it, but Im sorry to have to say this, but I really feel bad to have to say this, but Responding to newsResponding to good news Wow, that sounds exciting! Thats great! How fantastic! What fantastic / good / brilliant / great / wonderful / splendid news! That's good / brilliant / great / wonderful / splendid news! That sounds like great news! Congratulations! Thats wonderful / fantastic! Im glad to hear that! Great news! Incredible! Superb! Sounds great! Lucky you! Oh, how wonderful! I cant believe that!Responding to bad news Im awfully sorry that Im sorry to hear that.. Im sorry to hear such terrible news. My goodness! I cant believe it! Poor you! I do sympathize with you. Please, accept my deepest sympathy. I know how you must be feeling. That must be awful Oh, dear! Too bad! Thats awful / a pity / unfortunate. ability, advise, capable, confident, determined, development, famous, hardly any, to have something in common, skill 1.: v. tohaveor dosomethingthat is the same as someone else 2.: n. the knowledge and ability that you need to do something 3.adj. known by many people 4.: n. to give someoneadvice 5.: adj. wanting to do something, and not letting anyone stop you 6.: adj. having confidence 7.: adj. able to do things well, and to achieve results 8.: n. a recent event which is the latest in a series of related events 9.: n. the physical or mental power orskillneeded to do something 10.adv. very little or few

Part 2

excellent, lucky, motivation, necessary, opportunity, ordinary, progress, success, successful, talent

1.: n. a situation which makes it possible to do what you want or need to do 2.: adj. having achieved a lot or having made a lot of money 3.: adj. not special or different in any way 4.: n. a natural ability to do something 5.: n. the need or reason for doing something 6.: adj. needed in order to achieve something 7.: n. moving to a more developed state, or to a forward position 8.: n. achievement of the results wanted or hoped for 9.: adj. extremely good 10.: adj. having good things happen to you