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We live in the age of technology.Schoolchildren in Manhattan can talk via computer to schoolchildren in Moscow, High school and college students no longer need 'Invalid: sick person house-bound: having to stay inside the house to spend hours in the school library researching topics for term papers.A lonely invalid in Minnesota can talk with a similarly house-bound person in Mississippi.The possibilities of computerized communication are indeed unlimited.

We live in the age of technology. Every day, new technology appears, ranging from
iPods that can store thousands of songs to giant space telescopes that can send photographs
of distant stars back to Earth. Of all the new technological wonders, personal computers have
probably had the greatest influence on the daily life of average people. Through computers,
we can now talk to people in any country, research any topic, work, shop, bank, and
entertain technological wonders, personal computers have probably had the greatest
ourselves. Personal computers have especially revolutionized communication business
practices, and education in both positive and negative ways.
Perhaps the most important effect of personal computers has been to expand our
ability to communicate with the outside world. A lonely invalid in Minnesota can talk with a
similarly house-bound person in Mississippi. A single computer user can send an e-mail
message to millions of people all over the world with one keystroke Computer users can get
together in an online chat room to discuss their interests and problems with others who have
similar interests and problems. For example, a person who is planning a vacation and wants
to know the names of the best beaches in Costa Rica can ask others who have already been
there for suggestions. People even start romances through online dating services! The
possibilities of computerized communication are indeed unlimited.
Besides improving communication, personal computers are changing the way we do
business. One change is that computers make it easy to take care of a lot of personal
business at home. For example, you can buy airline tickets, send a greeting card, pay bills,
buy and sell almost anything, and even pay your taxes from your home computer at any time
of the day or night. This is a great convenience for people who are busy during the day and
for physically disabled people who find it hard to leave their homes.
Moreover, telecommuting - working at home instead of going to the office-has
become a choice for thousands of businesspeople. Suzanne Carreiro, a financial manager for
a large company in downtown Manhattan, has telecommuted from her home in New Jersey
for the past two years. She goes to her office only once a week. Four days a week, she works
at home and communicates with her staff by computer.
In addition to changing the way we communicate and do business, personal
computers have changed the world of education. Elementary schoolchildren are learning to
write, practice math, and create art on the computer. Schoolchildren in Manhattan can talk
via computer to schoolchildren in Moscow, High school and college students no longer need
'Invalid: sick person house-bound: having to stay inside the house to spend hours in the
school library researching topics for term papers. A high school student can obtain statistics
for a history paper from a library in London by computer.
On the other hand, not everyone agrees that computers are good for education.
Replacing a teacher with a machine is not progress, according to some critics. They say that
young children especially need a real person, not a machine, to guide their learning.
Furthermore, computers have caused problems for society. People who spend hours
each day surfing the Internet can become isolated and lonely, and children and teenagers can
meet strangers through the Internet who may be dangerous.
To conclude, the computer age has arrived, and it has changed our lives. Computers
have made communicating and doing business faster and more convenient, and they are
changing the way we learn in school. Just as the invention of automobiles had an unplanned
consequence-the growth of suburbs-so will the invention of personal computers. We will
have to wait and see what unintended consequences may develop.