It’s all around us and we use it every day.  We use it to wake up, we use it to get to school.  We use it to stay connected, we use it to isolate ourselves.  We use technology to improve our lives.

In the last year, George Mason High School has purchased and acquired some mighty technologies—Flip cameras, mounted LCD projectors, mounted speakers in each classroom, new computers in labs, new printers, even new solar panels on the roof.  Technology can be wonderful when it enhances education and comfort.

Yet all good things must have a flaw, even if minor.  While technology can be extremely helpful, it can also be overwhelming and distracting from the things that are important.  Instead of living life, are you too busy looking through the lens of a camera?  Are you too busy texting that you can’t look up and share a smile with a stranger?  Are we becoming absorbed into our technology and forgetting the joys of human contact and communication?  Perhaps you have even missed out on a homework assignment or valuable learning experience because you were too absorbed in Facebook, MySpace, an e-mail, or a cell phone conversation. 

This is why Lasso Online has developed Special Edition 2009 on a wide range of technology related research and discussions.  Let us help you to draw your line in the sand.  How far will you allow technology to carry you, and how far will you let it go to distract you?