1. BY NATALIE GALAN & ASHLEY DAVIS SPRING 2012

2. Introduction Technology is invented by someone that has an idea. Using that idea, the person creates a product that makes our life easier, possibly more safe and efficient or it can entertain us.

3. The Abacus The abacus was the first known counting device, it was invented in Babylonia in 2400 BC. Now days we don’t use the abacus, instead there are many different kinds of counting devices to chose from.

4. The Eyeglasses The eyeglasses were invented by Salvino D’Armate of Florence, Italy in 1286. Some of the lenses available today are Bifocals, Trifocals, and Progressive lenses but those are only a few that are out there. Eyeglasses are very important, because they allow vision impaired people to live normal lives.

5. The Battery The battery is stored energy. Without the battery, we wouldn’t have laptops, cell phones, cars or DS’. There are many types of batteries like the AA, AAA, D, and the C batteries. If we didn’t have the battery, we couldn’t even drive a car! Now days we have items like electronic wheel chairs. Electronic wheel chairs need batteries, without the battery they would not work and if they did not work disabled people couldn’t get from here to there. These are some of the reasons we need the battery.

6. Cell Phone The cell phone was invented by Mortain Cooper in 1973. When it first came out it was $3,500!! The cell phone was originally made for calling people and or getting help. NOT TEXTING!!!!! Some people only have cell phones for safety reasons.

7. The Refrigerator The refrigerator is very important it keeps food cold and safe. Before the refrigerator, we had boxes with ice on top. It wasn’t perfect but it worked. Without the fridge, we wouldn’t be able to have mayonnaise, milk, cheese, meat, and other foods that require refrigeration. They would all go bad quickly.

8. The Browser The browser is very important because it allows everyone surf the web. Before the browser, only scientists could use the internet and it was green screen with black text. Because of the browser we can now access the web. The browser is “a gateway” to the internet.

9. The Floppy Disk The floppy disk was the first portable computer storage device. It was square software media. It got its name because it was very floppy at first but people started to complain because it was so fragile so they made it smaller and covered in hard plastic. Without the floppy disk we might not have CDs.

10. E-Mail E-Mail means electronic mail. If you have relatives, friends, or need to contact a business across the country or across the ocean there are many ways to stay in touch. E-mail is one way to do it. Especially when a business needs to communicate cross-country to cancel or schedule something quickly.

11. The Thermometer The thermometer tells the temperature of an object. The thermometer is important because if someone is sick, it tells you what the body temperature is because once it reaches 99 degrees it is bad. Or if it is really hot or really cold you’d want to know what the temperature is outside. The thermometer has many other uses in addition to these.

12. The Telescope The telescope is important because it helps us to see into outer space. Without it, we wouldn’t know about Mercury, Venus, Saturn and other planets and stars. Some are so powerful you can see the rust on Mars!

13. Conclusion Technology has changed our values because sometimes people care more about their i-Pads, i-Pods, or their cars instead of their family and friends! In the 1800s, you would treasure family and friends. Technology is great but in the future, we will be able to order everything online. For house bound people, this is great but for people that aren't, it might encourage laziness. Most human beings love technology but should we put it before our family and friends?