1. By Jason Canfield Spring 2012

2. Definition of Technology My definition of technology is: Inventions that have helped humans solve problems for over thousands of years.

3. The Abacus The abacus was the first calculator. It was made in 2400 B.C., in Babylonia. The abacus is a frame with wooden rods through the middle of the frame with beads on the rods to calculate equations.

4. Eyeglasses Eyeglasses were invented in 1280. They are important to us because they help correct our vision. Without eyeglasses, a person might only see blurred objects. Eyeglasses are made of two convex lenses. Eyeglasses help people see close up and far away. Eyeglasses also help people with all kinds of sight problems such as stigmatism, lazy eye, double vision and cataracts.

5. The Microscope The microscope was built by Galileo Galilei in 1609. It is used to magnify small objects that we couldn’t see with the naked eye. This helped humans discover and learn more about many microscopic objects and diseases.

6. Braille Braille was invented in 1839 by Louis Braille. Braille is an alphabet made out of raised dots. Every dot or pairs of dots stand for letters or numbers. Braille is important because it allows the blind to read, attend school and live better, more fulfilling lives.

7. Morse Code Morse code was invented in 1835 by Samuel Morse. Morse code was our first long distance communication. Without Morse code, we would be receiving information possibly months after it was written or it could have gotten stolen or lost on its delivery with the Pony Express. Morse code was invented to make sure information would get to its destination faster.

8. The Telegraph The telegraph was invented in 1838 by Charles Wheatstone and Samuel Morse. It was used to send Morse code messages long distances in shorter time periods. Before the telegraph, people would send letters on the Pony Express or stagecoach. Once the telegraph was invented it took less time to send a message.

9. The Incandescent Lamp The incandescent lamp was invented by Thomas Edison in 1878. He made this to produce light energy through a bulb. The model Edison made had two metal rods going up the bulb, connected by a metal filament.

10. Hertz (Hz) Hertz were invented in 1888. Hertz are the measurement of radiations such as radio waves. Hertz have helped humans understand more about wave frequencies.

11. The Moon Landing The moon landing was in 1969. It was accomplished by Neil Armstrong, the first U.S. citizen to step on the moon. Landing on the moon has given the U.S. and some other countries more knowledge about the moon and its surroundings.

12. The World Wide Web The world wide web was invented in 1990 by Tim Berners - Lee. Before the world wide web was invented the screen was green with black text. Ordinary people could not use it then because it was only used by scientists to send information. Now, with the world wide web, we can also use it. The web has sound, images, videos, commerce and more.

13. Conclusion Technology has changed everyone's life in one way or another. Technology has its advantages and disadvantages. Some advantages are getting work finished faster. For example, on a computer, you can look up what a word means on Google instead of looking it up in a dictionary. Other advantages are communicating with others and being connected to the internet by a mobile device. For example, you can text friends on a phone and surf the web from and away from home. Some disadvantages include cyber bullying and hacking. My vision of technology in the future is being able to live an everyday life using technology from bed or sitting in a chair. You will be able to connect to work on your cell phone, ship mail from your television, and even talk to friends holographically.