Tech Tools - Making Life Easier or Broader

I'm currently find myself learning about a significant number of tech tools and programs that I really didn't know existed.  Seriously, how many people really know that Google is so much more than a place to find the address for the restaurant you overheard someone talking about?  I sure didn't.  Fact is, it's a tremendous tool for both personal and business use, not to mention learning.  Couple that with programs like Skype and you can create a really powerful experience.

At first I was having difficulty finding a place to put all of this technology, wondering if I really have the time

to integrate the programs into a daily routine.  (I know, thank goodness she might be

moving to a different place, right?) Now I find myself wondering if these tools just might open up a whole new world.  I mean that in a couple of ways.  First, I am beginning to think that if you have a strategy for integration, these tools can increase your efficiency.  I think of what I am discovering by using Google Reader and the subscription functions.  It really is saving a significant amount of time.  Secondly, what is out there to learn from others that I can't learn without being able to reach them?  Really, what is someone in London wondering about?  Today, you can find that out and maybe it's the same thing you are wondering about and how cool would it be if you could wonder together?

What about the connectivity opportunities provided by a program like Skype.  Now we are not only talking to each other, but have the critical relationship building piece of seeing each other as well.  From a learning perspective, it makes for a much more effective discussion.  When you couple that with the sharing capabilities of Google Docs, imagine just who we could be collaborating with. 

I'm pretty old school, so what it seems to offer from a learning perspective is the ability to take the old "pen pal" notion and put it on steroids.  Individuals, classes adn businesses can talk across the world or across town.  The barriers of monetary investment are really no longer an issue.  It seems that we need only work through the creative process of how to leverage these tools within the learning or business environement and have the guts to let go of some of our controls or egos to give them a shot.  Then, sit back and see what happens!