Technology: the Good, the Bad, and the Prezi

After many tedious hours, resulting eye strain and an intimate bond with my region's blog, I have finally finished the new "Blog Tour" for my project.  You can view it if you visit OBBservations in Central Ohio.  I love that I found this presentation tool, anything beats the technology of Powerpoint at this point.

I deal with technology a lot in my position.  Going further than the fact that I sit all day in front of a computer managing Outlook and juggling massive spreadsheets in Google Docs, the entire software,y program uses to connect Ohioans with public benefits and tax credits is online.  As JFS Director Lumpkin reminded us in his remarks at the OBB Conference,

You can’t effectuate change and policy without IT.  A real player in this environment, the Benefit Bank is a  platform on the IT platform.   

I think to some people technology (in the form of computer, internet, etc) is still a luxury.  There are movements to "go without technology for an entire WEEK!"  (Could you do it?!?)  Well of course I could do it, but why?  I could go without other modernizations like a dishwasher or a car for a week, but all these things are here to help me function more efficiently, to connect faster, and to solve problems.  I don't see it as progress for progress sake, but as progress in the face of inefficiencies. It seems that I am listening too much to the industrial engineer in my life, all this talk of efficiency.   I digress...

I've concluded technology is necessary and helpful for advancement to save time and connect the world, especially in the realm of helping to connect low-income Ohioans with benefits.  But is technology only as good as the people who use it?  I have some trainees that zoom through the software and it clicks for them right away (Get it? Clicks for them? Mouse humor, heh heh). Then I have some trainees who need help figuring out how to close browser tabs and finding the address bar.  Sometimes the less computer-literate counselors are actually the most detailed and thorough counselors in helping clients.  But again, is the program only as good as the counselor who is able to navigate it?

 My new excuse for not calling Mom... (http://americanhell.com/

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Since I was already on food assistance when I moved to Franklin County, I didn't have the luxury of using my program's software to transfer my case and I had to go in myself, wait in line (gasp!), and hand in my documents.  When I got up to the window, the intake worker said their scanner was down, so they couldn't take my verifications officially.  They have been copying everyone's documents, then scanning them later in the day.  So double work for them, and I as the client walk away with no guarantee/receipt that they got my documents.  I asked how often this technology failure happens.  She said almost every morning.  Every morning an increasing amount of people visit JFS because they need assistance, every morning their technology fails, every morning the two intake workers have to take turns walking to the very back of the building to copy documents and then remember to re-scan everything later in the day. 

Technology is fabulous.  Technology can be used as an excuse, a crutch, or for useless things.  All I know is that I can talk to friends teaching Spain and China, or doing the Peace Corps in Macedonia with technology, so I am generally currently satisfied with the way things are going :-)