How Good is Technology?

While on my way to Yahoo Games this evening, I came across a headline: High School Calls All 2,550 Students to Detention. My first thought was, sweet! a blog topic. My second was, that must have been one huge senior prank. After reading the article, I realized it was one of those tricky ones that the students didn't actually do anything wrong, and the school's automated calling system called each household and left a message with the parents that their child had to serve Saturday morning detention the following day (the messages were left on Friday afternoon).

A little disappointed after not hearing some huge scandal (just kidding...), I got to thinking how useful things like that are. The principal of the school said that by the time they figured out what was wrong, it was 9:30 at night, and too late to call everyone. They used the system again, which seems silly to me, to call everyone back and apologize. What a hassle!! I've used a system like that before, and it didn't really make sense. There were only sixteen people on the original list for Saturday detention, what is wrong with calling their parents individually? That way, if the parents have a question, they can have an actual converation with a human being (imagine that!!), instead of hearing a recording, hanging up, and then accusing their child of something they didn't necessarily do. Sometimes all this technology seems like its a waste of time, and there are some things--not everything--, but some things that should be done the "old-fashioned" way.

Check out the article!! http://www.usatoday.com/news/offbeat/2008-02-12-fla-students_N.htm?se=yahoorefer