I recently saw two news stories on kids and computers that caused conflicting reactions.

The first was a research study reported in the New York Times last month. It found that American teens basically spend every waking hour when they are not in school either texting, tweeting, surfing, or on their cell phones. They are connected 24/7. And my mom used to complain that I watched too much TV (around 3 hours a night)!

The second article, also from the Times, appeared on February 11. It described a wired school bus in Tucson Arizona. The story claims that boisterous and rowdy kids were tamed by the installation of a wifi connection so they can now do their homework on the way to school.  But I wonder how much time these kids are spending sending emails, surfing the web and otherwise doing their thing, rather than editing History essays or submitting their Biology homework, as the story claims.

So here is the part where I am conflicted. I worry that so much time spent online reduces opportunities for creative thought, friendships in the flesh, and exercise. Is this worry justified or is it just the 21^st century version of my mother’s concern that I was watching too much TV?

The opportunities to access information that teens and even younger kids have today are amazing, and whether they are ready for it or not, it is here. I recently read that a school somewhere was offering an online safety class for kindergarteners. Where does it end? Preschoolers lined up at baby Macs? Newborns lying in their cribs pushing their feet up to touch screen Internet-enabled virtual mobiles?

The most salient fact about all of this is our apparent helplessness to effect any change in our interaction with technology. We are, by mutual agreement, powerless. As soon as some new thing is created, we all flock to use it, whether we know how and why, or not. Will we someday make rational judgments about which technologies to embrace and conscious choices about how we spend our time, or are we simply consumers mesmerized by the next cool thing? And what does all of this mean or society?

The recent blizzards hitting the Eastern parts of our country led to shutdowns of federal operations in and around DC, Baltimore, and other major government centers. Thousands of federal employees were told to stay at home. Hooray, snow day! But wait a minute. Most of these folks, I would bet, have a computer, Internet connection, and telephone in their house. The government should realize natural and other disasters will from time to time make commuting to the megalith office blocks of the bureaucracy impossible, but why can’t most government workers just telecommute?

There are two principal reasons for this obvious solution not being embraced and implemented. The first is culture. An office-based culture finds it hard to define work as anything that can happen outside the four walls of the building. Work is both a job and a place. But large corporations and nonprofits of all sizes have long embraced this cultural change, enabling people to work from home or the road. The government can do it too.

The second reason is technology. Many government departments have old computer systems and high security concerns, which makes logging in remotely difficult, if not impossible. It is time for those system to be upgraded, allowing our public servants to do their work, without necessarily commuting, and even during a blizzard.

Does your organization have a “snowmaggedon” plan that the Feds could learn from?  How would your organization continue to provide vital services in the face of a commuting disaster?