After wheeling in a projector from another room, for example, three teachers and a technician may spend time plugging it in, turning it on, spooling the film, and positioning the screen. A portable device that consumes a lot of energy, for example, cannot always be on because it must carry its own power supply. Devices with low energy consumption, however, can always be on. Think of watches, telephones, and elevators. Good technology is always connected.
Good technology can send information when and where it is needed without human intervention.
Fire alarms, especially institutional ones, are useful in this way. Indeed, if the detectors were not connected to warning systems, the alarms would be useless. Again, telephones are useful because no procedure is required to connect to the telephone system. As recently as last month, I spent fifteen minutes in a room with a dozen or so highly paid professionals waiting for a video conferencing system to be connected to a remote location. Good technology is standardized.