I taught English to immigrants and foreign students for many years. Whenever I saw articles in the newspaper that would generate conversation and excitement - I’d photocopy the article and bring it to class to read and discuss.
Not all that many years ago - or so it seems to me - I brought to class an article on personal cordless phones... that you would carry around with you wherever you went...
I remember us scratching our heads, trying to imagine what it would be like to get a phone call while shopping in the mall... (Would those phone waves even make it through the wall??!!)
Another article that generated laughter and incredulousness was the idea of a video phone chat - where you would call someone and actually SEE the person as you talked.
We laughed at the idea! And now - here it is! (Though I sometimes wonder what my grandson thinks when he sees “gamma” on the phone. At his age, I remember examining the back of a radio, looking for the tiny musicians playing the music I could hear...)
Not that many years after sharing these articles with my students, I no longer feel safe driving or walking any distance without my cell phone. And there’s no time like Christmas to appreciate Skype and FaceTime - that allow me to actually SEE my grandchildren and check out their gifts, even though we’re far away.
Yesterday we were all together - if not in person, at least via FaceTime!
In fact, at times we were DOUBLE FaceTime-ing!
Who would have ever believed that what we then referred to as “video phoning” would soon become part of “normal” life!
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