Just how fast are we moving?

In an in-service on teaching literacy across the curriculum, my partner Cathie shared this anology with the group, and I thought it was so relevant and terrific:



60 minutes = 5000 years that people have had access to writing systems

On this scale, there were few significant media changes until about 7.5 mins ago -printing press came into use in Western culture.

2 minutes ago - - - the telegraph, photograph, and locomotive

1.5 minutes ago - - - telephone, phonograph, rotary press, motion pictures, automobile, airplane and radio

1 minute ago - - - talking picture

In the last 40 seconds - - - the TV

In the last 6 sec - - - the computer

Last few - satellites, laser beams, translation machines, interactive telecommunications, Internet, video games

We're always playing catch-up...