On this website, you will explore the
changes and innovations of telecommunication over the last forty years. We look
back briefly into the late 1800s/early 1900s to see the astonishing changes
that have occurred in telecommunication. We will also examine the impact that
this technology has had on education. Three different case studies have been
created to illustrate the mind shift that has occurred with communication and
the telephone.
It is difficult to believe that Bell's invention was initially overlooked and seen as an irrelevant piece of technology. Below is the report written by the committee appointed to investigate Bell’s offer to sell his invention to Western Union for $100,000.00.
"We do not see that this device will be ever capable of sending recognizable speech over a distance of several miles. Messer Hubbard and Bell want to install one of their 'telephone devices' in every city. The idea is idiotic on the face of it. Furthermore, why would any person want to use this ungainly and impractical device when he can send a messenger to the telegraph office and have a clear written message sent to any large city in the United States? … Mr. G.G. Hubbard's fanciful predictions, while they sound rosy, are based on wild-eyed imagination and lack of understanding of the technical and economic facts of the situation, and a posture of ignoring the obvious limitations of his device, which is hardly more than a toy ... This device is inherently of no use to us. We do not recommend its purchase."
Today, who would ever think that the telephone would be seen as idiotic or impractical. Imagine not having the ability to call or communicate with anyone you please. What would the world look like without this invention?
Reference:
"Imagining the Internet." Imagining the Internet. Elon University, n.d. Web. 15 Nov. 2014.
It is difficult to believe that Bell's invention was initially overlooked and seen as an irrelevant piece of technology. Below is the report written by the committee appointed to investigate Bell’s offer to sell his invention to Western Union for $100,000.00.
"We do not see that this device will be ever capable of sending recognizable speech over a distance of several miles. Messer Hubbard and Bell want to install one of their 'telephone devices' in every city. The idea is idiotic on the face of it. Furthermore, why would any person want to use this ungainly and impractical device when he can send a messenger to the telegraph office and have a clear written message sent to any large city in the United States? … Mr. G.G. Hubbard's fanciful predictions, while they sound rosy, are based on wild-eyed imagination and lack of understanding of the technical and economic facts of the situation, and a posture of ignoring the obvious limitations of his device, which is hardly more than a toy ... This device is inherently of no use to us. We do not recommend its purchase."
Today, who would ever think that the telephone would be seen as idiotic or impractical. Imagine not having the ability to call or communicate with anyone you please. What would the world look like without this invention?
Reference:
"Imagining the Internet." Imagining the Internet. Elon University, n.d. Web. 15 Nov. 2014.
Test your knowledge of telephone history! Answer these questions to see how much you already know about the history of the telephone.
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Teachers, this part is for you!
Learning Goals
Students will:
Students will:
- Understand the impact of the telephone on the education system.
- Understand the paradigm shift in education as a result of the developments in telecommunication
Site created for educational purposes by G. Smelko, D. Loewen, and C. Turple for ETEC 511