This week my G8 English group reflected on how many technological advances my 88 year old father has seen. We thought about this in class and the students generated questions that they would like to ask him. Wonder of wonders, we got my dear Dad on Google Meets, 3700 miles away, to discuss technology when he was a boy and how many changes he has seen. We were left with some questions, like: ‘What is a gramophone?’. He discussed how he now uses his smart watch to pay for goods in a shop (he’s pretty cool, my Dad!) and how these gadgets make his life easier.
After the meeting, the class got busy planning some of their Sci-Fi writing- those that have chosen to do time travel as their sub-genre were given so many ideas about the past from talking to my father. I’m hoping coal powered ships and a gramophone feature in their stories!!