Zooming Along
Celebrating COVID-style with technology, distance and of course, wine. Happy Birthday Suzie Beyer!
The word “Zoom” is now more than a word. It has become a staple in our world in 2020. It’s how we educate our children, catch up with friends and family and conduct business. But this isn’t the first time Zoom has been a part of my life. Do you remember the Zoom television show on PBS? It had a bunch of kids doing song and dance routines and playing games to expound life lessons? Every time someone says “Zoom” to me, that’s where my brain goes – back to 1972.
As tough as this year has been, I’m thankful for the ability to “Zoom.” Twenty-five years ago – even ten years ago – our world situation would have been so much worse because we did not have the advanced technology we have today. Imagine trying to educate our children from home without the internet, laptop computers and high speed wi-fi? Now, it’s still going to be challenging, but because of where our society is technologically, the burden will be eased.
As our children have headed back to school – whatever that truly means in 2020 – in our cover story, we talk with two education experts – one for early childhood and one for teens – and get their tips on what we refer to as The Ultimate Learning Curve. Technology will play a major role in educating our children, now more than ever, and navigating this as parents brings both new opportunities and challenges for the school year.
I remember graduating from The University of Texas in 1987. We had just learned about a new technology that was changing the way we did business. It was called the facsimile machine. It could actually send documents via a phone line instantly around the world. Imagine that! Today, we still have a fax number at our company, but we rarely use it. E-mail and scanners have essentially replaced the need for this technology miracle.
As we are now forced to rely even more on technology in a socially distant world, it’s important not to lose our humanity. American author Elbert Hubbard said, “One machine can do the work of fifty ordinary men. No machine can do the work of one extraordinary man.”
There’s no machine for hugs. There’s no machine for sitting with a friend and holding their hand during a difficult time. There’s no machine for soothing a crying baby. That takes something extraordinary; that takes the human touch.
Stay extraordinary my friends, and above all else, stay focused on the future.
Patti@absolutelyfocusmedia.com
