The 1970s don’t seem that long ago until you remember your age, and do the math and realize, that yes, it has been 50 years. So, what has changed? Today’s students have laptops in their backpacks. We carried big books in our arms. Speaking of laptops, not only are the textbooks on the laptops, but laptops are used for taking notes and writing papers. We filled notebooks with notes written in long hand. Papers were laborious tasks. Rough drafts were just that, phrases here and there with lines drawn to show where they should be inserted. Then the final re-write, filled with spelling errors, because there was no program to point out the spelling errors. Oh, and researching the papers? Hours in the library with the card catalog, books, encyclopedias, and note cards. Now, students pull out their laptop, and log into this thing called the internet to do their research from the comfort of their room. The internet also brought about Facebook, Snapchat, Twitter, and Tik Tok…don’t get me started…I only have 300 words. The laptops are even wireless. They run off of something called Wi-Fi. Today’s students spend hours on laptops and their smart phones. Smart phones? Those handheld devices that now run our lives. Gone are the days of lining up at the payphones to call home for a pick-up. We would spend hours on the home phone calling our friends to plan a get together. Now, just send a group text message — done! We would pass hand-written notes in class. Now students text each other on their phones. Pictures were taken with cameras and film, then wait for the film to be developed to see if the pictures were any good. Now, use your trusty smart phone for instant pictures. 50 years has brought a lot of change. How did we survive???