A video call with family
Computer Science · Early Years · The School
What a video call is
A video call lets you talk to someone far away. You see them. You hear them. It is all happening RIGHT NOW, this very moment. It does not matter if they are in a different city. It does not matter if they are in a different country.
Not the same as a video
A recorded video shows something that already happened. It happened at some point in the past. A video call is different. It is happening live, as you watch. The person on a video call can see you too. That happens at the exact same time.
Testing the difference
Wave at the screen during a real video call. The person waves back straight away. They can see you right now. Now wave at a recorded video of the same person from yesterday. Nothing happens back. That video already happened. It is not watching you.
SCREEN ONE: a live video call with a grandparent. Wave. They smile and wave straight back, immediately. They can see you at this very moment. SCREEN TWO: a recorded video of the very same grandparent, filmed yesterday. Wave at this screen too. Nothing happens. No wave back. No smile in response, however long you wait. Two screens. Two moving pictures of the same person. Only one of them is actually there with you, right now.