Smokes signals as types of the old communication system are helpful in analyzing the development of the people’s interaction and new ideas appeared to convey the messages over big distances. Till earlier times, mechanical smoked signals were employed by native people, armies, and other clans in order to send simple information to long distances across mountains and deserts where tribes used smoke as a source of communication.
1. Historical Context of Smoke Signals
Different communities of people across the world have always used smoke signals inclusive of Native Americans, Chinese, and many African communities. Ideally, smoke signals entailed the use of columns or puffs to pass on some message in a coded system which could be perceived from far. The simplicity of this system meant that despite the usage of this communication system, people did not need to use words or any form of language, both written or spoken in order to interact.
For example in North America many different tribes of the region devised their own modes of smoke signals to help to warn of danger, or to show in which direction hunting parties were, or to signal that people were getting together. Apache, Sioux and Navajo people applied certain number of puffs or some pattern in order to convey various messages.
2. Teaching the Fundamentals of Communication
Smoke signals are concrete methods for explaining the elementary parameters of interaction. In any communication system, there are three key components: it constituted of sender, message, and a receiver. When using smoke signals for instance, the sender produces the smoke and the form they produce is the message while the receiver understands the message according to set codes. And because the model lacks extraneous details which might confuse the students, this model can be used to expose the students on how communication system is established; how it works and why it is important for two individuals using the same code or language to have similar understanding of it.
Students can discover that it is not only the verbal or the written communication is important—many societies have used non-voice and non-written communication means, when the distance or other factors, such as noise, makes it impossible to interact directly. In this sense, smoke signals present the idea of body language which is even now considered a very integral part of communication even though it has evolved from smoke signals into such signs as gestures for the hearing impaired, picture or symbolic language such as emojis today.
3. Adaptation to Environment and Needs
One of the most useful concepts learned from teaching and learning the smoke signal is how people change their mode of communication in line with certain environmental factors. Smoke signals were most effective especially where visibility and the terrain of the land is clear such as deserts, mountains and plains. Smoke signals could not be used when the terrain was thickly forested or when the signal was needed in the urban setting where visibility is almost nil; in such cases other forms of signals such as drums or flags could have been used.
While reading the smoke signals, students are able to discern how and why communication technologies must be adapted with the physical/landscape and social landscape context. In today’s business environment it is interpreted as opting for an appropriate channel for communication and this may be through writing an e-mail, a Facebook status update or even a face to face conversation. Similarly as the author of smoke signal did have to consider certain circumstances of his signal reception — the wind and the visibility of the smoke — the authors of the messages have to consider the certain factors, such as the audience, the channel, and the clarity.
4. The Role of Symbolism in Communication
The conventional smoke signals also point to the effects of Symbolism in communication. Every puff or column of smoke conveyed specific message as the signaling being done was based on some agreed standard and could only easily be deciphered by people of the same civilization or tribe. Thus this illuminates that symbols in as much as smoke pattern, gestures as well as written works are essential in conveying meaning.
In current day communication classes smoke signal can be related to the teaching of semiotics which is the study of signs and symbols. As ancient people tried to express ideas or actions with the help of smokes, the modern people rely on language, symbols and images. This is especially the case in the current society that has utilised symbols and icons in their day to day communication like the emoticons or the traffic signals.
5. Teaching Problem-Solving and Creativity
Teaching communication through smoke signals also creates a need for the learners to be innovative and involved in problem solving. As we know, the ancestors were in need of an effective covert signaling system given the constraint in available resources back then. With the coming of smoke signals, one gets to see how intelligent people are when it comes to the response to environmental issues.
In a classroom, students can be challenged to devise their own mode of communication using simple tools such as smoke, light or sound, which is in addition to enabling creativeness, familiarizes the student with how earlier societies addressed communication related challenges without resorting to technology today takes for granted.
6. Relevance to Modern Communication Technology
Since smoke signals cannot be used today in the same effect they were used in the old days, they served as a basis towards the advancement of signaling methods especially in military and emergency services. For instance, Morse code also works on the same concept using bunch of dots and dashes to represent letters and numbers. But most basically, even digital communication is a flow of electrons marked in binary — sequences of 0s and 1s.
By explaining how signal has evolved from simple things such as smoke to complex digital signals, the learners will be in a position to grasp more knowledge and understanding on how communication technology has developed and why there is always need for communication in any society.
Conclusion
Smoke signals as an old system of communications is quite interesting and informative from the point of view of viewing the learning process. If these ancient methods are included in today’s communication lessons, the educators will be able to explain some basic concepts in communication, explain why the real-life communications often employ different methods, and discuss the innovative thinking of the ancient civilizations. Smoke signals still play an illuminating role that shows that no matter how much the society and human beings progress in terms of innovations, very basic and vital need for effective communication has not changed.
