Tag: technology

Smart Cities

B2 – Upper Intermediate

The population is beginning to move to urban areas, mainly due to economic reasons. Along with that ever-growing number of citizens are the huge challenges the cities face. Imagine from small cities to sprawling metropolis issues like traffic congestion, climate change, providing quality education, and affordable housing as well as health services.

Cities are also the heart of innovation. Imagine surpassing all of these challenges and making your city a smart city where people could live fulfilled and meaningful lives, offering great opportunities and enabled seamlessly by technology.

Watch the video below to learn more about smart cities.

 

Discussion Questions:

1. What is a smart city?
2. What are smart cities all about?
3. How does technology empower communities and social inclusion?
4. How can we enable educating the urban population to understand the smart city concept?

5. What do you think are the advantages and pitfalls of smart cities?

Digital Citizenship

B2 – Upper Intermediate

Internet safety is now a major concern for everybody who depends on technology a lot. It has been a critical issue, especially for parents of children in the 21st century. They are exposed to malicious hackers and bullies glossing over their privacy.

Learn more all about digital citizenship through the video below.

https://youtu.be/SAQLjT4jwzQ

Discussion Questions:

1. Are you concerned about internet safety?
2. Do you think schools should incorporate digital citizenship into their curriculums?
3. Should big tech companies be in the business of teaching children how to be good digital citizens?
4. How do you learn to be safe online?
5. Did someone teach you how to identify schemers, hackers, and bullies online?
6. How important is it to be safe online?

Flying Taxi

B2 – Upper Intermediate

The idea of a flying taxi that will keep us from getting late is definitely a dream come true especially for commuters who always get stuck in really bad traffic congestion on a daily basis.

Here’s a video about a self-piloting flying taxi in New Zealand.

Discussion Questions:

  1. Do you think flying taxi is the solution to the traffic problem? Explain.
  2. What are the pros and cons of using flying taxis?
  3. Talk about some traffic problems and the traffic system in your city/country.

Tethered to Phones

B1 – Intermediate

Parents are concerned about the amount of time their teenage children spend in front of screens, while more others expressed concern about their own screen time.

Experts say parents have a big role in their kids’ screen habits and setting a good example is a big part of it.

https://www.voanews.com/a/study-teens-parents-tethered-smartphones/4539560.html

Discussion Questions:

1. Do you think people are too tethered to their phones? Why or why not?

2. How often do you use your cellphone?

3. Should parents set a good example to their children by showing lesser usage of cellphones?

World Trade Center Subway Station Reopens

B2 – Upper Intermediate

People welcomed the first train rolled into the new WTC Cortlandt station. The train station was buried under the rubble of the Twin Towers on 11th September 2001 and now the new fully accessible station features a mosaic that uses words from the Declaration of Independence.

https://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-45463886

Discussion Questions:

  1. In what ways do you think the re-opening of the subway station will be most beneficial?

2. How would Americans feel about the re-opening of the train station?

3. Do you think re-opening of this train station will bring back bad memories of the 9/11 attack?

 

US to Spend Billions on Artificial Intelligence Weapons

B1 – Intermediate

What springs to your mind when asked about AI or Artificial Intelligence? Well, opinions differ for sure. Some would say it is of great advantage and some would say it is dangerous or a few would say they don’t care.

The United States will spend billions on developing AI weapons. They wanted to be ahead in terms of this technology as China and Russia are known to have their own.

https://breakingnewsenglish.com/1809/180912-weapons.html

Discussion Questions:

  1. What is your opinion on AI weapons?
  2. What would be the outcome if these weapons will be used in the future?
  3. Will there be more of the advantages than the disadvantages?
  4. How do these weapons protect the welfare of the country?
  5. Would these weapons make the US more powerful than its counterparts?

Town Governed Through Twitter

B2 – Upper Intermediate

Social media has undeniably become a vital part of our societies. It is an essential tool for our daily activities such as communicating, socializing, accessing to news and information, and making decisions.

A small town in Spain takes the use of social media to new heights.

Read the article about Jun, a town governed via Twitter.

https://medium.com/@socialmachines/the-incredible-jun-a-town-that-runs-on-social-media-49d3d0d4590

Discussion Questions:

  1. Do you agree or disagree with this idea? Why or why not?
  2. What do you think are the positives and negatives of using Twitter this way?
  3. How else do you think social media can be used in a positive way?

Flying Car

B2 – Upper Intermediate

For decades, we have faced traffic congestion problems. One bizarre idea to help ease traffic jams on the roads is to invent cars that fly. Flying cars will no longer be just an imagination as flying cars could be on sale next year.

Read the full article and know more details about this invention.

https://www.bbc.com/news/technology-44805697

Discussion Questions:

1. Would you like to own a flying car?

2. How would flying cars change our lives?

3. What do you think should be the requirements to be able to fly this kind of car?

 

Amazon Alexa to Reward Kids

B1 – Intermediate

Where have all the manners gone? Rudeness is prevalent, while nobody seems to care and it seems that technology is behind it.

Amazon is changing this view by creating a version of Alexa that is helping children to be polite.

https://breakingnewsenglish.com/1804/180428-saying-please-2.html

Discussion Questions:

  1. In your opinion, does technology teach children to be rude? Can devices or apps teach kids to be polite?
  2. How important is it for children to learn to be polite?
  3. What’s the best way to teach children manners?
  4. Are people in your society becoming ruder or more polite?
  5. What rude behaviour do you see in public every day?

Rise of Robots End of Work?

C1 – Advanced

Robots and Artificial Intelligence are rapidly advancing in the recent years. Are you one of the thousands of people who are worried about job opportunities in the future? Let us see things in a different perspective and learn more from the specialists.

Watch the video below.

Discussion Questions:

  1.  Are you scared of robots replacing humans?
  2.  What do you think can men do if robots dominate the jobs in the future?
  3.  How can we prepare the next generation with the rise of robots?