Tag: technology

The Next Generation of Roads That Talk to Cars

B2 – Upper Intermediate

The safety of travellers and drivers on the road have always been a priority. From building better road infrastructure to using technology to ensure a driver’s safety.

Watch the video below to know more of how advanced technology is upping its game when it comes to road safety. Be ready to express your thoughts about it.

Discussion Questions:

1. How do smart-roads work? How can roads communicate with cars?
2. According to the video, what are the benefits of self-driving cars?
3. Which states in the US are already working on smart-roads?
4. What are your thoughts on self-driving cars?
5. Do you think smart-roads will work in your country?

Pros and Cons of Artificial Intelligence

B2 – Upper Intermediate

The rise of artificial intelligence (AI) has been preoccupying people from all different walks of life. Whether you’re a scientist, an engineer or a mother of two, questions will always be asked. Is it good? Or does it bring more harm?

Click the link below to read the article about the pros and cons of artificial intelligence.

https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/pros-cons-artificial-intelligence-mike-fekety

Discussion Questions:

  1. Talk about all the things you know about AI.
  2. Talk about its pros and cons.
  3. In your opinion, what are some of the most worrisome threats associated with AI at the moment? How can we deal with them?
  4. How prevalent is AI used in your country these days? How about at your job? And in your community?
  5. How can AI help address some of the world’s most pressing problems?

Zuckerberg Presents AI Assistant Jarvis

C1 – Advanced

Mark Zuckerberg, creator and CEO of social media giant Facebook, has been working on developing his very own AI (Artificial Intelligence) assistant for a year now.

Watch the video and read the article as he introduces ‘Jarvis’ to the world.

Zuckerberg Presents AI Assistant Jarvis

Discuss:

1. Talk about Jarvis.
2. Do you feel comfortable talking to your mobile phone? If yes, what do you usually ask your AI assistant to do? If not, kindly explain the reason why.
3. What other functions would you like AI assistants to be able to carry out?
4. What other ultra advanced technology would you like to be able to see and use in your lifetime.

Amazon Opens Convenience Store with a Twist

B2 – Upper intermediate

Amazon is opening a physical store in Seattle where purchases are automatically completed using a phone app. There will be no cashiers, no checkout lines. Just grab what you want, scan it, and walk out.

Read the article below to know more about Amazon Go – the convenience store with a twist.

http://www.voanews.com/a/mht-amazon-opens-physical-convenience-store-with-a-twist/3623667.html

Discussion Questions:

  1. Would you be concerned with this kind of service getting hacked or is there no difference than buying online?
  2. If this works do you think more stores will do this since they wouldn’t need to hire so many employees and could save money lowering the price of items?
  3. Would you rather shop in a store where you could just walk in, grab what you want and walk right out instead of waiting in a line or would you be willing to keep things the way they are so people could keep their jobs?

Reasons Violent Video Games Contribute To Youth Violence

gamers-are-crabby

B2 – Upper intermediate

A number of studies have been conducted to see the relation of video games and having aggressive behavior, especially to younger children who are at the peak of developing their social lives.

Read the article below and be ready to express your thoughts.

10 Reasons Violent Video Games Contribute To Youth Violence

Discuss:

1. Studies on whether violent video games lead to aggression in children have been mixed. Some studies have found a strong connection, while others find no link. What is your stand?

2. Do you think children could lose their sense of reality and Fiction due to violent video games?

3. What can parents do to avoid this aggression in children ?

Huggable Robots

C1 – Advanced

For kids, going to the hospital can be a terrifying and sometimes boring experience. An interesting innovation from researchers and roboticists may be a good solution- a robot companion.  This robot’s creators aim to know if it can can have therapeutic value for hospitalized children. Can it really alleviate sick children’s anxiety, pain, and isolation?

Let’s meet this blue bear who’s making sick kids less blue.

Discussion Questions:

1. What do you think of “Huggable”? How does a child respond to it?
2. What suggestions did one of the kids give to make it a better robot companion?
3. How else can we make a doctor’s visit less dreadful for children?
4. Did you enjoy hospital visits when you were a kid? How about now?

Facebook Plans to Combat Fake News

B2 – Upper Intermediate

Facebook has been under a lot of criticism for being a portal for posting and spreading fake news particularly on the altered results of the recently concluded US elections.

Read the article on Facebook’s plans on fighting against fake news on their website.

http://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-38039506

Discussion Questions:

1. What are the measures that Facebook is taking in order to stop the spread of fake news on their site?
2. What do you think Dave Lee meant when he said, “we’re in completely uncharted territory”?
3. Why is addressing this issue crucial?
4. How can we spot fake news?
5. Tell us about fake news you read or heard of recently.

Self-Driving Electric Delivery Trucks

B2 – Upper Intermediate

Here’s a short article about how technology in driving is getting more and more advanced. Read the article below then express your thoughts about it.

http://fortune.com/2017/12/07/anheuser-busch-tesla-semi-trucks/

Discussion Questions:

1. Do you think there still should be a human passenger to monitor driver-less vehicles?
2. Do you think having driver-less vehicles will be a positive or negative thing in the long run?
3. Do you know if there have been any testing of driver-less vehicles in your country or laws passed to allow them?

Technology Helps Deaf Students at Gallaudet University

B1 – Intermediate

There have been many studies of how technology can be bad for us. But the video below will show how technology can help some people in society be more confident in facing the world and its daily challenges.

Watch the video and be ready to discuss it.

Discuss:

1. Explain how technology is being used in Galludet university.
2. How is technology helping the deaf and the hard-of-hearing students in Galludet university?
3. Are there organizations or colleges in your country that accommodate students with disabilities?
4. What are other ways technology can do to help people with disabilities?

Tech Support Scams on the Rise

B2 – Upper Intermediate

Nowadays, we seem to rely highly on technology to go about our daily lives. Because of this, there are some people who take advantage of this to dupe people. How dependent are you on technology?

Read the article below to learn of the new threat where technology is involved.

http://www.breakingnewsenglish.com/1606/160624-tech-support.html

Discussion Questions:

1. What do you think about what you read?
2. How worried are you about Internet security?
3. What do you do to keep your computer safe? What risks are there of being online?
4. Who do you think are most at risk from scams like this?