Tag: technology

What is the Metaverse?

B2 – Upper Intermediate

Recently, a brand new concept in technology has emerged known as the “Metaverse”. Many believe it to be the next big thing in technology and business.

But what exactly is the “Metaverse”?

To learn more about it, watch this video.

Discussion Questions:

  1. In your opinion, will the “Metaverse” be the next big trend that a lot people would invest in? Why or why not?
  2. What do you think makes Metaverse interesting?
  3. What concerns could we have over it?
  4. Is Facebook making a good decision by switching from a social media platform to a “Metaverse”? Explain your stance.
  5. Do you believe that socializing with people in these “Metaverses” is better than socializing in real life? Share your thoughts on this.

OPod Tube House

B2 – Upper Intermediate

Is micro-living the future? OPod is a 15sqm/161sqft house; a small but livable space built for many people who want to live debt-free.

Watch the video to know more about small homes and why they could be good for those who are looking to stretch their savings.

Discussion Questions:

  1. What thoughts were running through your mind as you watched the video?
  2. What are the biggest benefits and biggest drawbacks of living in a tiny house such as an OPod?
  3. Can families live in houses such as this? What do you think the kind of life people who live in such spaces be like?
  4. Are tiny homes just a fad or are they here to stay? Elaborate.
  5. Would you like to live in a tiny home? Why or why not?
  6. Will this kind of housing be adaptable in your country? Why or why not?

Smart Tech and Climate Change

B2 – Upper Intermediate

Advanced technology provides a better opportunity for people to live more comfortably. Hence, people are making maximum use of technology as it has evolved exponentially in time. Due to the effects of the climate crisis at present, people are becoming more incentivized to take action with the use of smart technology.

But how could smart technology help with the fight against climate change? Let’s listen to the audio below to find out.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/learningenglish/english/features/6-minute-english/ep-211007

Discussion Questions:

  1. How has technology impacted climate change for better or for worse?
  2. What kinds of technologies do you know of that might help stop environmental problems?
  3. Have you made any changes to your lifestyle/energy consumption due to your views on climate change? What happened?
  4. What is your country doing to limit the effects of climate change?

The Impact of Digital Technology on Healthcare

Digital technology is no doubt an essential part of healthcare and has helped transform the field of medicine. It has improved its way of access by inputting all medical information in an electronic health record (EHR) with the intention that all healthcare professionals can see and share medical information rapidly with each other resulting to a more efficient patient care and better outcome. Researchers can now gather massive amounts of data needed for conducting epidemiological research studies and clinical trials in a short amount of time with the use of technology. Health workers could easily contact each other by means of email, texts, calls etc. with the purpose that they could acquire the information they need quickly. Online platforms and social media are also used in such a manner that they could post videos, write articles, and do webinars to contribute some knowledge to other people specially to those who want pursue a career in medicine or healthcare. We also have different health apps that could help patients monitor their health, access test results, and get medicine recommendations. Overall, digital technology has made a tremendous impact on healthcare and is expected to continue improving in the years to come. 

Read the article to learn more about the impact of digital technology on healthcare.

https://healthmanagement.org/c/cardio/news/the-impact-of-digital-technology-on-healthcare

Discussion Questions:

  1. What are the impact of digital technology on healthcare?
  2. What are the pros and cons of using digital technology in medicine and healthcare?
  3. What are the struggles in healthcare without digital technology?
  4. What are some digital technology that are used for healthcare?
  5. What digital technology can be a good invention for the future of healthcare?

Video Stores’ Digital Streaming Resistance

B2 – Upper Intermediate

Since the late 1870s, films have been in existence as one of the most popular forms of entertainment. Since its introduction to the society, films and the industry that revolves around it have evolved so much. 

Year 2020, the availability of technology and the Coronavirus pandemic led to a new phase in the history of films and the way we consume them. Streaming digitally through platforms like Netflix, HBO, and Amazon Prime became widely embraced by the world. Keeping the passion for physical movies became more challenging than ever.

Read the article about the video stores in Spain fighting to attract customers amidst the rising popularity of digital streaming.

https://english.elpais.com/science-tech/2021-09-16/netflix-resistance-the-video-stores-fighting-the-rise-of-streaming-in-spain.html

Discussion Questions:

  1. Do physical movie stores still exist in your city? Talk about these places and your experience/s going there.
  2. Do you think video stores would continue to thrive further on? Talk about the challenges and opportunities of such business in the recent times. 
  3. Do you agree or disagree that with streaming platforms “You are forced to see what the company wants you to see, you don’t have any autonomy.”? Explain.
  4. What do you think about digital streaming platforms?
  5. Compare and contrast physical and digital film formats.
  6. Should we make sure that our children know about physical movies? Why or why not? 

New Inventions

B2 – Upper Intermediate

We live in a fast-paced world where technology is speeding up exponentially. For example, communication has significantly improved in just a few years. People could still vividly remember the time when they had to wait for ages for a webpage to load. Now, the internet speed is so fast that it allows you to download a full-length movie in just a few seconds.

Aside from the internet, many other innovations changed history significantly. Innovation will not stop and people will continue to create things as long as there is a need for it. As the saying goes, “Necessity is the mother of invention.”

Click the link and listen to the audio to learn more about some new inventions.

https://learnenglishteens.britishcouncil.org/new-inventions

Discussion Questions:

  1. What do you think of the inventions mentioned in the audio? Which one is the most interesting for you and why?
  2. Which among these inventions is the most useful? Which is the least useful?
  3. What need or problem do people have today that is yet to be addressed?
  4. What do you think is the most incredible invention that changed the world?

Why You Should Never Visit The Dark Web

B2 – Upper Intermediate

The black market is a platform online, where goods and services are acquired or exchanged illegally. Now, we all wonder how different a black market is from the normal one.

In the black market, goods are most of the time sold, at a lower if not, the lowest price because they won’t remit or declare taxes to the state. Goods that are not legally permitted to be sold in the market are also made available easily in the black market such as illegal substances or smuggled products. There is a big question of whether we should visit the dark web and enter a black market depending on what reasons you have in mind.

Watch the video to learn more about the dark web.

Discussion Questions:

  1. Have you ever heard about the dark web? What are your thoughts on or experience with it?
  2. Have you ever tried getting into the dark web?
  3. Is dark web home to many “bad guys”?
  4. How dangerous is it to transact in this market?
  5. Are you willing to take the risk to get into a site on the dark web?
  6. Could we consider people who transact in black market criminals? Why or why not?

How False Information Spreads

B2 – Upper Intermediate

Today, almost everything we do has something to do online; may it be our pastime or our jobs. Sometimes, we feel the need to be connected online for fear of missing out on a lot of things.

As a result, different industries have adapted to this trend and have increased their online presence. This includes news media. Now, it’s more common to see people reading news articles online than in a newspaper. With so much information available at our fingertips, we need to be careful about the things we read online.

Click the link and listen to the audio to learn more about how quickly false information can be spread online.

https://learnenglishteens.britishcouncil.org/skills/listening/advanced-c1-listening/how-false-information-spreads

Discussion Questions:

  1. What are the reasons false information spread so easily with the help of technology?
  2. How can false information be prevented from being spread on the internet?
  3. Share a hoax you have heard of before that many people believed right away.
  4. Do you read the news online? Which websites do you get your news from? Why do you get info from these websites?
  5. Do you use Wikipedia? What is your opinion about it or the information on it?

Domino’s Will Deliver Pizzas Using Robot

B2 – Upper Intermediate

Pizza is the perfect comfort food — not too messy, hard to mess up, good whether it’s hot or cold, and no silverware necessary. It’s just a perfect guaranteed meal to have during such uncertain times. 

The largest pizza company in the world by sales — Domino’s — had the biggest slice of the U.S. market coming into the pandemic. Now pizza lovers in Houston are going to see a new kind of delivery driver — a robot.

Let’s find out more about this autonomous pizza delivery robot.

https://www.entrepreneur.com/article/369394

Discussion Questions:

  1. What do you think about his autonomous pizza delivery car/robot?
  2. What could be the advantages and disadvantages of this technology?
  3. Overall, what are your thoughts on allocating efforts and resources in the development of autonomous vehicles?
  4. Where else could such technology be useful?
  5. Have you ever called for pizza delivery? If yes, how often do you order pizza to your home?

Facebook Wrist Device Aims to Permit Control of Virtual Objects

B2 – Upper Intermediate

Technology is evolving fast. It is changing how people live their lives. We now have The Internet of Things wherein all devices we use can be connected to the internet. From washing machines to air conditioners, we can now control them through voice commands.

Facebook is developing a technology that would allow us to control objects that exist in the virtual world. This technology aims to give people the augmented reality (AR) experience that could one day be used in our day-to-day lives.

Listen to the audio and read the transcript to know more about this wristband device that is supposed to be used with AR glasses.

https://learningenglish.voanews.com/a/facebook-wrist-device-aims-to-permit-control-of-virtual-objects/5828544.html

Discussion Questions:

  1. What is Augmented Reality (AR)? How interesting is this for you?
  2. Is this kind of device something interesting to you? Why or why not?
  3. Do you think that AR technology could replace smartphones one day? Why or why not?
  4. What could be the possible uses of AR in our day-to-day lives?
  5. How important is technology in your life? Can you live without it?