Unit 1

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UNIT 1

1. WHAT IS THE FIRST

THING THAT COMES

TO YOUR MIND WHEN

YOU READ THE WORD

TECHNOLOGY?

2. HOW MUCH TIME DO

YOU SPEND USING

YOUR CELLPHONE?

WHAT ABOUT YOUR

COMPUTER?

3. HOW MANY

ELECTRONIC

DEVICES YOU HAVE?

4. WHEN YOU GO TO

THE MOVIES, TO A

PARTY DO YOU DO

THE CHECK IN?

5. DO YOU ENJOY YOUR

FRIENDS’ COMPANY?

OR YOU ARE ONLY

INTERESTED IN

POSTING SOME

NEWS ABOUT YOUR

SOCIAL LIFE?

6. DO YOU HAVE

CHILDREN? DO YOU

CARE ABOUT WHAT

KIND OF SITES THEY

VISIT? DO YOU

CHECK THAT?

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READ THE TEXT BELOW AND THEN ANSWER THE QUESTIONS

ABOUT IT.

We never talk any more: The problem with text messaging By Jeffrey Kluger Updated 2156 GMT (0456 HKT) August 31, 2012

Story highlights

As texting use rises, the phone call is becoming a dying institution American age 18-29 send an average of nearly 88 text messages a day Psychologists worry social skills in young texters won't develop Habitual texters may hurt relationships, miss out on new ones

You do not want to talk to me on the phone. How do I know? Because I don't want to talk to you on the phone. Nothing personal, I just can't stand the thing.

I find it intrusive and somehow presumptuous. It sounds off insolently whenever it chooses and expects me to drop whatever I'm doing and, well, engage. With others! When I absolutely must, I take the call, but I don't do a very good job of concealing my displeasure. A close family member once offered his opinion that I exhibit the phone manners of a goat, then promptly withdrew the charge — out of fairness to goats.

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So it was with profound relief that I embraced the arrival of e-mail and, later, texting. They meant a conversation I could control — utterly. I get to say exactly what I want exactly when I want to say it. It consumes no more time than I want it to and, to a much greater degree than is possible with a phone call, I get to decide if it takes place at all. That might make me misanthropic. It surely makes me a crank. But it doesn't make me unusual.

(Read about the TIME Mobility Poll here.)

The telephone call is a dying institution. The number of text messages sent monthly in the U.S. exploded from 14 billion in 2000 to 188 billion in 2010, according to a Pew Institute survey, and the trend shows no signs of abating. Not all of that growth has come out of the hide of old-fashioned phoning, but it is clearly taking a bite — particularly among the young.

Americans ages 18-29 send and receive an average of nearly 88 text messages per day, compared to 17 phone calls. The numbers change as we get older, with the overall frequency of all communication declining, but even in the 65 and over group, daily texting still edges calling 4.7 to 3.8. In the TIME mobility poll, 32% of all respondents said they'd rather communicate by text than phone, even with people they know very well. This is truer still in the workplace, where communication is between colleagues who are often not friends at all. "No more trying to find time to call and chit-chat," is how one poll respondent described the business appeal of texting over talking.

The problem, of course, is what's lost when that chit-chat goes. Developmental psychologists studying the impact of texting worry especially about young people, not just because kids are such promiscuous users of the technology, but because their interpersonal skills — such as they are — have not yet fully formed. Most adults were fixed social quantities when they first got their hands on a text-capable mobile device, and while their ability to have a face-to-face conversation may have eroded in recent years, it's pretty well locked in. Not so with teens. As TIME has reported previously, MIT psychologist Sherry Turkle is one of the leading researchers looking into the effects of texting on interpersonal development. Turkle believes that having a conversation with another person teaches kids to, in effect, have a conversation with themselves — to think and reason and self-reflect. "That particular skill is a bedrock of development," she told me.

Turkle cites the texted apology — or what she calls "saying 'I'm sorry' and hitting send" — as a vivid example of what's lost when we type instead of speak. "A full-scale apology means I know I've hurt you, I get to see that in your eyes," she says. "You get to see that

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I'm uncomfortable, and with that, the compassion response kicks in. There are many steps and they're all bypassed when we text." When the apology takes place over the phone rather than in person, the visual cues are lost, of course, but the voice — and the sense of hurt and contrition it can convey — is preserved.

Part of the appeal of texting in these situations is that it's less painful — but the pain is the point. "The complexity and messiness of human communication gets shortchanged," Turkle says. "Those things are what lead to better relationships."

Habitual texters may not only cheat their existing relationships, they can also limit their ability to form future ones since they don't get to practice the art of interpreting nonverbal visual cues. There's a reason it's so easy to lie to small kids ("Santa really, truly did bring those presents") and that's because they're functional illiterates when it comes to reading inflection and facial expressions. As with real reading, the ability to comprehend subtlety and complexity comes only with time and a lot of experience. If you don't adequately acquire those skills, moving out into the real world of real people can actually become quite scary. "I talk to kids and they describe their fear of conversation," says Turkle. "An 18-year-old I interviewed recently said, 'Someday, but certainly not now, I want to learn to have a conversation.'"

Adults are much less likely to be so conversation-phobic, but they do become conversation-avoidant — mostly because it's easier. Texting an obligatory birthday greeting means you don't have to fake an enthusiasm you're not really feeling. Texting a friend to see what time a party starts means you don't also have to ask "How are you?" and, worse, get an answer.

The text message is clearly here to stay and even the most zealous phone partisans don't recommend avoiding it entirely. But mix it up some — maybe even throw in a little Skyping or Facetime so that when you finally do make a call you're actually seeing and interacting with another person. Too much texting, Turkle warns, amounts to a life of "hiding in plain sight."

And the thing about hiding is, it keeps you entirely alone.

SOURCE: http://edition.cnn.com/2012/08/31/tech/mobile/problem-

text-messaging-oms/.

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1. What is the main idea of the text?

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2. According to the text, why psychologists worry social

skills in young texters will not develop?

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3. what are the main reasons why the phone call is considered

a dying institution? explain with your own words.

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4. what is the impact of social medias on someone’s life? can

you see any good point on them?

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Access thE link :

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_B4yMysLw4k , and then

discuss with your classmates the bad and the good side of the

internet.

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What do know about technology impact on children? Do you

think it is a good idea to insert electronic devices on

education system? Make researches about these topics and

develop a composition about that.

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UNIT 2

1. How can we declare if a movie is geek or not?

2. Do you know the meaning of the word geek?

3. Do you consider yourself a geek person? Do you have any

geek friend?

Read the text below and then answer the questions about it.

‘The Big Bang Theory' just did what no TV show has ever done before

Nikita Richardson / May 29, 2015 8:21 am

And people say TV will rot your brain: Yesterday, CBS’The Big Bang

Theory made waves—and history—when showrunner Chuck Lorre (Mom, Two

and a Half Men, Mike &

Molly) revealed that he plans on

taking the award-winning

program’s scientific slant from

fiction to reality. Starting this

week,Big Bang Theory and The

Chuck Lorre Family Foundation

have established The Big Bang

Theory Scholarship Endow

ment—valued at $4 million

dollars.

The endowment will go directly to

20 low-income students entering the science, technology, engineering, and

mathematics (STEM) fields at UCLA this year and then benefit five new students

each academic year in perpetuity. The inaugural class will be announced this fall

at the show’s set in Burbank, CA with cast and crew in attendance.

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“We have all been given a gift with The Big Bang Theory, a show that’s not only

based in the scientific community, but also enthusiastically supported by that

same community – this is our opportunity to give back,” Lorre said in a statement.

“In that spirit, our Big Bang family has made a meaningful contribution, and

together, we’ll share in the support of these future scholars, scientists and

leaders.”

Contributors to the scholarship include stars Jim Parsons (Sheldon), Johnny

Galecki (Leonard), Kaley Cuoco-Sweeting (Penny), Simon Helberg (Howard),

Kunal Nayyar (Raj), Mayim Bialik (Amy), and Melissa Rauch (Bernadette).

They’re joined by executive producers Chuck Lorre, Bill Prady, and Steven

Molaro as well as crew members and other generous folks in the entertainment

industry.

The icing on the cake? For actress Mayim Bialik and David Saltzberg, the show’s

science consultant, this donation hits home. Bialik received a very real Ph.D in

neuroscience from UCLA and Professor Saltzberg continues to teach astronomy

and physics at the L.A.-based university.

And for their part, UCLA is more than happy to bring the world’s first TV show-

based scholarship fund to the school with Chancellor Gene Block saying in a

statement, “We are grateful for The Big Bang Theory Scholarship Endowment,

whose contributors agree with us that economic standing should not hinder a

deserving student’s shot at a degree from a university of UCLA’s caliber.”

Right on.

(Image via CBS)

Source: http://hellogiggles.com/big-bang-theory-

scholarship/.

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1. Have you ever watched revenge of the nerds? How would

you connect the happenings on the movie with this happening

in real life?

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2. What was the contribution of this tv show to the

community?

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3. What are the areas of study that will be promoted by this

scholarship?

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access the link:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gEhmVcP0_f4 , and then

discuss with your classmates about it.

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Have you ever asked about yourself if we are really in

control of our lives? What do you think about the matrix

movie theory? Compare this movie theory with another one

than you know and declare if you believe in them or not.

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UNIT 3

1. HAVE YOU EVER PLAYED ANY VIDEO GAME? WHICH WAS

THE GAME?

2. DO YOU BELIEVE THAT VIDEO GAMES CAN INDUCE A CHILD

TO BE VIOLENT?

3. WHAT KIND OF GAMES DO YOU PREFER?

READ THE TEXT BELOW AND THEN ANSWER THE QUESTIONS

ABOUT IT.

Playing action video games can

boost learning November 10, 2014

A new study shows for the first time that playing action video games improves not just

the skills taught in the game, but learning capabilities more generally.

“Prior research by our group and others has shown that action gamers excel at many

tasks. In this new study, we show they excel because they are better learners,” explained

Daphne Bavelier, a research professor in brain and cognitive sciences at the University

of Rochester. “And they become better learners,” she said, “by playing the fast-paced

action games.”

According to Bavelier, who also holds a joint appointment at the University of Geneva,

our brains keep predicting what will come next—whether when listening to a

conversation, driving, or even preforming surgery. “In order to sharpen its prediction

skills, our brains constantly build models, or ‘templates,’ of the world,” she explained.

“The better the template, the better the performance. And now we know playing action

video game actually fosters better templates.”

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Action Players vs. Non-Action Players

In the current study, published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences,

Bavelier and her team first used a pattern discrimination task to compare action video

game players’ visual performance with that of individuals who do not play action video

games.

The action-gamers outperformed the non-action gamers. The key to the action-gamers

success, the researchers found, was that their brains used a better template for the task

at hand.

Video Training

Then, the team conducted another experiment to determine if habitual players of fast-

paced, action-rich video games may be endowed with better templates independently of

their game play, or if the action game play lead them to have better templates.

Individuals with little video game experience were recruited, and as part of the

experiment, they were asked to play video games for 50 hours over the course of nine

weeks. One group played action video games, e.g., Call of Duty. The second group

played 50 hours of non-action video games, such as The Sims.

The trainees were tested on a pattern discrimination task before and after the video game

“training.” The test showed that the action video games players improved their templates,

compared to the control group who played the non-action video games. The authors then

turned to neural modeling to investigate how action video games may foster better

templates.

Measuring Learning

When the researchers gave action gamers a perceptual learning task, the team found

that the action video game players were able to build and fine tune templates quicker

than non-action game control participants. And they did so on the fly as they engaged in

the task.

Being a better learner means developing the right templates faster and thus better

performance. And playing action video games, the research team found boosts that

process.

“When they began the perceptual learning task, action video gamers were

indistinguishable from non-action gamers; they didn’t come to the task with a better

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template,” said Bavelier. “Instead, they developed better templates for the task, much,

much faster showing an accelerated learning curve.”

The researchers also found that the action gamers’ improved performance is a lasting

effect. When tested several months to a year later, the action-trained participants still

outperformed the other participants, suggesting that they retained their ability to build

better templates.

Bavelier’s team is currently investigating which characteristics in action video games are

key to boost players’ learning. “Games other than action video games may be able to

have the same effect,” she said. “They may need to be fast paced, and require the player

to divide his or her attention, and make predictions at different time scales.”

Vikranth R. Bejjanki of the University of Rochester and Princeton University, and Ruyuan

Zhang of the University of Rochester are co-lead authors of the study. In addition to

Bavelier and the lead authors, researchers from the University of Geneva, University of

Wisconsin-Madison, and Ohio State University also contributed to the study.

The Office of Naval Research, the Swiss National Foundation, The Human Frontier

Science Program, and the National Eye Institute supported the research.

Tags: Arts and Sciences, Daphne Bavelier, Department of Brain and Cognitive

Sciences, research finding, video games

Category: Society & Culture

SOURCE: http://www.rochester.edu/newscenter/playing-

action-video-games-can-boost-learning-78452/.

1. WHY DO ACTION GAMERS EXCEL AT MANY TASKS?

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2. WHAT IS THE MAIN DIFFERENCE BETWEEN ACTION

PLAYERS AND NON-ACTION PLAYERS?

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3. HOW DID HAPPEN THE EXPERIMENT THAT PROVED THAT

ACTION PLAYERS ARE BETTER LEARNERS THAN NON-

ACTION PLAYERS ARE?

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ACCESS THE LINK:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KndJUyKWoPk , AND THEN

DISCUSS WITH YOUR CLASSMATES ABOUT THE MAIN ABILITIES

YOU CAN OBTAIN BY PLAYING VIDEOGAMES.

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SOME PEOPLE USE TO SAY THAT YOU CAN LEARN ENGLISH

BY VIDEO GAMES. HOW CAN IT BE POSSIBLE? CHOOSE

THREE POSSIBLE FACTORS THAT CAN EXPLAIN THAT.

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Unit 4

1. When you were a child, did you enjoy listening to music?

2. What kind of electronic devices did you have in your house

when you were ten years old?

3. Did you have the chance to rec a music from a radio

station? What was the sensation that you felt at that

moment?

Read the text below and then answer the questions about it.

Music Through the Ages of Technology

Tatiana Kochkareva June 1, 2012

Editor's Abstract

As a creator of music in the 21st century, I find myself living during an immensely significant time. There are many new technological breakthroughs that are directly influencing music, how we perceive it and how we create it. Throughout the ages, music and art went hand in hand with politics, technology and most aspects of

Tatiana Kochkareva

As a creator of music in the 21st century, I find myself living during an immensely significant time. There are many new technological breakthroughs that are directly influencing music, how we perceive it and how we create it. Throughout the ages, music and art went hand in hand with politics, technology and most aspects of our social life. One can see how technology has had a direct influence on music in the past and present. In order to have a better understanding of where we are heading, it’s always a good idea to look back and examine the past.

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One of the illustrative and historical examples is the invention of the phonograph, a device introduced in 1877 by Thomas Edison. While there were other devices that were able to record sound, the phonograph was the first device that was able to produce it. It’s not hard to imagine that the appearance of the phonograph caused very conflicting feelings and opinions in music circles. Until that point, in order for someone to enjoy the art form of music, they had to either create it themselves or witness someone else creating it. The invention of the phonograph influenced not only musicians, but also the listeners and other professionals involved in the process (ie. piano manufacturers). After the phonograph entered the market, piano sales dropped, as this was no longer the only way for the public to enjoy music in their home.

Many musicians thought that the appearance of the phonograph would be detrimental to their careers. It meant that their set of skills would no longer be utilized in the same way. Now they would perform something once, and it could be recorded and kept forever; this caused some people to claim that live performances would be extinguished, but here we are over 150 years later, still performing live. There were also those who were more enthusiastic and welcoming of change; these musicians took full advantage of the new technology not only by utilizing it (creating recordings), but also by adapting to it and developing new skills that would compliment it (being more creative in the studio and accomplishing things that couldn’t be done live).

The 1920’s was the next momentous mark in the history of the American mass media culture. One of the defining reasons for this was the appearance of the radio in households across the country. The radio paved the foundational ground for continued technological developments in the field of mass media that we continue to witness today.

Just as the appearance of the phonograph stirred significant change, the integration of electronic media had a direct effect on the previous domination of print media as well as many other spheres, music included. While many aspects of change took place during this time, my interest lies in the way electronic media influenced music. One of the prominent changes that occurred was that music suddenly became much more accessible to many more people. In a way it’s similar to the appearance of the internet in the 20th century. In the 1920’s it felt like just as big a change and just as overwhelming as the internet feels to us now. Suddenly music was taken from private music rooms, concert halls, bars, etc. to devices streaming to anonymous listeners all over the country. This automatically changed the way that music had to be performed because of the new standards provided by this technology. One of the many examples is the length of songs; radio had a direct influence on the fact that in popular culture we have a standard length for music. This was based on many things varying from the listener’s attention span, to the technicalities of the station’s music programming, as well as advertisements to support the station.

Even though we have a significant amount of history to draw conclusions from, we are still facing a time of exciting and unpredictable change. If there is one thing that we can know for sure, it is that music will always exist. We will inevitably adapt to the change until the next one

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occurs and then we will have to do it all over again. I think that at this time we should not resist change, but utilize it to our own advantage. This is the time when new genres will emerge. There will continue to be all sorts of new ways to deliver and perceive music, and it is quite an exciting thing to say that we will be a part of this change.

Tatiana Kochkareva

Source: http://www.polyphonic.org/article/music-through-

the-ages-of-technology/.

1. What was the phonograph, and how did it revolutionize the

history of music?

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2. What did happen on the 1920’s?

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Access the link:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wcfLolnmLl4 , and then

discuss with your

classmates about how

the technology’s

advancement changed

the history of music.

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Do you think technology can improve music scenario? What

kind of problems can you perceive on the technological

improvement regarding singers? Do you agree with the use of

playbacks? Why not? Organize your ideas and write about all

these topics.

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References:

Kluger, Jeffrey. We never talk any more: The problem with text

messaging. available on:

http://edition.cnn.com/2012/08/31/tech/mobile/problem-

text-messaging-oms/. Accessed on june 7th, 2015.

Kochkareva, Tatiana. Music Through the Ages of Technology.

available on: http://www.polyphonic.org/article/music-

through-the-ages-of-technology/. Accessed on june 7th, 2015.

Richardson, Nikita. ‘The Big Bang Theory' just did what no TV

show has ever done before. available on: http://hellogiggles.com/big-bang-theory-scholarship/.

Accessed on june 7th, 2015.

University of Rochester. Playing action video games can boost

learning. available on: http://www.rochester.edu/newscenter/playing-action-video-

games-can-boost-learning-78452/. Accessed on june 7th, 2015.