Ice breaker
Enjoy this Kaoot! prepared by BulldogZ
Grammar - language tools
We went deeper into the world of English language platforms with the following suggestions
Googlefight allows you to put words and phrases up against each other, to see which are most commonly used according to who often they appear online. This can be a fun game, as you think up synonyms and make them battle or a way to decide on which vocabulary to use in your writing.
Voicetube is a fantastic resource for video and audio learning, a compilation of YouTube videos on all manner of subjects with easy to navigate transcript. You can also repeat specific sentences to catch the pronunciation or focus your listening. There is also a pronunciation challenge tab that allows you to practice new phrases on a daily basis with thousands of other users from all over the world.
Caption generator is a simple tool that allows you to add captions to silent video, so you can get creative with your own storytelling. The site has an archive of silent or foreign language videos that you can use and then share with your friends. Get creative and reinterpret a story in your own way.
IELTsnetwork is an online forum with a very interactive following. A great place to submit your writing and speaking practice in audio to other learners for peer assessment, feedback and advice.
Open debate
Check out the vocabulary from the following video in part one of this slideshow
Pause at 2.18 – which is correct?
Post-video questions
Are you skeptical or restrained when it comes to technology?
Some examples of technology in the video were books, paper and the internet. What do you think is the most interesting technology to have been invented in the last 100 years? What about 20 years?
Do you control technology, or does it control you?
Technology is getting faster, now discuss the doubling effect of Moore’s Law mentioned in the next slide of the slideshow
Check out the vocabulary from the following video in part two of the same slideshow
Pause at 2.30 - Are more things happening now than the early 1900’s?
Does connectivity make us less connected? Are there more boundaries now?
What changes in language have made us more evolved?
Will technology cause the end of the world?
Stop at 4.48 - no need to watch the rest of the video unless desired
Debate
Split into groups to discuss the following questions. After 5 minutes stop and move to a new group, with different people. NEW PLACES, NEW FACES. Try to communicate with as many people as possible to benefit from different vocabulary, grammar, accents and opinions.
AT HOME: try this as a writing exercise or start a discussion in the FORUM
1 How do you predict technology will change communication, relationships and knowledge in the future?
2 Can you see technology speeding up? Will it continue or slow down? Has it affected time?
3 Could you live without technology? Is it addictive?
4 How has technology impacted society and nature?
5 Technology allows for easier communication. Does this require stricter legislation? How do you legislate freedom of speech?