MODERN TECHNOLOGY

1. While reading the following texts, fill in the whole table:

 

Pro arguments	Counter arguments

 

Pro arguments

 

Why is it important to include computer classes in schools around the world?

1. The use of technology in the classroom can enhance learning.
2. Learning how to use a computer can provide even the youngest students with early knowledge of necessary job skills, from typing and basic research, to learning graphic design, for example.
3. Computer skills allow a child to become exposed to new ways of thinking, using both their creative and logical thought processes. Math, science, art, and other subjects can be incorporated into lesson plans in fun and interesting ways for children of all ages and learning capabilities.

As any teacher knows it is essential to keep students engaged. With today’s tech-savvy generation the key is using technology like laptops, smartphones, and iPads in the classroom. Today’s students have grown up with all this technology, so schools must change with the times and adapt to the way students learn best. Classrooms all across the US have already or plan to implement 1:1 (1 device per 1 student) and BYOD (bring your own device) solutions to facilitate the use of all these great technological learning tools.

Technology is a central part of our everyday lives now, so of course it should be a key aspect to education in order to prepare students for the real world and their future careers where they will most likely be using mobile devices. With devices like iPads for example, students are no longer confined to a computer class. As soon as an assignment is available students can work on it inside their classroom, at home, while waiting on the bus, in between classes, etc. Mobile classroom technology can bridge the gap between classroom and home learning.

In the future the textbook is becoming extinct. One of the favourite pre-school activities for many children is making book covers for the textbooks but this ritual will soon be unheard of with the impending extinction of the textbook. With all these mobile devices in the classroom, eBooks are becoming more popular. Which makes sense; they are cheaper, more up-to-date, quickly accessed, and more interactive.

Also, with technology in the classroom the traditional student and teacher roles have changed. The student has become a lot more active and engaged. The teacher has become more of a facilitator than just a dispenser of information. With classroom technology students can collaborate with other students and their teachers in and outside of the classroom quickly and easily.

Finally, lessons can be customized to fit each student’s progress and learning style. Through these learning tools teachers can provide opportunities for students to be able to work and excel at their own level and pace.

These are just a few examples of how mobile technology in the classrooms is enhancing education. The list goes on and on and will only continue to grow. What an exciting future our kids have to look forward to! Technology in the classroom is changing the face of education as we speak.

 

2. Translate the following words from the text into Estonian. Make sure that your translation is appropriate!

enhance learning		impending extinction
early knowledge of		up-to-date
learning capabilities		quickly accessed
essential to keep engaged		facilitator
tech-savvy generation		dispenser of information
implement solutions		customize lessons
mobile  devices		fit each student’s progress
key aspect		learning tools
assignment		provide opportunities
bridge the gap		excel at one’s own level

 

Con arguments

 

One day I saw a little girl pointing at the sweets at the checkout and her mother said: ‘No, they’re bad for your teeth.’ So her daughter, who was no more than two, did what small children often do at such times. She threw a tantrum. What happened next horrified me. The embarrassed mother found her iPad in her bag and thrust it into her daughter’s hands. Peace was restored immediately.

This incident, which happened three years ago, was the first time I saw a tablet computer used as a pacifier. It certainly wasn’t the last. Since then, I’ve seen many tiny children barely able to toddle yet expertly swiping an iPad – not to mention countless teenagers, smartphone in hand, lost to the real world as they tap out texts.

It’s ten years since the publication of my book, Toxic Childhood, which warned of the dangers of too much screen-time on young people’s physical and mental health. My fears have been realised. Though I was one of the first to foresee how insidiously technology would penetrate youngsters’ lives, even I’ve been stunned at how quickly even the tiniest have become slaves to screens.

Indeed, when my book came out, Facebook had just hit our shores and we were more concerned with violent video games and children watching too much TV. Today, on average, children spend five to six hours a day staring at screens. And they’re often on two or more screens at once – for example, watching TV while playing on an iPad.

Because technology moves so fast, and children have embraced it so quickly, it’s been difficult for parents to control it. And when it comes to spending a childhood in front of a screen, this generation are like lab rats. The long-term impact is not known. Even before iPads hit the market in 2010, experts were warning that 80 per cent of children arrived at school with poor co-ordination, due to a sedentary lifestyle.

            Along with colleagues in the field of child development, I’d seen a rise in prescriptions for Ritalin, a drug for attention deficit and hyperactivity – a four-fold increase in less than a decade. And we’d collected a mass of research showing links between excessive screen-time and obesity, sleep disorders, aggression, poor social skills, depression and academic under-achievement. It’s little wonder, then, that the boom in iPads and smartphones has coincided with further deterioration in the physical and mental health of children of all ages.

Few know that the late Apple boss Steve Jobs didn’t let his own children have iPads. I wish he had gone public on this as other parents might have followed suit. Because the earlier children are hooked on screens, the more difficult it is to wean them off.

This is not the only worry. Today’s children have far fewer opportunities for what I call ‘real play’. They are no longer learning through first-hand experiences how to be human and are much less likely to play or socialize outdoors or with others. The change in children’s play has happened in little more than a couple of decades. While many parents feel uneasy about all that screen-time, they haven’t tackled it as they’ve been so busy keeping up with changes in their own lives. But real play is a biological necessity. One psychologist told me it was ‘as vital for healthy development as food or sleep’. A whole generation can grow up without the mental ability to create their own fun, devise their own games and enjoy real friendships – all because of endless screen-time.

It’s getting out and about – running, climbing, making dens and so on – that allows little children to gain physical skills. Playing ‘let’s pretend’ is a creative process requiring lots of personal input. Real play develops initiative, problem-solving skills and many other positive traits, such as a can-do attitude, perseverance and emotional resilience. It’s vital for social skills, too. By playing together, youngsters learn to get along with other people. They discover how others’ minds work, developing empathy. And, as real play is driven by an innate desire to understand how the world works, it provides the foundation for academic learning.

The American Academy of Paediatrics recommends no screen-time for children under two and a maximum two hours a day there-after. This is not just due to a proven link between screen-time and attention disorders, but because it eliminates other activities essential for building healthy bodies and brains.

It’s understandable parents feel unable to tackle their children’s social media use. After all, it has spread like a virus. But we can’t go on letting our children ‘be like everyone else’ when it’s damaging them. If the next generation is to grow up bright, balanced and healthy enough to use technology wisely, parents need to take action. And that means limiting screen-time, spending time together as a family and making sure get children out to play. Some say children need to use technology because that’s the way the world is going. But there’s no need to give little children high-tech devices.

Modern technology develops at a phenomenal rate – any IT skills that children learn before the age of seven will be long past their sell-by date by the time they reach their teens. But self-confidence, emotional resilience, social skills and the capacity for focused thought will stand them in good stead whatever the future brings.

(Psychologist Sue Palmer, abridged)

 

3. Translate the following words from the text into Estonian. Make sure that your translation is appropriate!

at the checkout		coincide with
throw a tantrum		further deterioration
embarrassed mother		the late
pacifier		follow the suit
barely able to toddle		hooked on screens
Swipe an iPad		wean off
not to mention		much less likely
tap out		socialize outdoors
mental health		tackle
insidious technology		keep up with changes
penetrate youngsters’ lives		out and about
slaves to screens		problem-solving skills
concerned with		positive traits
embrace		perseverance
long-term impact		emotional resilience
hit the market		get along
due to a sedentary lifestyle		attention disorders
prescription		to take action.
attention deficit		long past their sell-by date
a four-fold increase		creative thinking
excessive screen time		in good stead
obesity		abridged

 

4. Answer the following questions:

 

1. How should teachers teach the today’s tech-savvy students?
2. What is the aim of BYOD?
3. Why should technology be the key aspect to education today?
4. How to bridge the gap between classroom and home learning?
5. What is the destiny of the textbook? Why?
6. How have the teacher-student roles changed?
7. Why do the lessons become more effective?
8. How do the contemporary parents pacify their kids?
9. What concerned parents years ago and what concerns them today?
10. Why can’t parents control their kids using technology?
11. What problems does the excessive screen-time cause?
12. How has children’s play changed?
13. What does playing together develop?
14. What should parents do to bring up a healthy generation?

 

 

 

5. And now, based on the above, write an essay by using con arguments and pro arguments (advantages and disadvantages). You can also use the Internet to get MORE ideas, but don’t forget that copy-paste from the Internet pages is plagiarism and you will not be assessed. Will you follow the essay rules described below! You must write 200 words. You can write 20 words less.

 

Should the future school become book and paper-free?

 

 

 

What is an essay?

 

Essee on kirjatöö vorm, mis võimaldab sul ideid ja teemasid sügavuti käsitleda just sellisel moel nagu

sina seda soovid. Essees peaks sisalduma kolm põhiosa:

 

Sissejuhatus: annab lühikese ülevaate essee sisust ja sinu eesmärgist ning kirjeldab, kuidas sa seda kavatsed teha.

 

Põhiosa: annab edasi informatsiooni, argumendid või põhipunktid.

 

Kokkuvõte: võtab kokku eelpool kirjutatu ning toob välja peamised järeldused ja seisukohad, mida essee põhiosas kirjeldati.

 

Essee eeldab ametlikku stiili, seega lühendvorme ja slängi kasutada ei tohi. Kui tahate väljendada sõna

tema, ega oska valida he ja she vahel, kasutage s/he. Laused ei tohiks olla väga pikad ega ka väga lühikesed. Kasutama peaks üldiselt present ajavorme. Hüüumärki essseedes ei kasutata. Iga üksik lause peab olema tähendusrikas ja loogiliselt jätkama eelmises lauses väljendatud mõtet.

 

Esseesid on kolme erinevat liiki. Antud essee kuulub kategooriasse –

 

For and against essay

 

 

Sissejuhatavas osas esitame probleemi, aga arvamust ei avalda.

 

1.lõik – argumenteerime poolt.

2.lõik – argumenteerime vastu

3. Kokkuvõte – tasakaalustatud isiklik arvamus või võtad poolt ja vastuargumendid kokku.

 

 

Teemat sisse juhatades:

Firstly/To begin with/In the first place;

One point in favour of/against is/,

One (dis)advantage of … is

 

Et lisada mõtteid:

Secondly/Thirdly/

What is more/Furthermore/Both….and/not only ….

But also/ In addition/Besides/A further advantage…. is/ not to mention the fact that/Lastly;

 

Et võrrelda:

However/ On the other hand/Although/In spite of/Contrary to what most people believe/As opposed to the above ideas/Some people argue that;

 

Lõpetuseks:

In conclusion/To sum up/All things considered

 

6.      Write a LETTER OF COMPLAINT. Loe alljärgnevalt kirjakirjutamise põhinõuded. Vaata ka Moodle – Inglise keele riigieksam – kirjutamisosa – Kuidas kirjutada kirja

 

Alates 2013.aastast peab kiri koosnema 120 sõnast. Lubatud on kirjutada 10% sõnu vähem. Sõnade ülemist piiri pole, kuid mida rohkem kirjutad, seda suurem on võimalus eksida.

 

Kiri peab olema kirjutatud ametlikus stiilis, keelatud on lühendid (don’t, hasn’t) ja samuti slängisõnad.

 

Kirja on võimalik vormistada kahel viisil, kas kasutades taandridu või plokkida: (sel juhul on lõikude vahel taandrida). Paremale üles kuupäev (viimastel eksamitel ei paluta enam aadressi kirjutada) ja selle alla vasemale pöördumine. Kui nimi teada, Dear Mr/Ms Brown, kui ei, siis Dear Sir/Madam. Lühendite taga punkte pole, kui paned pöördumise lõppu koma, peab koma olema ka Yours faithfully/Yours sincerely taga kirja lõpus, kui pöördumise taga koma ei ole, pole ka lõpus koma. Kiri tuleb lõpetada Yours faithfully kui sa ei tunne inimest nimepidi (s.t. alustad kirja Dear Sir/Madam), Yours sincerely kui tunneme (s.t. alustame kirja Dear Mr Brown).

 

Vali endale sobiv kirjutamisstiil (plokkimine või taandread) ja kirjuta kiri, jagades see paari- kolme lõigu vahel. Igat lõiku tuleb alustada sissejuhatava sõnaga.

 

Kõiki ülesandes küsitud punkte PEAB käsitlema! Muidu kaotad punkte.

 

Palun kasutage iga erineva kirja juures just seda kirja puudutavaid väljendeid! Alljärgnevalt kaebekirja terminoloogia:

 

Kirja alustuseks: I am writing to complain about the iron I purchased from your shop last week.

 

Seejärel 1 või 2 lõiku oma kaebuse õigustamiseks: Firstly/Secondly/Thirdly/What is more/Furthermore/ But also/ In addition/Besides.

 

Kirja lõpetamiseks:

 

I look forward to receiving your explanation of these matters.

I look forward to receiving your payment.

I look forward to hearing from you shortly.

 

TASK

 

You recently bought some clothes from an online shop, but some issues occurred:

• Item quality
• Wrong size
• Wrong colour.

 

Write a letter to the customer service representative of the shop, complaining about the issues, saying exactly what was wrong and requiring action.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

7. Speaking task. Monologue.

Loe läbi teooria, kuidas lahendada ülesanne monoloog. Seejärel pane oma monoloog kirja kõiki reegleid järgides ja kanna see endale ette, proovi jutustada, mitte lugeda! Lugemine võtab tunduvalt vähem aega kui rääkimine. Kas tuli 2 minutit täis? Kirjapandud monoloog saada minule.

Some people say that computers will soon replace face-to-face communication.

Why do you think they say that? Do you agree? Give reasons.

 

 

Antud ülesandes tuleb esmalt kommenteerida vaieldavat/vastuolulist väidet. Selles ülesandes on õpilasel kaks minutit aega, et mõelda esitatud väite üle ja ta võib teha ka kirjalikke märkmeid. Märkmete tegemine ei ole kohustuslik. Märkmeid tehes ära hakka kirja panema terveid lauseid, vaid ainult märksõnu, millest sa rääkida tahaksid. Nendele toetudes saad sa oma mõtteid edasi arendada, et kaks minutit rääkida.

Ülesandes tuleb:

 

1.Öelda, miks mõned inimesed võiksid niimoodi arvata. Sa peaksid alustama oma monoloogi antud väite kordamisega: Some people say that computers will soon replace face-to-face communication.

 

2.Põhjendada nende arvamust, miks nad niimoodi arvavad: I think they say so because ….

 

3.Anda oma isiklik arvamus. Kasuta allolevaid väljendeid, et antud väitega nõustuda/mitte nõustuda. (näiteks, I totally agree with this prompt. In my opinion ….)

 

4.Toetama oma arvamust põhjenduste ja näidetega.

 

5.Monoloog peab lõppema lühikese kokkuvõttega. (näiteks: The way I see it….)

 

 

Agreeing:   ·         In my opinion… ·         The way I see it… ·         If you want my honest opinion…. ·         According to… ·         As far as I’m concerned… ·         If you ask me…

Disagreeing:   ·         I don’t think so. ·         I’m afraid I disagree. ·         I’d say the exact opposite. ·         Not necessarily. ·         That’s not always true. ·         That’s not always the case. ·         No, I’m not so sure about that.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

EXERCISES FOR THE PREPARATION OF THE EXAMINATION

 

 

 

Exercise 1

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Exercise 2

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Exercise 3