New Technologies

New technologies. (DG, DE, NRC) a 2- hour lesson

The ubiquitous new technologies! There are a lot of different ideas out there....

As a warm up activity I use Inside out ( yes, I am a big fan of MacMillan's books,
and it is not an ad) upper intermediate book, activity is on page 93 (chapter entitled "Genius"). But it can also be home made.
Take pictures of some inventions and ask students where (country) and when (century) these objects were created. The exercise I use includes the following: contact lens (1887, Germany), toilet (1579, England), zip (1913, Sweden), false teeth (1770, France), safety razor  (1901, the US) and a toothbrush (1498, China).

Then a series of questions can follow - which of the inventions is the most/least important for the society, and for you personally, and which is likely to be replaced/changed by future technologies.
How are companies affected by new technologies? How new technologies affect a company in which you work (did your work placement)?

Once we have had a short discussion I move on to explain some of the most commonly used abbreviations as far as the world of new technologies go:
NFC (near field communication)
AR (augmented reality)
QR (quick response code)
RFID ( radio frequency identification)

depending on the group and time a reading exercise can follow
or
we can watch a video, I recommend LAYAR about AR

Augmented Reality - Layar

I also like the GPS shoes

Never get lost with GPS shoes

To make students speak (which is always a good idea) I use the exercises from "Business Listening and Speaking" book in which students are given short descriptions of imaginary products and are supposed to present them to (or sell them - NRC) to a group of business angels (it can be done Dragons' den style)  (it can be used as a sales simulation practice for NRC). The products from the exercise include:

The Gravity Amp - a device which  increases the gravitational pull of any object making it possible to walk on walls, ceilings etc.

Dream Googles - which allow to visualise our dreams

The Calalert - for people who want to lose weight, a device implanted into the gum which through a series of signals can discourage us from eating.

or
Simuhol - that stimulates the effect of drinking alcohol with no ill after-effects.

Students are supposed to make a short pitch, and answer questions from business angels (e.g. How are they going to market the new products? How would the new technology be used and by whom? What disadvantages can they envisage? How it compares to other products that exist on the market?...)

On the whole, students tend to like this activity and get involved, and when they happen to have a lot of imagination, it can be quite a lot of fun for everyone.

Don't hesitate to share your own ideas!