Hello, students! We're continuing to look at technology and computing in this mini-topic, and today we're going to think about social media.
First, please take this short survey about social media. Answer the questions and give your opinion, then tomorrow we will look at everybody's answers.
Next, look at this slideshow of cartoons and memes about social media. I would like you to choose any three of the pictures, and write down in your notebook:
1) What is happening in the cartoon? Write at least two sentences.
2) What is the message of the cartoon? What is it trying to say?
3) Do you agree with it? Why, or why not?
Artificial Intelligence (A.I.) is one of the most important ideas in computers and technology today. Ever since the invention of computers, we have controlled how they think. A.I. is the next step.
A.I. is about computers "learning" and thinking, without humans telling them what to do.
What is intelligence?
As you probably already know, intelligence is not the same for everybody.
The dictionary says that intelligence is:
Ever since computers were first made, people have imagined that in the future computers could perhaps be as "intelligent" as people.
As we saw last week, Alan Turing invented one of the first computers.
Even though his computer was not very powerful compared with today's devices, he believed that computers would eventually be intelligent enough to "trick" humans into thinking they were real. Here's a video about the Turing Test:
Computers still find it very difficult to have 'real' human conversations, but they are able to do other things better than humans. For example, they can beat us at games like Mahjong and chess:
Since 1997, computers have become much more intelligent. For example, they can now play the TV game show Jeopardy!. In Jeopardy!, people have to say questions for their answer.
"This man was President of the United States until last year and was born in Hawaii."
"Who is Barack Obama?" IBM made a computer called Watson, and sent it to play some games on Jeopardy!
Watson doesn't get everything right, but knows how to take calculated risks:
A.I. is growing fast and more accurate each year. For example, Google, Uber, and other companies are starting to develop self-driving cars:
However, some people are afraid that A.I. could be a bad thing. Robots might take over human jobs:
Or perhaps, machines with A.I. could be an even bigger danger to us:
Overall, do you think artificial intelligence is a good or bad thing for humans?
Now, I would like you to log into Gmail, then have a conversation with Cleverbot. When you've finished, click here:
Then, copy and paste your conversation in a comment to this post. Did you think that Cleverbot talked like a real person? Did it say anything that sounded unusual or strange?
Infographics are a great way to combine information, pictures, and numbers. I'd like you to make an infographic all about you. Include basic information, such as where you're from, how old you are, and what things you like. Here are some interesting examples of infographics about people to give you ideas for your infographic biography.
Today, we're going to begin by looking at classroom rules. Please go to this survey, and answer the questions. You don't have to write your name, so all your answers will be a secret!
E= English E= Enhancement K= Knowledge Program What does the verb "to seek" mean? seek sēk/ verb - attempt to find (something). "they came here to seek shelter from biting winter winds"
synonyms:
search for, try to find, look for, be on the lookout for, be after, hunt for, be in quest of
oattempt or desire to obtain or achieve (something). "the new regime sought his extradition"
synonyms:
try to obtain, work toward, be intent on, aim at/for
oask for (something) from someone. "he sought help from the police"
synonyms:
ask for, request, solicit, call for, entreat, beg for, petition for, apply for, put in for
Why am I in the NP- SEEK Program? You were selected because of a combination of things:
Your GPA (Grade Point Average)
Your SEEK exam scores
Scheduling availability
It is not easy to join the SEEK program, so congratulations! What will we do in SEEK? SEEK has the same curriculum as all of M4 English, but how we do it will be very different. Here are some examples:
You will have a different textbook. We will be using English File- pre-intermediate. It also has an online component to help you with pronunciation and vocabulary as well as preparing for exams. For the online component, click here.
You will be writing and commenting on this website.
We will work faster than normal NP classes, and complete more assignments to practice using English for listening, speaking, reading, and writing.
We have 10 computers for your use in our classroom for research, projects and your blogs.
It's going to be a great year! Please write a comment below, describing: 1) Why is English important? 2) What is your favourite thing to do in an English classroom? 3) What are you not so good at?/What would you like to practice this year?
