UNIT 2: PEOPLE AND TECHNOLOGY 2
Key Unit Competence:
To use language learnt in the context of People and Technology
Introductory activity
Picture observation and interpretation
As you interpret answer the following questions:
1. How would you describe what is happening in the above figures (F1 to F3)?
2. Discuss the impact of modern technology in the lives of human beings today.
3. Evaluate the disadvantages of using technology in daily activities.
2.1. Describing concepts in relation to both humankind and technological trends
2.1.1. Learning activity
Reading and text analysis
Text: Technology and modern Africa
Technology is the application of scientific knowledge for practical purposes. In this sense, every minute of our lives is governed by technology. You may be sitting on a chair as you read this passage. Do you realize that the chair was produced by a certain technology, a way of handling wood and all the other materials used in making it? When you read a book, you are enjoying the fruits of book-production technology. Even in our sleep we are surrounded by technology. The candle you blow out or the light you switch off, the bed you lie on and the bedding on it are all products of technology. The room and the house in which you sleep were also created through building technology.
Today, however, the mention of technology brings to mind that host of gadgets which make every act of modern people look like magic. Technology is the supersonic jet, which can propel us across the face of the earth at a speed faster than the sound. Technology is the versatile computer, capable of performing at a thousand and one jobs far more accurately and speedily than the human brain.
Technology is also the spaceship, hurtling millions and millions of miles into outer space. It is the billions of messages, documents, pictures and voices flying across the globe every second, telephones, radio and television transmitters and on internet. Technology enables scientists to develop new creatures, bypassing all traditional reproductive systems. Using the technology of laser beams, surgeons can operate on patients and treat diseases inside their bodies without cutting them up.
The wonders of technology are limitless. Unfortunately, however, most Africans are only spectators at this fascinating show of the miracles of technology. This is because of three main problems. The most obvious reason is, of course, the poverty of most African countries. Modern technology is expensive and the countries which have it are not always willing to share it with poor countries. Secondly, many Africans do not have self-confidence. They do not believe that they, too, can create technology which is as good as, or even better than, that of other people. Most importantly, and sadly, Africans have forgotten and lost even the technology which they had in past. Africa’s colonial rulers persuaded the Africans to believe that everything African was bad, evil and primitive. So, African abandoned all their ways, including their technology. Yet it is certainly not true that African technology was primitive.
Africans had for example, the building technology to create the great pyramids of Egypt, the famous rock cathedrals of Ethiopia, and the stone palaces from which Zimbabwe gets its name. African textile technology produced lovely clothing materials, like the woven kente of Ghana or the mbugo bark cloth of Uganda. In medicine, Africans had several advanced techniques of health care. Herbal treatment, bone-setting and even surgery were established procedures in medical technology. Some communities in Uganda used to carry out caesarian sections on women who had complications during childbirth, while Abagusii of Kenya used to perform brain surgery.
What is even more important is the fact that our ancestors clearly understood the potential of technology. Great African seers or prophets, like Syokimau and Mugo wa Kibiru of Kenya and Nyakairima of Uganda, told their communities of future inventions like trains, cars, telephones and even airplanes. Maybe they expected that their descendants would make these technological inventions. As it turned out, this did not happen because, as we have seen, the Africans were told a lie about their technological competence. Anyway, it is useless crying over spilt milk. What Africans need to do today is to claim a strong presence in modern technology. They can start on this by doing three things. First, they should try and master all the aspects of modern technology. This is not as difficult as it might sound. One of the advantages of modern technology is that it has made it extremely easy to get information about anything, including technology itself. With all the information available today, Africans have no excuse for remaining ignorant about modern technology and its many uses.
Secondly, Africans should discover and use those good aspects of African technology which they had been deceived into discarding. No one can create anything in a vacuum. The African technologists need to start somewhere, and what better point is there to start than our own way of doing things? The irony about African technology today is that, while the Africans themselves are ignoring it, outsiders are adopting it and adapting it with great success to their own needs. A good example of this is the nutritional technology of the San people of Kalahari Desert. These people, contemptuously called “Bushmen” by the Europeans, had a way of using a certain desert herb to control their hunger. Some people from western countries noticed this and took the herb to their own countries. Today, these people are earning billions of dollars, using the san people’s hunger- control technology to treat their people’s obesity and eating disorders.
Finally, Africans should strive to adapt all technology to the needs of Africans in their African environment. In other words, Africans should concentrate on appropriate technology. Not all technology is good. Some of it is even potentially dangerous. Nuclear technology, for example, can destroy the entire world, either through an accidental spill of nuclear fuel or through the use of atomic bombs in war. Africa should lead the way in insisting that all technology should aim at benefiting people, making them safer and happier in the environments. That is the essence of appropriate technology.
English for secondary schools, Senior three student’s book, REB (2003)
• Comprehension questions
1. What two products of technology are mentioned in the passage that we take for granted?
2. How has modern technology helped humankind in the field of communication?
3. Which three reasons are given in the passage as to why Africans have remained “spectators” in the current technological developments?
4. What did the colonial rulers say about African technology?
5. What aspects of African technology can be seen in Ethiopia, Egypt and Zimbabwe?
6. What evidence is there in the passage that shows the Africans had advanced techniques in health care?
7. Why did the Africans not develop the technological inventions foreseen by their ancestors?
A. They were poor and no one was willing to give them money.
B. They lacked self confidence
C. Their colonial rulers told them that their technology was evil and primitive.
D. Their prophets had not prophesied correctly.
8. What kind of technology have outsiders successfully borrowed from the African people?
2.1.2. Application activity
Vocabulary, sentence writing and research activity.
I. Using dictionaries and thesaurus look up the missing meaning of the words in the table below as used in the passage.
XIII. With the words given in the table above, construct different grammatically meaningful sentences.
XIV. Carry out a research on humankind and technological concepts and present it to the classroom.
XV. In not more than 250 words, write an essay talking about the progress of technology in Africa and challenges they face.
2.2. Talking about advantages of new trends
2.2.1. Learning activity
Reading and text analysis
Pre-reading activity
Evaluate the role of technology in banking systems and local government services.
• Text: The impact of the internet on people’s lives in the last decade.
As an avenue of entertainment and communication, and as a research and reference tool, the internet has had a huge impact on the modern societies of developed nations. At the same time, there is concern that the disadvantages and negative influences may outweigh the benefits to the society. This essay argues that, in the last decade, the advantages of the internet far outweigh the disadvantages. This claim is addressed with the support of current authoritative sources which provide the framework for making such a claim. This essay first explores the effect of the internet on the social structures of family life, and religious and spiritual practice. Subsequently, this essay examines the repercussions of the internet on national cultural identity and multiculturalism.
Firstly, in the last ten years, modern family life has been enhanced by developments in technology, and the internet is no exception. The advent of the internet affords parents the opportunity to use the World Wide Web to work from home, removing the need to place pre-school age children in day care centres in the care of strangers and so reinforcing the family unit (Jenkins 2010). However, the benefits of the internet not only have implications for immediate family; members of the extended family can overcome the barriers of time or distance to remain close through such channels as email or social networking sites, for example Facebook. Despite this, Fenech (2007) asserts that the internet has eroded some aspects of family life. Where previous generations may have forsaken dinner conversation in order to watch television together, the practical dimensions of a laptop screen now preclude this act of “togetherness” (p342). Nevertheless, any avenue that generally allows more opportunity for contact between members of an immediate or extended family has to be seen as advantageous. Moreover, the internet allows a sense of inclusion that goes beyond the family sphere.
Secondly, due to the increasing accessibility of the internet in the last ten years, participating in a religion no longer necessarily depends on a person’s ability to attend a place of worship. The virtual ‘congregation’ may offer a person more opportunities of interaction with both the spiritual leader and other devotees by providing facilities such as blogs, chat rooms and video links. Moreover, this creates a sense of belonging to a religious or spiritual community where one may have not existed before, as more and more people commute, work longer hours and, indeed, are required to work on public holidays, which often coincide with religious festivals (Wong 2009). Though Goldstein (2008) ascertains that the flagrant consumerism promoted through such mass media outlets as the internet is responsible for a turn away from religious practices and a rapid decline in religious service attendance, her research focuses solely on, Christianity, Judaism and Islam and is not inclusive of growing sects such as Jews For Jesus and alternative religions such as The Baha’i Faith. Groups such as these use the internet to unite their followers globally (Wong 2009).What is more, the internet is uniting people on a more personal and intimate level.
Thirdly, the internet offers the opportunity to maintain cultural ties with one’s country even when living abroad for work purposes. Expatriates can view electronic versions of newspapers, stream and download news, current affairs programmes and local dramas from their country of origin, so keeping in contact with the culture. It could be argued, as Azhad (2008) does, that this process could be facilitated just as easily by print media and DVD recordings being sent through the mail, as would have been the norm a decade ago. Nonetheless, it is the ‘live’ experience of being able to access news from home “as it happens” that reinforces a national’s ties to the home culture, and simulates a feeling of “being there” (Olsten 2008 p.6). This connectedness to home alleviates feelings an expatriate might have of dislocation or alienation from their countrymen, as ‘real time’ exposure to the home vernacular creates common reference points, making communication a much smoother process (Wong 2009). Equally, other facilities afforded by the internet, such as Skype, enable someone away from home to still have a presence in the home country as they participate in the celebration of cultural festivals and national holidays, thus reinforcing their commitment to nationalism in the eyes of their compatriots and tightening the ties that bind. Alternatively, just as the internet serves to strengthen national identity, it can also provide a point of reference for those who live in a multicultural context.
Finally, in a globalised world, the last ten years have seen the internet augment a multicultural society by creating a venue to air diverse cultural opinions and to construct diverse cultural identities. Mainstream newspapers, radio and current affairs programmes are representative of a perceived norm and do not reflect the complexity of a multicultural society. In turn, ethnocentric or non-mainstream media reach a narrowly targeted audience and serve to further ghettoize “the other” (Zadrow 2010 p.11). The internet thus provides the opportunity for any voice to be heard alongside and equally with all other voices in the country, community, or indeed, the world. In this way the internet equips the global citizen with a fluidity they can use to exist and interact both globally and locally, rather than being confined to a fixed and marginalized identity. Notwithstanding the fact that the internet is English based and broadly advocates a western lifestyle, this does not necessarily mean it must lead to a homogenized world. Citing the research of Kennard, Zadrow (2010) maintains that the internet acts as an interactive archive from which an individual can draw all the elements to both create and, more importantly, preserve cultural identity.
In conclusion, this essay explored the effect of the internet on people’s lives in the last decade and found that the advantages of the internet far overshadow the disadvantages. It found the internet has had positive effects on family life, allowing the hands on parenting of pre-school children by those parents who are able to use the internet to work from home. In addition, it has reinforced the extended family by harnessing email and social networking sites as a means to stay in direct contact. Furthermore, blogs, chat rooms and video links have offered an alternative to attendance at religious services, which have suffered such rapid decline in recent times. Another positive effect of the internet is its ability to re-assert national identity, particularly for those living abroad, as they retain remote access to the home culture by being able to download or stream current affairs or local drama. Finally, the internet enhances multiculturalism by offering an alternative to mainstream media representations of the norm to those who identify as ‘the other’. Arguments which support the negative impact of the internet on people’s lives in the 21st century focus on very narrow aspects and fail to acknowledge the broad range of benefits the internet has borne on contemporary society.
Adapted from: Wong, Z 2009, ‘Why kneel when you can click!’ paper presented to the 7th International Conference on Digital Religion, Southern Cross University. Lismore, NSW, 28 to 31 July.
• Comprehension questions
1. According to the passage, what does the writer call an avenue of entertainment and communication, a research and reference tool?
2. With examples, justify the advantages of technology/internet as described in the text.
3. How would you describe the use of some internet tools discussed in the passage?
4. Suggest some pieces of advice to the internet users as far as modern technology is concerned.
2.2.2. Application activity
Vocabulary, sentence constructions and essay writing
I. Using dictionaries and thesaurus look up the meaning of the words below:
a) Harnessing, b) interactive archive
c) homogenized world d) ghettoize,
e) vernacular f) Expatriates,
g) devotees, h) virtual,
i) repercussion
II. Based on the words explained above, make grammatical correct sentences.
III. Conduct a survey about the advantages of technology in our community daily activities and present it to the class.
IV. Write an essay talking about the importance of technology in teaching and learning activity.
2.3. Challenges caused by new technology
2.3.1. Learning activity
Reading and text analysis
Pre- reading activity
Let’s suppose that you are chief executive officer of a company and all your work is computer based where you spend 24 hours in front the computer and receiving phone calls from partnership.
Questions
1. Predict different problems the person mentioned in the scenario might face.
2. Suggest some pieces of advice to the people with the same jobs or people who always use technological tools in their works.
• Text 1: Modern Day Technology
The society has been dramatically changed with the evolution of technology. Before the advent of modern day technology, life was burdensome and everyday chores consumed too much of our time. Immense opportunities are being provided by technologies which play an important role in human life. The access to education, medicine, industry, transportation etc. has been simplified due to modern day technology. Due to the convenience and efficiency provided by technology, our lives have improved significantly. There used to be a time when executing a simple task like doing laundry would take most of the day. Thanks to modern technology, a lot of burden has been lifted up from our shoulders and we have more time and energy to do what we want to.
With so many advantages and comfort, come the disadvantages too. Technology is being used imprudently these days resulting in affecting the society negatively and complicating our lives. Relationship with family members is being weakened due to excessive involvement with various devices. Although in a few cases, parents resort to technology to communicate with their children and know about their whereabouts but this is not adequate always. Technology has made access to education easier but it is also resulting in weakening the memories of people. Usage of text language often is having dire consequences on students. They fail to spell words correctly or write fully grammatically correct sentences.
Modern technology also poses serious health problems. People are sleep deprived nowadays since taking their eyes off their phone or laptop screens become a near to impossible task. This leads to problems in vision, cancer, obesity etc. We have become lazier. We prefer to sitting, playing games or listening to music instead of walking or going outdoor or performing any work which requires physical activity.
Modes of transportation has increased the ease of access but has also increased the amount of pollution. Due to technology, a broad range of options have become accessible to people. Technology has also benefitted people with special needs by providing them with hearing aids, text readers, special chairs etc. Now they too can enjoy daily life without having to think about their disabilities.
As a conclusion, there are several positive impacts of technology on our lives but there are several downsides too. We cannot abandon technology now but we can ensure not to let it control us.
Adapted from: http: // postmodernclog.com / a-5- paragraph -essay - sample -on-modern-day-technology.php
• Comprehension questions
1. Referring to the text, how would you explain what happened before advent of modern day technology?
2. Examine the challenges of technology in education and health as described in the text.
3. Which conclusion can you draw after reading the above text?
• Text 2: Modern science: A double-edged sword
The human genome map is complete. This was the startling and fascinating news with international scientists who greeted the 21st century. It meant that they had discovered and recorded every detail about the patterns of genes in our DNA. DNA is the substance of life in the cells of our bodies, and genes are the patterns that determine everything about our existence, from how we look like to how long we will live and what kind of creatures we turn out to be. Thus a full understanding of how these genetic patterns work was a very important scientific discovery for human kind, as we shall see later.
Genetic mapping, however, was only one in a long series of scientific discoveries which have drastically changed our world and our lives over the past one hundred –odd years. These include internal combustion, aerodynamics, wireless communication and nuclear fission. Internal combustion means the production of heat energy by burning fuel inside a closed chamber. Its discovery led to the manufacture of engines which move most vehicles today. It is obvious that modern transport would be unimaginable without such machines.
Still thinking of transport, the fastest and modern efficient form of long-distance travel today is air travel. People had always dreamt of being able to fly but only a proper mastery of the principles of aerodynamics, how objects stand and move within the atmosphere, made it possible to make flying machines.
Today, airplanes fly to and from every corner of the world. The speed at which aircrafts move is also a wonder. If you were travelling by supersonic aircraft, for example, you could have breakfast in Nairobi, lunch in London and dinner in New York, across three continents, all on the same day. This is the power of modern science. Being able to send messages through space around the globe is another wonder of modern science. It was only in stories of fantasy that people could see and hear things many miles away. Today, this is reality, thanks to our scientific understanding of the behaviour of sound and vision waves, leading to the invention of radio, television and several other communication instruments like the mobile telephone. Today, people sitting in front of a television set can watch events as they happen in America, Asia, Australia or even in space. Science seems to have overtaken magic.
A scientific development which is as frightening as it is fascinating is nuclear fission. Somewhere during the 1930s, scientists found out that they could produce a tremendous lot of heat energy by splitting the cores of atoms, some of the smallestunits of which matter is made. The heat produced in matter of minutes. Indeed, this is what sadly happened in Japan in 1945 during the Second World War. The Americans were at war with the Japanese. In order to win the war quickly, the Americans dropped two atomic bombs, made by nuclear fission, on two Japanese cities, Hiroshima and Nagasaki. The two cities were destroyed instantly and thousands of people were killed. The Japanese were so shocked that they surrendered immediately. Science had helped the Americans to win the war, but at what cost!
This brings us to a very important point about science. It has both benefits and dangers. Our understanding, control and use of nature, which is what Science does, can be used for good or for evil. Mastery of the human genome,for example, can help in the control and hereditary diseases, like asthma and haemophilia. A clever rearrangement of person’s genes may prevent them from inheriting breathing problems or uncontrollable bleeding from their parents. This would be science in the service of humankind. On the other hand, an evil scientist may manipulate human genes to create monsters. Some scientists are even trying to manufacture artificial human beings! This is called cloning, so far they have cloned sheep, cats, rabbits, and God knows what else. Some even contemplating human beings! What kind of human beings these will turn out to be; only time will tell.
English for secondary schools, Senior three student’s book, REB (2003)
• Comprehension questions
1. How did scientists greet the 21st Century?
2. What scientific discoveries have been made in the last one hundred years?
3. Which one of the following demonstrates the advantages of aerodynamics?
A. Today buses move faster than before.
B. Burning fuel inside a closed chamber.
C. People can travel across three continents on the same day.
D. People can now manufacture artificial human beings.
4. Which of the scientific discoveries mentioned in the passage is said to have overtaken magic?
A. Internal combustion
B. Aerodynamics
C. Wireless communication
D. Nuclear fission
5. How is atomic bomb made?
6. Why did the Americans drop atomic bombs in Hiroshima and Nagasaki?
7. How can scientific discoveries in the area of genetics benefit humankind?
8. What is the possible danger of discoveries in genetic research?
9. What does the title of the passage mean?
2.3.2. Application activity
vocabulary, sentence construction, essay writing and speaking activity
I. Vocabulary
Find the meaning of the following words using dictionaries and internet
Text 1.
a. burdensome
b. chores
c. convenience
d. whereabouts
Text 2.
Locate where the words given below are used in the passage, and then match each word with its correct meaning from those given in column B.
I. Debate the following motion, “Modern technology has brought more problems than good things.
I. Debate the following motion, “Modern technology has brought more problems than good things.
II. Write an essay on disadvantages of technology in socio-cultural development.
III. In not more than 150 words, summarize the second text entitled “Modern science: A double-edged sword”
2.4. Language Structure: Correlative connectors
• Notes
Correlative connectors are words that function as separable compounds, occurring in pairs, and have corresponding meanings. A correlative connector is a type of connector that functions in a pair, with both words working together to balance words, phrases, or clauses. These connectors are only used when equal, correlative ideas are presented. They should not be used with ideas that are disparate or unequal. There are many examples of correlative connectors but the most common are:
• Either ... or
• Neither ... nor
• Not only ... but also
• Both ... and
• The more ... the less
• The more ... the more
• No sooner ... than
• Whether ... or
• Rather ... than
Examples
1. Both the planning of technology projects and its uses are costly.
2. Either Russia or USA produces drones.
3. Computers are not only useful but also stressful.
4. Not only is management of waste technological tools expensive but also harmful to the environment.
5. No sooner did he enter the room than my tablet disappeared.
6. Do you care whether we use a smart camera or a projector in the conference?
7. The more you think about it, the less likely you are to take action.
8. The more it rains, the more serious the problems become.
9. Wouldn’t you rather take a chance to owe me than be in debt to Michael?
• Exercise
I. Complete each sentence using the correlative connector pair from the parenthesis:
1. ………… flowers ………… trees grow during warm weather. (neither / nor, both / and, not / but also)
2. ………… do we enjoy summer vacation, …………we enjoy winter break. (whether / or; not only / but also; either / or)
3. I knew it was going to be a bad day because I ………… over slept ………… missed the bus.(not only/but also, neither/nor, whether/or)
4. It’s ………… going to rain ………… snow tonight. (The more / the less, either / or, both / and)
5. Cakes are ………… sweet ………… rarely sour. (often / and, neither / nor, both / and)
II. Use some correlative connectors to write a paragraph of not more than 50 words.
2.5. Spelling and pronunciation
I. Spelling and dictation
A. Read the following paragraph and identify the words which end with the sound/ŋ/
A scientific development which is as frightening as it is fascinating is nuclear fission. Somewhere during the 1930s, scientists found out that they could produce a tremendous lot of heat energy by splitting the cores of atoms, some of the smallest units of which matter is made.
With modern technology, we prefer to sitting, playing games or listening to music instead of walking or going outdoor or performing any work which requires physical activity.
B. Dictation
Listen to a paragraph dictated by a colleague, write it down and present it to the classroom.
The society has been dramatically changed with the evolution of technology.
Before the advent of modern day technology, life was burdensome and everyday chores consumed too much of our time. Immense opportunities are being provided by technologies which play an important role in human life. The access to education, medicine, industry, transportation etc. has been simplified due to modern day technology. Due to the convenience and efficiency provided by technology, our lives have improved significantly.
II. Phonetic transcription
Using dictionaries and internet where possible, give the missing phonetic transcription of the words used in the texts read as found in the following table and practice correctly their pronunciation. One is done for you.
2.6. End unit assessment
I. Conduct an interview on the role of modern technology in teaching and learning process and write a report.
II. Complete each sentence using the correlative connector pair from the parenthesis:
1. …………………you will use internet in your daily life. ( neither…nor…, whether/or not, not only…but also… )
2. My father used……..phone…….computer in his work. (either/or, whether/or, neither/nor)
3. I plan to take my vacation ………… in June ………… in July. (whether / or, either / or, as / if)
4. ………… I’m feeling happy ………… sad, I try to keep a positive attitude. (either / or, whether / or, rather / than)
5. ………… had I taken my shoes off ………… I found out we had to leave again. (no sooner / than, rather / than, whether / or)
6. ………… only is dark chocolate delicious, ………… it can be healthy. (whether / or, not / but also, just as / so)
7. I will be your friend ………… you stay here………… move away. (either/or, whether/or, neither/nor)
8. ………..had the president of the Republic of Rwanda arrived………the youth connect summit started.(either….or, rather / than ,no sooner / than)
III. Write an article talking about advantages of modern technology in socio-economic development and recommend possible solutions to face its challenges.