Wednesday December 8, 2004

Intermediate +

THE ARTICLE

The expression to ‘get one’s thinking cap on’ has just taken on a new and quite literal meaning. Scientists have invented a device that can allow human thoughts to control a computer’s actions. Four volunteers wore a special cap, containing 64 electrodes that were ultra-sensitive to brainwave activity and brain signals. The machine interpreted the volunteers’ thoughts “to control rapid and accurate movement of a [computer] cursor in two dimensions”, according to researchers Jonathan Wolpaw and Dennis McFarland of the New York State Department of Health and State University. Not quite Hollywood-style robotics ... yet, but getting there.

The researchers say Brain-Computer Interfaces (BCIs) “can provide communication and control to people who are totally paralyzed.” The whole procedure is completely non-invasive, needing no surgery. It opens up a whole world of possibilities and hope in its application, especially for people disabled with spinal cord injuries and severe motor disabilities. Brain power may soon be able to control motorized wheelchairs and prosthetic limbs. The age of the Bionic Man and cyborgs may come sooner than we think. This is truly a major breakthrough in neuroscience, and may even pave the way for a Nobel Prize for the researchers.

POSSIBLE WARM UPS / COOL DOWNS

1. CHAT:  Talk in pairs or groups about ‘man machines’, thinking caps, brainwaves, robots, cyborgs, brain power controlling computers, science fiction…
To make things more fun, try telling your students they only have one minute (or 2) on each chat topic before changing topics / partners. Change topic / partner frequently to energize the class.

2. THINKING ALOUD CAPS: Pairs. Student A has the Thinking Aloud Cap and ‘controls’ the movement and actions of Student B, who responds to Student A’s spoken thoughts. Change partners / pairs. A group of students / the whole class could wear the caps and control one student, or teacher!

3. ROBO-MOVIES: Write the following movies on the board, all involving cyborgs. Students talk about them in pairs/groups:
RoboCop, Terminator, Matrix, Inspector Gadget, The Six-Million Dollar Man, The Bionic Woman, AI (Artificial Intelligence), Bladerunner, Tron, I Robot ...
Students talk about cyborg characters in their own cultures (Kamen Rider in Japan).

4. 2-MINUTE DEBATES: Students face each other in pairs and engage in the following (for-fun) 2-minute debates. Students A are assigned the first argument, students B the second. Rotate pairs to ensure a lively pace and noise level is kept:
(a) Robots will control us one day. vs. Impossible.
(b) Aliens will control us one day. vs No way.
(c) With this new technology we will have superhuman strength. vs. Our body is still limited.
(d) This technology is dangerous in the wrong hands. vs. It’s just science.
(e) One day we won’t need to learn English, just ‘download it into our brains. Vs. You’ve watched Matrix too many times.
(f) One day we will be able to recoed and watch our dreams – in Stereovision. vs. I hope not.
(g) This technology will help police and the court system to read the minds of suspects. Vs. That’s Big Brother (an invasion of privacy)

PRE-READING IDEAS

1. WORD SEARCH: Students look in their dictionaries / computer to find collocates, other meanings, information, synonyms … of the word ‘brain’.

2. TRUE / FALSE: Students predict whether they believe the following statements are true or false:
(a)  Scientists have just invented a cap that can think.  T / F
(b)  Scientists have invented a device that can allow human thoughts to control a computer’s actions.  T / F
(c)  Four laboratory monkeys tested the new device.  T / F
(d)  This technology can provide communication and control to people who are totally paralyzed. T / F
(e)  This technology needs painful surgery. T / F
(f)  Brain power may soon be able to control motorized wheelchairs.  T / F
(g) This is a major breakthrough in neuroscience. T / F
(h)  The researchers who discovered this won the Nobel Prize for medicine.  T / F

3. PHRASE MATCH: Students match the following phrases based on the article (sometimes more than one combination is possible):
 

(a)	thinking	thoughts
(b)	literal	there
(c)	human	possibilities
(d)	brain	cap
(e)	two	meaning
(f)	getting	dimensions
(g)	totally	way
(h)	opens up a whole world of	paralyzed
(i)	spinal	signals
(j)	major	cord
(k)	pave the	breakthrough

4. PRE-ARTICLE OPINIONS: Students ask each other about their opinions on the following statements from the article:
(a)  A device can allow human thoughts to control a computer’s actions.
(b)  The machine translated the volunteers’ thoughts.
(c)  Life is moving into Hollywood-style science fiction.
(d)  This new technology will be able to provide communication and control to people who are totally paralyzed.
(e)  It needs no surgery.
(f)  The researchers should receive a Nobel prize.

WHILE READING ACTIVITIES

1. GAP-FILL:  Put the missing words under each paragraph into the gaps.

Man Machines

The __________ to ‘get one’s thinking cap on’ has just taken on a new and quite literal meaning. Scientists have invented a __________ that can allow human thoughts to control a computer’s actions. Four volunteers wore a special cap, containing 64 electrodes that were ultra-sensitive to brainwave activity and __________ signals. The machine translated the volunteers’ thoughts “to control rapid and accurate movement of a [computer] cursor in two __________”, according to researchers Jonathan Wolpaw and Dennis McFarland of the New York State Department of Health and State University. Not quite Hollywood-style robotics ... yet, but __________ there.		dimensions expression getting device brain
The __________ say Brain-Computer Interfaces (BCIs) “can provide communication and control to people who are totally __________.” The whole procedure is completely non-invasive, needing no __________. It opens up a whole world of possibilities and hope in its application, especially for people disabled with spinal cord injuries and severe motor __________. Brain power may soon be able to control motorized wheelchairs and prosthetic limbs. The age of the Bionic Man and cyborgs may come sooner than we __________. This is truly a major breakthrough in neuroscience, and may even pave the way for a Nobel Prize for the researchers.		paralyzed disabilities researchers think surgery

 

2. TRUE/FALSE:  Students check their answers to the T/F exercise.

3. PHRASE MATCH: Students check their answers to the word match exercise.

4. QUESTIONS: Students make notes for questions they would like to ask the class about the article.

5. VOCABULARY:  Students circle any words they do not understand. In groups pool unknown words and use dictionaries to find the meanings.

6. WOW:  Students underline anything that made them think “wow”.

POST READING IDEAS

1. GAP-FILL: Check the answers to the gap-fill exercise.

2. QUESTIONS:  Students ask the discussion questions they thought of above to their partner / group / class. Pool the questions for all students to share.

3. VOCABULARY: As a class, go over the vocabulary students circled above.

4. STUDENT-GENERATED SURVEY: Pairs/Groups write down 3 questions based on the article / cyborg technology. Conduct their surveys alone. Report back to partners to compare answers. Report to other groups / the whole class.

5. 10-MINUTE DEBATES:  Many of the debates in the Warmers section are ideal for longer discussions, especially as they are quite rich in vocabulary.

6. WOW:  Students talk about the things they underlined that made them go, “wow”.

7. DISCUSSION: Students ask each other the following questions:
(a)  How often do you have to put your thinking cap on (think really really hard about something)?
(b)  Would you like your thoughts to be read by a computer?
(c)  Would you like your partner’s / boyfriend’s / girlfriend’s / husband’s / wife’s thoughts to be read by a computer?
(d)  Would you like to watch your dreams on TV after you wake up?
(e)  What do you think of the idea of ‘man machines’ or cyborgs?
(f)  Is there a danger that this kind of technology may get into the wrong hands and someone will try to control the world (just like in the movies, or the White House)?
(g)  If you could control technology and the machines around you, what would you do?
(h)  Would you like to drive a car yourself or sit back and ‘thinkdrive’?
(i)  What new applications do you think will come in the next few years / decade?
(j)  Is this discovery truly a major breakthrough?
(k)  Are you worried we may one day be controlled by machines / robots / cyborgs?
(l)  Will computers become more intelligent than humans?
(m)  Could this be the ‘Killer App’ that software developers are searching for?

8. THINK-DO: Students talk about the following ‘new’ or future English verbs:
- thinkcook
- thinkvacuum
- thinkclick (on a computer)
- thinkpizzadeliver
- thinkmail
- thinktrafficsignalchange
- thinkcycle
- thinkpouradrink (in a bar)
- thinktype
- thinkdrive
- thinkflush (in the toilet)

Have students write down and share several of their own ‘think-do’ verbs and share with the class.

9. APPLICATIONS: Brainstorm a list of possible applications for this new technology. Pairs / Groups work together to create a full explanation / sales pitch of the technology and give the sales demonstration in class. After all demonstrations students evaluate back in pairs/groups the different presentations and vote for the winning application.

10. ‘BRAIN’: Students make questions based on their findings from pre-reading activity #1.

HOMEWORK

1. VOCAB EXTENSION: Choose several of the words from the text. Use a dictionary or the Google search field to build up more associations / collocations of each word.

2. INTERNET: Search the Internet and find more information on Homo floresiensis. Share your findings with your class next lesson.

3. KILLER APP: Make a poster on a revolutionary application for this new technology.

4. CONCERNED: Write a letter to a newspaper voicing your fears over this new technology.

ANSWERS

TRUE / FALSE:
(a)  Scientists have just invented a cap that can think.  F
(b)  Scientists have invented a device that can allow human thoughts to control a computer’s actions.  T
(c)  Four laboratory monkeys tested the new device.  F
(d)  This technology can provide communication and control to people who are totally paralyzed. T
(e)  This technology needs painful surgery. F
(f)  Brain power may soon be able to control motorized wheelchairs.  T
(g) This is a major breakthrough in neuroscience. T
(h)  The researchers who discovered this won the Nobel Prize for medicine.  F

PHRASE MATCH:

(a)	thinking	cap
(b)	literal	meaning
(c)	human	thoughts
(d)	brain	signals
(e)	two	dimensions
(f)	getting	there
(g)	totally	paralyzed
(h)	opens up a whole world of	possibilities
(i)	spinal	cord
(j)	major	breakthrough
(k)	pave the	way