Tech Bloomers (Prose)

Class 10 | English | Unit 5

Tech Bloomers

This lesson talks about the use of technology by a normal person and in empowering the disabled to do their day to day chores of life – to travel, to communicate, to learn, to do business and to live in comfort. Alisha and David's life has changed with the use of technology. Technology impacts the environment, people and the society as a whole. The way we use technology determines if its impacts are positive to the society or negative.

Have you ever thought that your refrigerator can order stuff on its own? Well, anything which is below a pre-defined limit or below certain threshold, can be self-ordered by the appliance. Your refrigerator can directly link to the ecommerce site and order for milk if it is about to be exhausted. Consumable products such as ink cartridges may be capable of self-ordering replacements when the current level falls below a certain threshold.

Have you ever wished you were better informed? Managing entertainment and home appliances by voice commands or by swapping the finger is a reality now. Getting bored by the program you watch on TV? Just tell your smart TV that you want to view your social feed instead. If you are struck in a traffic jam, just let your kettle make some tea for you which you can sip, piping hot, the moment you reach home. Your entire water and energy management can be taken care by automating all the activities.

Technology has not only made a normal person's life easier but it is also a boon to citizens with special needs. India is home to 2.7 crore people living with one or the other kind of disability. According to the 2011 Census, 2.21 percent of India's population is disabled. Unlike the developed world, India's disabled are deprived by attitudinal barriers as they continue to grapple with the challenges of access, acceptance and inclusion.

• a. What is the future of technology?
• b. How many people in India suffer with disability?

Alisha says, "I would probably still have done it because I want everyone to know the difference technology has made in my life. But it would have been frustrating and difficult."

"I have cerebral palsy and I can't physically type as fast as I think or anywhere near. But right now, that's what I'm doing. I bet you're wondering how!

I am using a piece of technology called Dragon Dictate. I speak, and the words appear on my screen and then I can print them out. It's made a huge difference to me. It's made me achieve things I only dreamt of. And I feel like I want to push myself even further.

There are many different types of technology that can help a young disabled person become independent. For example, if someone has very limited movement they can control a computer screen with Eye Gaze. That means when they're reading they can move from page to page using the pupils of their eyes. They don't need to press a button or anything.

Former President A.P.J. Abdul Kalam was concerned about people with disability and, along with his team, developed lightweight prosthetics from space-age material to enable disabled children to walk easily.

I used to have a teacher, she's passed away now and one day she said to me. 'You're going to do your Maths GCSE (General Certificate of Secondary Education).' I said, 'No I'm not. Don't be silly.' I didn't think I could do anything like that. Studying was so difficult because I had to rely on someone to type everything into a computer for me.

But that's changed now. I can do it myself with my voice.

Kim, who is the Assistive Technologist at my school, introduced me to Dragon Dictate and it has opened up the world to me.

Kim showed me how to train it to understand my voice, it took a few hours. Now I use it in class and at home as well. It has made me more independent and I am now able to study on my own. So now I'm doing my Maths GCSE. I know my teacher will be proud of me.

I never thought I'd be able to do one GCSE in my life, but I'm going to do two. And I feel like I want to push myself even further. Kim says technology can help me do that, it is opening up the world for young disabled people like me.

Just one person, Kim, works with all 42 students here at my school and helps us use technology in different ways. She's amazing. I don't know what we'd do without her we'd lose out on so many opportunities.

It has opened up the world to me.

• c. Who is Kim?
• d. How does Kim help Alisha?

21 - year - old David says, "Technology is very important because it enables me to communicate and be independent, which gives me freedom."

For verbal communication, David uses a Liberator Communication Device, which he controls with his eye movements. It has a Bluetooth adaptor, so it lets him use any PC or Mac by sending commands through the Liberator.

"It was a great feeling when I learnt to use it, it took me a couple of weeks. Communicating with people was very difficult before."

He has an ACTIV controller also in the headrest of his chair in his bedroom, which means he can control his TV, Blu-Ray and music players.

David was born with Athetoid Cerebral Palsy and attends a specialist school and college. He has been using a high tech communication aid since he was eight years old and has been interested in AAC(Augmentative and Alternative Communication) and technology ever since!

When David first started out with AAC, he used a head switch to access his AAC device running a page - based system, which took lots of navigation and required a lot of effort combined with switching.

He now uses an ECO2 with ECO point, making his selections with a foot switch once he has fixed his gaze on the icon that is required. He has a smaller communication aid. It has been mounted on his walker. It is essential that much of his spare time is spent in the performing arts! David is also a keen sportsman, regularly playing football, boccia, hockey and baseball. He is a sports leader and uses his ECO2 linked to an interactive white board to teach PE lessons.

David has 144 icons on the screen that he uses with ECO point Eye Gaze. When David first tried this access method, his response was "I like it, it makes me faster, when can I have one?" Now David uses his ECO2 and ECO point to access the curriculum, study for his GCSE, order food and communicate while he is in restaurants and argue with his brother. You name it, David can communicate it!

David will now use his ECO2 to speak in complete sentences with correct syntax. It has increased the number of words he uses meaningfully and comment socially using the language of his peers, thereby becoming a confident and competent communicator. David has recently been working on idioms with his SLT, his latest being "Mum has got a lot on her plate!" David is also an advocate to other students who use AAC and shows them how easy it is to communicate using the AC method.

He controls his PlayStation with a bespoke switch system, drives his electric wheelchair with head switches and uses the ECOpoint Eye Gaze system to communicate, access the computer to check on how the Chelsea football team is doing and send and receive text messages. When he is at home he also plays MP3 on his ECO2 from morning till night.

David has recently been selected to travel to Brazil to work with the Olympic opening ceremony team as part of the Remix Drama Group.

• e. Why is technology important according to David?
• f. Name the instrument which David control with his eye movements.
• g. What devices help David to move from one place to other?

Indian Innovations

Lechal Shoes by Krispian Lawrence: This GPS & Bluetooth-enabled shoes help the disabled navigate streets, based on instructions from map software on smartphone. The App also records route and counts steps.

Blee Watch by industrial designers Nupura Kirloskar and Janhavi Joshi of Mumbai: This Smart watch for the hearing impaired converts soundwaves into vibrations and colour codes to alert users to emergency sounds, and ringing doorbells. It even helps them feel the rhythm of music.

IGEST by Anil Prabhakar, IIT-M professor and co-founder of enability technologies: This wearable device tracks gestures of speech-impaired people and speaks for them.

I guess technology makes your life easier. Maybe it means you can keep in touch with your family, you can talk to and even see relatives who live far away. Well, Kim has shown me that technology can do even more for young disabled people like me. It can help us make friends, communicate and control our environment (like turning the lights on and out). It can help us study, get qualifications and find opportunities for work. It can make us confident and independent.

World renowned physicist Stephen Hawking is probably the best example of how Assistive Technology has helped a talented mind overcome physical impairments and contribute productively to the world.

So we can now look forward to a more inclusive way of learning, instead of the cloistered existence that most differently- abled learners had to face in the past. Newer technology allows differently- abled learners to learn with their peers as well as contribute fruitfully to the collaborative process of learning. This is indeed the new era of learning – truly learning for all.

Glossary

• grapple (v) - to fight, especially in order to win something
• inclusion (n) - the act of including someone or something
• cerebral palsy (n) - permanent tightening of the muscles caused by damage to the brain
• Dragon Dictate (n) - a software which recognizes speech and converts it to text
• assistive technologist (n)- a person who assists with technological gadgets to overcome disability
• gaze (v)- stare at something for a long time
• Liberator Communication Device (n) - a special device used to communicate with eye movements
• cloister (adj) - enclosed by
• collaborative process (adj) - produced by or involving two or more parties working together

Exercises

A. Answer the following questions in two or three sentences.

1. What are the benefits of the internet to the common man?
2. Do you think technology has improved communication? How?
3. How does David operate computers with the Liberator Communication Device?
4. Which devices are controlled using ACTIV controller?
5. Who says these words: "I want everyone to know the difference technology has made in my life"?
6. Which software helps Alisha to overcome her difficulty in typing?
7. Name a few Indian innovations which are helpful to the disabled and make their day to day life easier.
8. Is it possible to control the computer screen with eye gaze?
9. Suggest ways of making our society inclusive.
10. How would you help the people with disabilities in your neighborhood?

B. Answer in a paragraph of about 100–150 words.

1. How do we use technology in our day to day lives?
2. "Technology is a boon to the disabled". Justify.

Abbreviations, Acronyms and Contractions

Abbreviations and acronyms are shortened forms of words or phrases. An abbreviation is typically a shortened form of words used to represent the whole (such as Dr. or Prof.) while an acronym contains a set of initial letters from a phrase that usually form another word (such as radar or scuba).

Abbreviations and acronyms are often interchanged, yet the two are quite distinct. The main point of reference is that abbreviations are merely a series of letters while acronyms form new words.

We use contractions (I'm, we're) in everyday speech and informal writing. Contractions, which are sometimes called 'short forms', commonly combine a pronoun or noun and a verb, or a verb and not, in a shorter form.

Contractions with I, you, he, she, it, we, and they

• 'm = am (I'm)
• 're = are (you're, we're, they're)
• 's = is and has (he's, she's, it's)
• 've = have (I've, you've, we've, they've)
• 'll = will (I'll, you'll, he'll, she'll, it'll, we'll, they'll)
• 'd = had and would (I'd, you'd, he'd, she'd, it'd, we'd, they'd)

Contractions with auxiliary verb and not

The contraction for not is n't:

• aren't = are not (we aren't, you aren't)
• can't = cannot
• couldn't = could not
• didn't = did not (I didn't, they didn't)

C. Pick out the contractions from the lesson and expand them.

Contractions	Expansions

Abbreviations vs Acronyms

ACRONYM:
Acronym is a type of abbreviation where a new word is formed from the first letters of a series of words
Pronounced as a separate word
All acronyms are abbreviations

ABBREVIATION:
Abbreviation refers to any shortened or contracted form of a word or phrase
Some abbreviations are not pronounced as new words
But not every abbreviation is an acronym

We can abbreviate the following:

Titles before names:

• Mr. = Mister (for men) (plural - Misters)
• Mrs. = Mistress (for women)
• Prof. = Professor (plural - Profs.)
• St. = Saint (plural - Sts.)
• Rev. = Reverend (plural - Revs.)
• Hon. = Honourable (plural - Hons.)
• Jr. = Junior
• Pres. = President

Names of a Few Objects:

• VCR = Videocassette Recorder
• CD = Compact Disc
• DVD = Digital Video/Versatile Disk
• GPS = Global Positioning System
• VR = Virtual reality
• AR = Augmented Reality
• TV = Television

Words used with numbers:

• a.m. = ante meridiem (before noon)
• p.m. = post meridiem (after noon)
• A.D. = anno domini
• B.C.E. = before common era
• C.E. = common era

Common Latin terms:

• etc. = et cetera (and so forth)
• i.e. = id est(that is)
• e.g. = exempligratia (for example)
• et al. = et alii (and others)
• vs. = versus

Terms of mathematical units:

• ft = feet
• ft² = square feet
• kg = kilogram
• km = kilometre
• mm = millimetre
• ml = millilitre
• °F = degrees Fahrenheit
• °C = degrees Celsius

Names of Familiar Institutions:

• CBI = Central Bureau of Investigation
• IB = Intelligence Bureau
• IMF = International Monetary Fund
• UN = United Nations
• EC = Election Commission
• EU = European Union
• IIT = Indian Institute of Technology

Names of Countries:

• USA = United Stated of America
• UK = United Kingdom
• UAE = United Arab Emirates

Long, common phrases:

• IQ = Intelligence Quotient
• mph = miles per hour
• mpg = miles per gallon

D. Expand the following abbreviations or acronyms

SIM ISRO WHO CCTV HDMI LASER MRI CRY RAM ROM CPU ALU

E. Complete the sentences with the correct abbreviations or acronyms from the given list.

a.m. etc. BCE e.g HD m IQ GPS p.m. vs

1. My dad wakes up very early in the morning because he has to be at work at 6.00 _______.
2. Socrates, the famous Classical Greek Athenian philosopher, died in 399 _______.
3. Leonardo Da Vinci was a famous Italian polymath, a painter, a sculptor, an architect, a musician, a scientist _______.
4. I usually return home from work at 10.30 _______.
5. John downloaded a clip from YouTube in _______ quality.
6. There are many irregular verbs in the English language, _______ break, do, make.
7. I'm watching a great football match, Barcelona _______ Real Madrid.
8. Humans who dive without protection can survive 300 _______ under water.
9. A 11-year-old girl just beat Einstein on an _______ test.
10. We used the _______ facility to track the location.

F. Listen to the passage and state whether the statements are true (T), false (F) or no information (N)?

1. Santhiya can't live without her mobile phone.
2. She got her mobile in January.
3. Her parents bought her the mobile phone one year ago.
4. There's a calculator in her mobile.
5. She can connect to the Internet on her mobile.
6. She usually listens to music on her mobile.
7. She can't read emails on her mobile.
8. There are often a lot of problems with mobile phones.
9. Santhiya always talks on her mobile to her friends.
10. She doesn't like mobile phones.

G. Listen to the passage again and answer the questions.

1. Where does Santhiya keep her mobile?
2. What can she use it for?
3. When was she cycling?
4. What happened there?
5. How did Santhiya solve the problem?

H. Complete the sentences after reading the passage.

1. Santhiya's parents and friends can always ___________ her.
2. Her mobile phone is also a kind of _________________.
3. On the cycling holiday after the accident Santhiya phoned for __________.
4. Mobile phones often ___________ at the wrong moment.
5. Children can feel ________________ when they have their mobile phones with them.

*Listening text is on Page -216

Public Speaking Skills

Public speaking involves communicating information before a large audience. In public speaking, the information is purposeful and meant to inform, influence or entertain a group of listeners.

A Few Starters for Welcome Address

• It is our pleasure to introduce our chief guest as the speaker for this evening. We cannot think of a person more qualified than our guest to address the audience.
• Young minds are like sponges and they are looking for the right input to soak it in. We cannot think of a person more suited to this than our guest of honour to whom we extend a warm and hearty welcome.
• It's my pride and privilege to introduce our chief guest Mr/Mrs. (or) Thiru/Thirumathi who is very well known to you because of his/her service to mankind in the field of education.

A Few Starters for Vote of Thanks

• Respected Chief guest, Principal , teachers, students, ladies, and gentlemen, good evening. It is my honour and privilege to propose the vote of thanks to this august gathering. I would like to thank Principal madam for giving me this opportunity.
• Today my words are not enough to express my gratitude. On behalf of the organizing committee and our school, I would like to thank our Chief Guest for the day, Mrs./Mr./Thiru/Thirumathi, who graced the occasion with his/her presence and guidance.
• We are grateful to all the parents present here. Your encouragement has helped us to organise such important events.

I. Prepare a write up on any one of the following topics given below and present the same before your English teacher.

• Prepare a welcome address on the occasion of Republic day celebration.
• Prepare a Vote of thanks on the occasion of Independence day celebration.
• Mock anchoring for annual day celebration
• Collect images of some electronic gadgets and play a JAM (just a minute) game by picking one image and talking for a minute about it in your classroom.

J. Read the comic strip and answer the following questions.

1. What do you mean by cyber safety?
2. How do you behave in a virtual platform?
3. Can we read and access the information free of cost?
4. Do you think that all the information online can be used without any permission?
5. Which website do you often access? Why?

E-mail

Short for electronic mail, e-mail or email is information stored on a computer that is exchanged between two users over telecommunications. More plainly, e-mail is a message that may contain text, files, images, or other attachments sent through a network to a specified individual or group of individuals.

Sample email

Parts of an email

• Receivers email id
• Carbon copy to email ids
• Blind carbon email ids

Application for job

Your Name and Address with ZIP Code
Your Phone Number

Greetings,

I am sending this email in response to the job posting for [position] via [source of job posting]. My name is [name] and I believe I will be a good addition to your company. I graduated with a degree in [degree subject] from [name of school or university] with a focus on [major if applicable]. [Include list of achievements and credentials relevant to the job.] Attached as a file in this email is a digital copy of my resume, along with a list of my credentials. Please feel free to call me at [insert contact number] so that we may arrange for an interview. Thank you very much for your consideration, I look forward to hearing from you soon.

Sincerely yours,
[Your name and signature]

The first e-mail was sent by Ray Tomlinson in 1971. Tomlinson sent the e-mail to himself as a test e-mail message, containing the text "something like QWERTYUIOP." However, despite sending the e-mail to himself, the e-mail message was still transmitted through ARPANET.

Example greetings:

Dear + name; Hi + name; Hi; Hello + name; Hello; To whom this may concern

Example opening sentences:

• Following our recent telephonic conversation, I'm attaching ...
• Please find the attached documents you
• With regard to ...
• As we agreed at our meeting ...
• In response/reply to ...

Example closing sentences:

• I look forward to hearing from you
• Please don't hesitate to contact me
• Thank you in advance
• I await receipt of

Finish with:

• Sincerely,
• Best Regards/Regards
• Best wishes

K. Fill in the missing words in this email.

Dear sir,

In _______ to your mail, I have prepared a _______ for the Science Fest. Please find the _______ for your kind perusal. I look _______ to hearing from you.

Sincerely

L. Write an email to your teacher about the interesting English model that you have prepared for the literary fest.

Message Writing

A Message is an informal means of communication. The receiver of the message has to sift through the given message and pick out the most vital bits of information. Then, he/she should be able to reproduce that information in order to convey it to the person for whom it is intended.

Format

• Date:
• Time:
• Name of person to whom the message is directed
• Body of the message
• Name of the writer

Points to remember

While writing the body of the message, the following points have to be kept in mind

• Only the most important details should be written.
• No new information should be added.
• Grammatically correct sentences should be used.
• Indirect or reported speech should be used.
• The message should be presented within a box.
• The word limit for a message is 50 words (only the words in the body of the notice are counted).

Example Message

Riya, a student of class ten, is instructed by her teacher to convey to her classmates about the English Literary club competitions which are to be held on 10.04.2019 in a nearby Government school.

MESSAGE
04 April 2019

Dear Friends

Our teacher has asked me to inform all of you about the English Literary club competitions to be held on 10th of April at the nearby Government Higher Secondary School. Kindly get permission from your parents to attend the event. If you wish to participate in the competitions contact me at the earliest.

Srikanth

M. Practice Exercise

You are the receptionist of your school. Your Headmaster instructs you to send a message to all the parents of class X to attend a PTA (Parent Teacher Association) meeting to be held in the following week.

Let us Become Blog Writers

A blog is a type of website that focuses mainly on written content, also known as blog posts. In popular culture we most often hear about news blogs or celebrity blog sites. Bloggers often write from a personal perspective that allows them to connect directly with their readers.

In addition, most blogs also have a "comments" section where readers can correspond with the blogger. Interacting with your readers in the comments section helps to further the connection between the blogger and the reader.

How to Start a Blog?

Create a blog in about 20 minutes following these steps:

1. Pick a blog name. Choose something descriptive.
2. Get your blog online. Register your blog and get hosting.
3. Customize your blog. Choose a free template and tweak it.
4. Write and publish your first post. The fun part!

N. Write about Your Favourite Sports person/Famous personality/Hobby/Recipe by starting your own blog.

Pronouns

A pronoun is a word or phrase that substitutes a noun or a noun Practice Practice Exercises

a. What is the future of technology?

b. How many people in India suffer with disability?

1. What do you mean by cyber safety?

2. How do you behave in a virtual platform?

3. Can we read and access the information free of cost?

4. Do you think that all the information online can be used without any permission?

5. Which website do you often access? Why?

In to your mail, I have prepared a for the Science Fest. Please find the for your kind perusal. I look to hearing from you.

Sincerely

These words are called ?

Kumaravel lives in Thiruvannamalai. is a doctor. All the people like because of helping nature. hospital is located at Car street and most of patients are poor so does not charge much money. daughter goes to school. studies in 5th Standard. teachers love very much. friends are also very good. always encourage . have given good advice. mother is also a teacher. always encourages to keep studying. I also like her as often comes to house. One day told my mother that wants to learn cooking. mother taught cooking. Now, cooks well.

1. is an excellent opportunity.

2. of these two students can solve this question.

3. books have been written by a great Indian writer.

4. have come to know the truth.

5. of the students have passed the exam.

6. of your friends can guide you.

7. is your story based on your real life.

8. All your friends will guide

9. of his family members would come to visit you.

10. of those books will be helpful to you.

11. is your bag, you can take it anytime.

12. He is responsible for the downfall of his life.

1. I have book. It is written by Rabindranath Tagore.

2. Kavita is my teacher. She teaches us English.

3. This is Varun. His father is an architect.

4. She invited most of her friends. They attended the party.

5. Give me a pen to write a letter. It was gifted to you on your birthday.

6. I have sold the house. It was located at the bank of a river.

7.Here is your watch. It has been found in the garden.

c. Who is Kim?

d. How does Kim help Alisha?

Kavi says that

Alisha said that

Vinoth said that

Jaheer said that

He said that

Johnson asked Suganthi . And he said since June.

Suganthi explained that back from her holiday in Ooty. Johnson wondered

if it. Suganthi told him that she Ooty and that the people so friendly. Johnson wanted to know to the Coakers Walk. Suganthi said that it first trip and that she some

pictures. And then she asked him if he Johnson explained that he a couple of things. But he added that he free at night. Suganthi suggested that he place and asked him at what time .

Johnson said he there at eight. And finally he asked all right.

a. took my English

b. had taken his English book.

c. takes his English book.

d. has taken my English book.

a. Helen lived.

b. Helen lives.

c. Helen had lived.

d. does Helen live?

a. volcanoes erupt.

b. volcanoes had erupted.

c. volcanoes erupted.

d. did volcanoes erupt?

a. I know why she is

b. you know why she was

c. did I know why she was

d. I knew why she was

a. photos I had got.

b. photos you have got.

c. photos had I got?

d. photos I have got.

e. Why is technology important according to David?

f. Which instrument does David control with his eye movements?

g. What devices help David to move from one place to other?

l. What are the benefits of the internet to the common man?

2. Do you think technology has improved communication? How?

3. How does David operate computers with the Liberator Communication Device?

4. Which devices are controlled using ACTIV controller?

5. Who says these words: “I want everyone to know the difference technology has made in my life”?

6. Which sftware helps Alisha to overcome her difficulty in typing?

7. Name a few Indian innovations which are helpful to the disabled and make their day to day life easier.

8. Is it possible to control the computer screen with eye gaze?

9. Suggest ways of making our society inclusive.

10. How would you help the people with disabilities in your neighborhood?

1. How do we use technology in our day to day lives?

2. “Technology is a boon to the disabled”. Justify.

SIM

ISRO

WHO

CCTV

HDMI

LASER

MRI

CRY

RAM

ROM

CPU

ALU

1. My dad wakes up very early in the morning because he has to be at work at 6.00

2. Socrates, the famous Classical Greek Athenian philosopher, died in 399

3. Leonardo Da Vinci was a famous Italian polymath, a painter, a sculptor, an architect, a musician, a scientist .

4. I usually return home from work at 10.30 .

5. John downloaded a clip from You Tube in quality.

6. There are many irregular verbs in the English language, break, do, make.

7. I'm watching a great football match, Barcelona Real Madrid.

8. Humans who dive without protection can survive 300 under water.

9. A 11-year-old girl just beat Einstein on an test.

10. We used the facility to track the location.

1 Santhiya can't live without her mobile phone.

2 She got her mobile in January.

3 Her parents bought her the mobile phone one year ago.

4 There's a calculator in her mobile.

5 She can connect to the Internet on her mobile.

6 She usually listens to music on her mobile.

7 She can't read emails on her mobile.

8 There are often a lot of problems with mobile phones.

9 Santhiya always talks on her mobile to her friends.

10 She doesn't like mobile phones.

1 Where does Santhiya keep her mobile?

2 What can she use it for?

3 When was she cycling?

4 What happened there?

5 How did Santhiya solve the problem?

1 Santhiya's parents and friends can always her.

2 Her mobile phone is also a kind of .

3 On the cycling holiday after the accident Santhiya phoned for .

4 Mobile phones often at the wrong moment.

5 Children can feel when they have their mobile phones with them.