Introduction
Every year, technological devices become faster, smaller, and smarter. Your cell phone holds more information than the room-sized computers that sent a man to the moon.
In this project we are going to "examine" modern society, particularly with regard to the unanticipated consequences of new technologies through dark and sometimes satirical themes.
"If technology is a drug – and it does feel like a drug – then what, precisely, are the side effects? This area – between delight and discomfort – is where Black Mirror is set.
The 'black mirror' of the title is the one you'll find on every wall, on every desk, in the palm of every hand: the cold, shiny screen of a TV, a monitor, or a smartphone."
Starter
In pairs choose and discuss 5 of the following statements/questions. Make notes of your opinions. When finished with your discussion, choose the 2 you are most confident about write 2 mini-essays. Make proper English sentences and make sure you give your statement and follow-up with arguments and examples. In short; write 2 short stories. Be prepared to read them out loud to a partner and/or the class.
1. Social media has helped solve and create problems in countries all over the world. (How?)
2. Social media, texting, cell phones, and the Internet make the world biggerr! (Or smaller, how?)
3. When does it become morally wrong to genetically engineer your child?
4. What are new ways people can use technology to change the world?
5. Does the Internet need controls or censorship? If so, what kind?
6. To what extent is the development of new technologies having a negative effect?
7. Technology will change our lives in twenty years? (How?)
8. People should get identity chips implanted under their skin. (Why, what for)
9. Since it is now possible to sequence human genes to find out about possible future health risks, is that something everyone should have done? What are the advantages or disadvantages?
10. If people have genetic testing, who has the right to that information? Should healthcare companies and employers have access to that information?
11. If parents have genetic information about their children, when and how should they share it with the child?
12. What sort of genetic information should parents seek about their children and how might this influence raising that child?
13. Would having cars that drive themselves be a good or bad idea?
14. How might travel in the future be different?
Nosedive
A)
Write the main character's diary. Write at least 3 entrees...
Include in each item:
-Who
-What
-When
-Where
-Why
-How
-Feelings
B)
Winter is coming... O no.. it's here...
Write a story..
1) Your test has been graded by a computer. You completely disagree with the results....
2) Robots took over more and more human tasks. One day you found your human teacher replaced by a robot. Everything went amiss...
3) When you woke up today, you found out all your social media accounts had been deleted. After your initial panic attack you..
4) Yesterday your grandmother told you that social networking is the reason behind an alienated society. You..
Be Right Back
A) Imagine…
Write your Bucketlist!
If you were reasonably certain that you had only one more year to live, how would you try to spend it? Be as specific as you can: people (names and relation to you); books, places to visit; activities; type of things to write or make.
B) What if….?
Create your own story!
Martha and Ash are a young couple who move to a remote house in the countryside. Ash is a social media addict and compulsively checks his phone for updates on his social network pages. The day after moving into the house, Ash is killed returning the hire van. At the funeral, Martha's friend Sarah tells her about a new online service that lets people stay in touch with the deceased….
While watching make notes of the plot twists. A plot twist is a radical change in the expected direction or outcome of the plot. It is a common practice in narration used to keep the interest of an audience, usually surprising them with a revelation. Some "twists" are foreshadowed. When a plot twist happens near the end of a story, especially if it changes one's view of the preceding events, it is known as a surprise ending. Sometimes people use a plot twist to describe a sudden change of a situation in real life.
After watching first write a summary, then…replace the plot twists with your own twists and create your own spin-off!
C) Discuss in pairs : cloning.
What is cloning?
What are the advantages of cloning?
What are the disadvantages of cloning?
Do you think animals should be cloned?
Do you think vegetables should be modified?
What are the ethical concerns about cloning?
Are you against or in favor of cloning? Why?
How does cloning affect our lives?
Can you name some animals that have been cloned?
What do you think about eating the meat from cloned animals?
What is your opinion on the episode you have just watched?
D) Formal Letter
Situation:
Martha and Ash were a young couple who moved to a remote house in the countryside. Ash was a social media addict and compulsively checked his phone for updates on his social network pages. The day after moving into the house, Ash was killed returning the hire van. At the funeral, Martha's friend Sarah told her about a new online service that lets people stay in touch with the deceased….
Assignment:
Martha used the services but isn’t quite happy with the end result. Imagine you’re Martha. You decide to write a letter to the company expressing your dissatisfaction.
A) Write a paragraph explaining how you came to use the services.
B) Write a paragraph explaining the events while using the services.
C) Write a paragraph explaining why you are not satisfied with the services provided.
Use the formal letter conventions
Address:
AI Company
41 Woodbury Drive
Sutton
SM2 5RA
United Kingdom
White Bear
A) Let’s watch….
In a bedroom, a woman named Victoria Skillane wakes up in a chair to find she can't recall anything about her life. Apparently the result of a failed suicide attempt, Victoria is surrounded by images of a small girl whom she assumes to be her daughter — as well as photos of her and an unknown man…..
B) Let’s continue the story…
At a certain point the video will be stopped. It is your job to write the conclusion of the story the way you see fit. Write in English, use proper sentences and try to really create a suitable ending.
C) What actually happened….
Let’s see how the story actually ended. Afterwards have an English debate in small groups. You could think of the following items to discuss:
Did you expect this turnout of events?
What was different? Similar?
Is this a society you want to live in?
Is it okay to punish people this way?
Why? (not)
Give your opinion.
Arkangel
A) Memoir
Write a childhood memoir, which is an account of your personal experiences during your childhood. You can give a broad overview or pick a couple of moments that stand out to you.
B)
Write your own parenting plan!
You have been raised by your parents. Your friends may have been raised differently. In Arkangel you saw what raising a child in the future could be like if...
If you were to have children, how would you like to raise your children? What would you do the same as/differently than your parents/the mother in Arkangel?
Your plan should include at least:
- A routine for the child
- Love
- Rules
- Diciplining
- Building character
Men against Fire
Waking up..
Write a newspaper article!
You have finally woken up from the fantasy world you have been living in your entire life. Your eyes have been opened. In your article you explain that soldiers' MASS implants have altered their senses to disguise the fact that "roaches" are actually regular humans. In fact, roaches are the victims of a genocide against those believed to be genetically inferior, following a global war ten years before. Explain that soldiers have MASS but everyday civilians do not; they simply hate the roaches due to propaganda and prejudice. Write a grabbing article and try to persuade the public to start seeing things differently. Give arguments and examples.
The Waldo Moment
This episode ends rather bleak. The world Jamie now lives in, is a dystopian one. Waldo now apparently has global power to influence people via advertisements and you’re not allowed to say anything bad about him (Jamie is arrested when he angrily throws a bottle at one of the advertisement screens).
* What would the USA look like if Donald Trump had unlimited power? Describe an average day in the life of someone living in the USA.
Or...
* Describe an average day in the life of someone living in the dystopian version of the UK, the world Jamie now lives in.
