Smart City: Barcelona

SUMMARY:

It intends a model of a sustainable city and social reach of technology in the future. Starting with Barcelona as a model, it is suggests a correct approach and management to achieve a balance between the effective and efficient creation of economic and industrial activities (like hence jobs) and improving the quality of citizens life.

Technology is the key tool to achieve certain objectives, among which are: saving resources obtaining the same services, to attract foreigners, to create new opportunities in the city and improve life quality of the dwellers.The Smart City concept has changed over time, the involvement of society is a key point that has gained much importance in the last years. A city it can be considered sustainable when it is built by both, by public and by governments.

Thus, in order to manage a smart city, the needs of citizens must be known. Helping  integrate them and involve them in the process of creation and improvement of future smart cities, it is another important point.

COMMENT:

This article suggests the needs of city dwellers taking them into account when planning urban life. Moreover, the new talks about technology, but we can talk about another way to promote the sustainability of cities: the promotion of renewable energy (by the use of signage, lighting).

Another point to consider for achieving this sustainability is the fact of promoting collective public transport in order to reduce energy consumption and pollution levels. All this leads to a better quality of life. A truly smart city is one that can have a very advanced development and at the same time be promoting the lives of those who are part of the city.

Emerging Technology Has Positive Impact in Classroom

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SUMMARY:

Stacey Roshan is a mathematics teacher of a private school that made an experiment through technology to see how the results of her students increased. Roshan could see during three years how her students were confused and stagnant.

Most of them wanted to work just problems in class, for this reason Stacey changed her lessons plans: by using Camtasia Studio, she uploaded her video lectures so they could listen to them in their house (as homework) and once in class, only work in problems. In this way, students were more motivated and had and active participation in class. Stacey Roshan experienced how her students marks increased rapidly by this method. Lots of teachers start to use technology in their class and all of them saw the positive benefits of it.

Tracy, director of an Academy who implant technology in his center, said that having a flexible budget helps to innovate in education. He is sure that: If it's successful, it's designed to be replicable in the public schools." Regarding to public schools, new initiatives have been promoted, for example, the use of Ipads in class.

VOCABULARY:

Replicable: aplicable

Lectures: conferències

Stagnant: estancat

PERSONAL OPINION:

Being in 21st century, we might change some things in education that for us are normal and traditional. We have to adapt our lives with technological advances and take profit from it, in all the fields. Stacey Roshan is a PROOF that a good use of technology can help students in their marks, and use the time in the best way. She is still doing her job, but in other way, a way that really works and motivates students.

In my case, we use technology in class (as in English, Psychology or History) but I really believe that we could improve it and expand it to all the subjects. Although it seems to be difficult, I don’t think that we will carry on with our traditional method much longer. I hope in a future we can enjoy technology as a normal fact in education and admire how can helps us.

Can mobile apps help to improve our health?

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SUMMARY:

Mobile applications will help us to improve our health. In fact, some experiments created by experts work currently. Professionals from Belfast and the EU, all of them are participants of the World Health Organization Network, are sure that technology is the key to face and tackling diseases such as Alzheimer's. In 2015, a convention for Alzheimer's revealed an app that simulates persons to establish life goals as exercise or nutrition to manage stress and brain stimulation (those two aspects are reasons of the beginning of the memory disease).

Moreover, it exists another app, Experior, that helps doctors in training to polish and hone their readings X-Rays. Experior was created by Tom Lynch, head of Nuclear Medicine, Belfast Health and Social Care Trust. Since 2014, they are starting to think about using the same technology as the Experior one to apply it in other medical fields, like gynaecology or obstetrics. The main countries which are working on this, are Northern Ireland, Finland, Wales and UK, among others as EU and US.

VOCABULARY:

Hone: perfeccionar, pulir

Unveiled: van revelar

Tackling: fer front

PERSONAL OPINION:

Technology is always a discussion topic that presents us if it is beneficial to our lives to be involved in it. We often relate technological advances to social networks and the vice that they cause. But, have we thought about the benefits that technology can provide us in fields like health?

We've seen practical cases as bionic arms and legs, deaf people who finally could hear through a device, blind persons who thanks of special glasses can see. So, don't you think that it would be incredible to prevent diseases like Alzheimer with an app?

From my point of view, experts are the engine of our era and those discovers are really surprising. In a future, if all this experiments develope and turn popular, we will thank all the experts that made possible the prevention of having a grandfather with Alzheimer, or being an Alzheimer victim, you never know.

CAN TECHNOLOGY MAKE A BETTER WORLD?

Are humans controlling technology or is technology controlling us? Where is the limit? There is no clear answer.

On the one hand the incorrect use of technology can drive us to bullying situations, in the case of kids psychological bullying is increasing; moreover ir changes relationships in general, talk face to face is more difficult nowadays. Also we can find false information on Internet. Technology took to a high level of consumerism, we buy more than what we need as a consequence of it, the production has increased in the last century and that fact caused dramatic pollution.  

On the other hand, it presents a lot of advantages; for example, it provides bionic body parts for those who need it. Plus, it expands your opportunity to achieve your objectives. Everybody can discover you. Also it’s easier for enterprises to be disclosed because of publicity. Definitely technology makes our lives more comfortable.

To sum up, bearing in mind that technology can be negative in some aspects, the vast majority are positive. So yes, a good use of technology can make a better world.