5x Mini-lecture Practice 3

Task 4

You’re now going to listen to five two-minute lectures so that you can practise the Cornell note-taking system. Each practice will follow the same format:

Pre-listening

Think about and write notes about the topic questions and then look up any words that you don’t know from the vocabulary section.

Listening

Listen and take notes in the main column. Use abbreviations and symbols so that you can write more content.

Post-listening

Tidy notes in the main column. Rewrite words that aren’t clear, check spelling, reduce sentences.
Write study questions and cue words in the left column.
Write a summary of the listening in one-three sentences in the bottom section.
Critical Thinking: Think about your opinion on the topic and make a few notes in your notebook.
Do you agree with the ideas presented?
Is there anything you question?

Task 5

Lecture 1: This lecture is about digital assistants. Write some notes about these topic questions:

Have you ever heard of digital assistants? Which ones?
Which ones have you used? On which devices?
What tasks have you asked it to perform?
How would you rate your experience?

Now listen to the lecture and complete the main column.

Listen and take notes in your notebook using the Cornell Notes system.

Keywords	Cornell Notes System: Note-taking area

	Summary:

Vocabulary: speech Interpretation / recognition / an interface / SIRI / Adam Cheyer (inventor) / devices / to enable / revolutionised / multitude / automation / smart home / natural language processing (NLP) / natural language generation (NLG) / to be comprehended / to accumulate

TRANSCRIPT: Hello, I’m going to talk to you today about Speech Interpretation and Recognition Interface, better known as SIRI, Apple’s digital personal assistant. Created in 1993 by Adam Cheyer and sold to Apple in 2010 for a reported $200 million, SIRI is the most popular digital assistant with around 500 million users and half a billion devices enabled. It’s not difficult to see why it’s so popular as it has completely revolutionised the way in which people interact with online content. The personal assistant can perform a multitude of tasks such as online searches, social media management and smart home automation, which have helped its users to become far more productive in their digital interactions. Like all the digital assistants, SIRI works through a combination of natural language processing (NLP), natural language generation (NLG) and machine learning. NLP refers to SIRI’s ability to understand the content produced by humans. NLG is SIRI’s ability to generate content in both written and spoken forms which can be comprehended by humans, and machine learning refers to the application of artificial intelligence in which machines are given access to data which they can learn from instead of being programmed by humans. This means that the more experiences SIRI has and the more data it accumulates, the smarter it becomes.

Review

Compare your notes with the model notes (ANSWERS).
What could you do better?

Post-listening Task

Critical Thinking: Think about your opinion on the topic and make a few notes:

Do you agree with the ideas presented?
Is there anything you question?

Task 6

Lecture 2: This lecture is about Bitcoin. Write some notes about these topic questions:

What do you know about Bitcoin?
How do you feel about using money that is only digital, not physical?
Do you think cryptocurrencies are safe?
Would you ever consider investing in Bitcoin?

Now listen to the lecture and complete the main column.

Listen and take notes in your notebook using the Cornell Notes system.

Keywords	Cornell Notes System: Note-taking area

	Summary:

Vocabulary: decentralised digital currency / cryptocurrency / digital wallet / to store / mining / to verify a transaction /a transfer / a trade / a blockchain / transaction fees / a ledger / Singapore / Bank of England / to fluctuate / unpredictability / peer-to-peer / inflation hedge

T5 TRANSCRIPT: Good morning. In today’s talk I will discuss some of the reasons why printed newspapers are on the decline. Perhaps the biggest influence on newspaper circulation has been the invention of the Internet. These days, anyone anywhere can find out what is happening around the globe with the click of a button. Blogging and vlogging websites as well as social media networks allow the news to spread much faster and further than a printed broadsheet. Another reason could be the cost. As some daily newspapers can cost as much as £3 in the UK, it seems feasible that some people would rather access the news online at no extra cost to them. The environmental impacts may have also contributed to the reduction in newspaper print, on account of the claim that hundreds of thousands of trees are required to print the Sunday editions alone. Last but not least, another possible cause could be attributed to our current lifestyles. Many people argue that they simply do not feel they have the time to sit down and read a paper cover to cover as in the past. Therefore, it could be argued that printed newspapers are simply no longer fashionable.

Review

Compare your notes with the model notes (ANSWERS).
What could you do better?

Post-listening Task

Critical Thinking: Think about your opinion on the topic and make a few notes:

Do you agree with the ideas presented?
Is there anything you question?

Task 7

Lecture 3: This lecture is about mobile payment apps. Write some notes about these topic questions:

Have you ever used your smartphone to pay for something?
Do you feel it’s more or less secure paying for something in this way?
Why do you think young people in particular prefer to pay for things with their phone?
Do you think cash and cards will eventually become obsolete?

Now listen to the lecture and complete the main column.

Listen and take notes in your notebook using the Cornell Notes system.

Keywords	Cornell Notes System: Note-taking area

	Summary:

Vocabulary: Apple Pay / Google Pay / Near Field Communication (NFC) / a payment reader / wirelessly / to exist / contactless / to overtake / to transfer / popularity / the convenience of sth / to appeal to sb / coupled with / millennials / Zoomers / secure / encrypted / to authorise

TRANSCRIPT: Hello, I’m going to talk to you today about mobile payment apps. Mobile payment apps such as Apple Pay or Google Pay allow individual smartphones to be used as a form of payment card through the use of Near Field Communication (NFC) and a payment reader. NFC has the ability to transfer data between two devices wirelessly without the need for an Internet or Bluetooth connection within a distance of 4cm. This already exists within bank cards, such as when we tap a debit or credit card onto a payment reader to make contactless payments, but it now seems that these mobile payments are not only overtaking cash payments, but card payments too. Many of these payment systems also allow for money to be transferred from one person to another, much like PayPal. One reason for the surge in popularity could be due to the current climate wherein shoppers are encouraged to reduce physical contact as much as is possible. Another reason could be the convenience of using one device for several purposes. Being able to pay for transactions with your smartphone coupled with the many other tasks it can perform certainly appeals to millennials and Zoomers who are already familiar with the technology. These apps are also considered to be much more secure than paying with a credit or debit card as they use encrypted versions of the card number to authorise the payment.

Review

Compare your notes with the model notes (ANSWERS).
What could you do better?

Post-listening Task

Critical Thinking: Think about your opinion on the topic and make a few notes:

Do you agree with the ideas presented?
Is there anything you question?

Task 8

Lecture 4: This lecture is about gunshot detection technology in conservation. Write some notes about these topic questions:

What do you know about gunshot detection?
Have you heard it being used in another context other than conservation?
How do you think it could help endangered animals?
Do you think it could be reliable enough?

Now listen to the lecture and complete the main column.

Listen and take notes in your notebook using the Cornell Notes system.

Keywords	Cornell Notes System: Note-taking area

	Summary:

Vocabulary: conservation / Zoological Society / an acoustic sensor / a camera trap / to detect movement / 360-degree radius / to be piloted by sb / illegal hunting / to analyse / machine learning / spectrograms / poaching / to expand

TRANSCRIPT: Hello, I’m going to talk to you today about gunshot detection technology, particularly in conservation. The technology, developed by the Zoological Society of London and Google Cloud, uses acoustic sensors instead of camera traps to be able to detect movements in protected areas. The sensors, which have a 360–degree radius, can detect events of up to 1km away continuously, compared to camera traps which are only activated by movement and are limited to close range. The technology was first piloted in Cameroon in 2018, with the aim of uncovering illegal hunting activity. The recorded audio was analysed for gunshot sounds using machine learning and artificial intelligence, which is significantly quicker and easier than manual listening. The recordings were then validated as spectrograms, which not only showed where a gunshot took place but also its exact date and time. In just one month, conversationists discovered that poaching was also taking place during the day, something which they previously thought only happened at night. Therefore, it is hoped that this kind of technology could be expanded to several wildlife areas wherein frequently-hunted endangered species could be protected from poachers much more easily and regularly, without putting their lives in even further danger also.

Review

Compare your notes with the model notes (ANSWERS).
What could you do better?

Post-listening Task

Critical Thinking: Think about your opinion on the topic and make a few notes:

Do you agree with the ideas presented?
Is there anything you question?

Task 9

Lecture 5: This lecture is about Amazon Fresh. Write some notes about these topic questions:

Do you use Amazon to make purchases?
Have you heard about Amazon Go stores in the US?
How would you feel about shopping in a store with no scanners or tills?
Do you think contactless stores are the future of shopping?

Now listen to the lecture and complete the main column.

Listen and take notes in your notebook using the Cornell Notes system.

Keywords	Cornell Notes System: Note-taking area

	Summary:

Vocabulary: contactless / grocery shopping / smartphone app / Amazon Prime / in-store sensors / a shelf / the till / to scan in a code / deep learning / computer vision / a virtual cart / to track the movements / to walk out / digital receipt / mainstream / personal data

TRANSCRIPT: Hello, I’m going to talk to you today about Amazon Fresh, a contactless grocery store in West London. In spring 2021, Amazon opened the first of its kind supermarket in the UK, whereby customers could do their weekly grocery shopping without having to scan an item or even visit the till. To be able to shop at the store, shoppers must be an Amazon Prime customer and use the smartphone app to scan in a code before entering. In-store sensors can detect when a product has been taken from or returned to a shelf, and advanced technology such as deep learning and computer vision can keep track of your items in a virtual cart as you move around the store. Several cameras are also placed around the store to track the movements of items bought as well as their buyers. Once you have completed your shop, you just walk out, with no need to wait to pay for your items. All the goods purchased are shown on your digital receipt and paid for via your online Amazon account. Although there is currently only one store of this kind in the UK, there are over 25 Amazon Go stores in the US, and many more stores are being planned in London and other parts of the UK. There are, however, some concerns regarding exactly how much personal data would be required to make Amazon’s Just Walk Out technology more mainstream.

Review

Compare your notes with the model notes (ANSWERS).
What could you do better?

Post-listening Task

Critical Thinking: Think about your opinion on the topic and make a few notes:

Do you agree with the ideas presented?
Is there anything you question?

Digital Documents

Complete Lesson 3 Booklet

Note-taking Methods 3 Booklet: Listening Note-taking Methods 3 Booklet by AEUK

Listening Transcripts:

Mini-Lecture 3 Transcripts: Mini-Lecture 3 Transcripts