When you are choosing an article for a Tech Talk, make sure that you are focusing on the technological change/improvement/effect that is relevant to society at large. Your goal should be to get your audience thinking, and considering the pros/cons.
Downloads
Note: I reserve the right to update these files throughout the semester.
Weekly Schedule
The following deadlines are NOT flexible:
Please notice: 4 of the 20 marks are for being on-schedule!
| Day | Time | Objective + Marks |
|---|---|---|
| Tuesday | End of the Day | [1 mark] Pick your article, and have Mr. Hapke approve it |
| Wednesday | End of the Day | [1 mark] Mr. Hapke receives an e-mail from you with the article's link. (hapke_n [AT] surreyschools.ca) If you are unsure if Mr. Hapke received it, please ask. Mistyping my e-mail address, or getting spam filtered are not acceptable excuses. |
| Thursday | Download the Tech Talk Template. Fill it in so you are prepared to present. [1 mark] Post your summary to your website's Tech Talk page. [1 mark] Print your summary before coming to class. Do NOT rely on the computer lab / library being open Friday morning for printing! |
|
| Friday | Presentations! Your summary must be printed before you arrive to class. (This will be on Thursday if there's no school on Friday) |
Here are some websites which often have good articles to pick from. (You don’t have to pick from this list)
| Ars Technica | Recode | Live Science |
| Tech Crunch | The Verge | Digital Trends |
| TechSpot | IFL Science | The Ringer: Tech |
| VentureBeat | TheNextWeb | ZD Net |
For your first presentation, I will give you some guidance on picking a good topic. As we proceed through the course, I will expect you to be more independent with choosing a topic. By the end of the course, I will expect you to choose a good topic with your first choice!
Here is a reference guide for which topics are usually good choices.
| Usually Good Topics | Questionable Topics |
| Virtual / Augmented Reality: -innovative new applications -medical imaging (X-Ray/MRI/CT scan/etc.) | Virtual / Augmented Reality: -basic hardware -new iPhone apps |
| Artificial intelligence / Machine learning: -military use -ethical considerations -data mining | Artificial intelligence / Machine learning: -added to an existing product with no technical details |
| Social media: -data privacy -voice recognition -political influence -right to be forgotten -what happens to your accounts when you die? | Social Media: -trending topics -viral videos -sports highlights -epic fails / dude being a bro |
| Self driving cars: -government legislation -ethical considerations -causes of a recent crash | Self driving cars: -new tesla model is a little better than before -radar cruise control |
| Politics: -social media CEO’s (Zuckerberg/Dorsey/etc.) senate testimony -regulating social media companies -election advertising (how they create fake news) -using technology to predict election results | Politics: -republicans vs. democrats -conservatives vs. liberals |
| Next generation protocols: -wifi 6 -IPv6 networks -5G cellular -bluetooth 5.1 | Minor improvement / New model: cellphone / tablet / laptop / tv / consumer electronics / etc |
| Medical advances: -procedures / training -genomics / data | Rumour mills: -concept cars -iPhone predictions |
| Big data: -privacy -anonymity -advertising | Financial Markets: -company profits -stock performance |
| Sports analytics | Video game releases |
| Graphics: -computer vision -image analysis -facial recognition | Robots: -toys -basic manufacturing |
| Nanotechnology: -carbon nanotubes -graphene -carbon fiber | |
| Global pollution reduction: -carbon capture/sequestration | |
| Electric grid innovation: -smart grid -nuclear powerplants -green power generation -large scale batteries | |
| Battery technology: -LiPo (Lithium-Polymer) -LiCo (Lithium-Cobalt) -VRB (Vanadium Redox) | |
| Cloud computing: -Microsoft Azure -Google Cloud -Amazon Web Services | |
| Government censorship: -internet firewalls -technology’s role in protests | |
| Quantum Computing |