CNED Terminale Anglais: Blockchain-Based Citizenship PDF

SÉQUENCE 1 : BLOCKCHAIN-BASED CITIZENSHIP Part 1 - Global Citizenship: Blockchain-Based Virtual Citizenship Thanks to the discovery activity, you now know better what blockchain technology is. In the following part, you will be invited to study how it can offer new possibilities for a virtual form...

SÉQUENCE 1 : BLOCKCHAIN-BASED CITIZENSHIP Part 1 - Global Citizenship: Blockchain-Based Virtual Citizenship Thanks to the discovery activity, you now know better what blockchain technology is. In the following part, you will be invited to study how it can offer new possibilities for a virtual form of citizenship for individuals. You will do so through three different documents: a video, an article and a photo, all related to the central question of the séquence: how is blockchain technology reshaping citizenship? At the end of this part, you will be asked first to summarize what you know, and then to launch your own virtual nation! Part 1 - Objectives: Culture Bitnation – Analyze a video: listening, and written restitution. Method – Study a press article: read, and develop critical thinking skills. – Analyze a photo: speak for 5 minutes to present an unknown document. Language Tools – Interrogative sentences. – They as a gender-neutral singular pronoun. Grammar – Direct / indirect speech. – Prefixed verbs (morphology). – Direct / indirect questions. Vocabulary Surprise Activity 1 – Bitnation 1. Warm Up! Did you know you could be a citizen of a virtual nation? How do you think that is possible? Have you ever heard of virtual nations? Can you name a few? What do you know about them? Or how do you imagine them? → If you know a little (or a lot!) about virtual nations, take a few minutes to write down key words and/or short sentences to sum up the main points. → If you have never heard of virtual nations, take a few minutes to write down a few questions you have in mind. CNED TERMINALE ANGLAIS 1  Grammar tip: pay attention to word order in questions. Many French speakers find it difficult to write grammatically correct questions in English. Take your time, and check the subject and verb are in the right order. See Petite Grammaire Anglaise p74-79, “Enoncés interrogatifs” 2. Méthodologie Afin de découvrir l’une de ces nations virtuelles, vous allez regarder une vidéo. Idéalement, pour vous entraîner, vous ne devriez la regarder que trois fois. Comment utiliserez-vous ces trois opportunités ? Avez-vous déjà une manière spécifique de faire que vous aimez et que vous trouvez efficace ? Si oui, continuez comme vous en avez l’habitude. Sinon, il est temps que vous essayiez d’organiser votre travail pour le rendre plus efficace. Voici une suggestion (pour les vidéos, comme pour les audios): 1re écoute : prenez des notes de base sur le type de vidéo que vous regardez, le contexte, le sujet et les personnes qui parlent ou présentent. Utilisez des symboles, par exemple H pour « homme », F pour « femme ». N’écrivez pas beaucoup. Laissez de l’espace entre vos notes pour pouvoir les compléter plus tard. Concentrez-vous sur l’écoute. 2e écoute : notez des données plus précises telles que des chiffres, des dates, des noms de personnes ou de lieux, etc. Concentrez-vous sur des mots ou des expressions clés, ne perdez pas de temps à écrire des phrases complètes. 3e écoute : faites attention non pas à ce qui est dit ou montré, mais à ce qui est suggéré, aux choix qui ont été faits pour filmer cette vidéo. Musique ? Type d’images ? C’est ce qu’on appelle la partie «impli- cite» (par opposition à la partie «explicite») d’un document. C’est ce qui est suggéré mais pas directe- ment exprimé. Entre chaque écoute, accordez-vous une minute (vous pouvez utiliser votre téléphone comme minuterie) pour compléter vos notes. Il n’est pas facile d’écouter et de prendre des notes en même temps, cette minute vous permet d’écrire ce que vous n’avez pas eu le temps d’écrire, mais dont vous vous souvenez. Vos notes peuvent être en français ou en anglais, ou même un mélange des deux, à condition que vous vous y retrouviez rapidement. Certaines personnes seront plus à l’aise avec des représentations visuelles, comme des schémas ou des cartes mentales, d’autres préfèreront remplir un tableau. Testez les deux et choisissez ce qui fonctionne le mieux pour vous. Cet exercice est difficile et demande de l’entraînement. Courage ! 2 CNED TERMINALE ANGLAIS  3. Listening When you are ready, watch the following video three times, and take notes. “Welcome to the Internet of Sovereignty”, Bitnation Pangea, September 2017 - 2’07 → Script disponible dans le corrigé (lecture facultative). 4. Questions de compréhension orale (les questions et les réponses sont en français pour se concentrer sur votre compréhension) a) Pour s’inscrire dans l’histoire du monde, à quoi fait référence cette vidéo de Bitnation ? b) Quels services sont proposés par Bitnation ? c) Bitnation se pose comme une solution à certains problèmes actuels, lesquels ? d) Comment Bitnation propose-t-elle de lutter contre les fausses réputations ? e) La vidéo peut être divisée en plusieurs parties. Pouvez-vous les décrire ? Pourquoi cette séparation ? Comment s’illustre-telle ? f) Comment qualifieriez-vous le point de vue exposé dans cette vidéo ? → Voir la correction. Vous devrez faire un court compte-rendu libre par écrit en français. Répondre à des questions vous entraîne à organiser votre réflexion de l’explicite vers l’implicite. Entraînez-vous maintenant à faire un court compte-rendu par écrit, et toujours en français, de la vidéo. Montrez que vous avez compris l’essentiel du message. N’oubliez pas de faire une phrase d’introduction et une autre de conclusion. CNED TERMINALE ANGLAIS 3 5. Vocabulary and pronunciation Conseil : Que faites-vous en général lorsque vous rencontrez un mot anglais que vous ne connaissez pas ? Le mieux est de vérifier sa signification dans un dictionnaire bilingue. Internet offre plusieurs options, mes deux préférées sont https://www.linguee.com et https://www.wordreference.com. Ce sont tous les deux de vrais dictionnaires, ils vous donnent la nature du mot (verbe, nom, adjectif), et des informations utiles comme le pluriel ou le passé, etc. Les traducteurs en ligne, comme Google Traduction, n’offrent pas le même service. Oui, vous obtenez votre réponse plus rapidement avec ceux-ci, mais ils ne vous apprennent pas grand-chose. Si vous voulez vraiment améliorer votre anglais, faites-moi confiance et utilisez de vrais dictionnaires. Le plus de Linguee est qu’il vous montre des exemples du mot en contexte en anglais et en français en parallèle. Le plus de Wordreference est qu’il a des forums dans lesquels vous pouvez trouver des informations sur des mots ou des structures complexes. Chaque fois que vous apprenez un nouveau mot, assurez-vous de savoir le prononcer. Par exemple, comment prononcez-vous “sovereignty”? Vérifiez dans Wordreference en cliquant sur l’icône du haut-parleur, puis répétez plusieurs fois. Now, let’s work on words and expressions you heard in the video. Please match the following expressions from column A to their meaning in column B. A B 1. Tectonic shifts A. To suffocate, to suppress 2. To stifle B. To supervise 3. To crumble C. To accept 4. To embrace D. To collapse 5. Drastic E. Movements of plates 6. A surge F. Severe, dramatic 7. To oversee G. A sudden increase → Check your answers. 6. Sum it up! Imagine that, in order to practice your English, you have found an online English- speaking correspondent. Last time they* wrote, they mentioned virtual nations, saying they didn’t understand the concept at all. To help them, please write a few clear sentences to summarize what you know about virtual nations, using the example of Bitnation. 4 CNED TERMINALE ANGLAIS  La solution non genrée ! *They est un pronom personnel sujet pluriel, pourtant, vous voyez ici qu’il est utilisé pour ne représenter qu’une seule personne ! En effet, pour éviter de dire « he or she », qui est long et lourd, quand on ne sait pas s’il s’agit d’un masculin ou d’un féminin, on peut utiliser « they ». Cela est vrai aussi avec l’adjectif possessif « their » ou lieu de « his or her » et avec le pronom personnel complément « them » au lieu de « him or her ». Observez : If a student says he or she doesn’t understand, … = If a student says they don’t understand, … Attention à bien accorder le verbe correspondant. Sachez que l’on utilise aussi le pronom « they » pour parler d’une personne non-binaire (qui ne veut pas être classée dans le genre masculin ou féminin). C’est une formule respectueuse de son choix. → Check your answer. Activity 2 - A Valid Virtual ID? 1. Warm Up! As you no doubt know, in the recent years, many people have fled – and are still fleeing - their country of origin because of war, persecution, or economic crisis. These people come to Europe hoping for a better life, but find themselves having many difficulties, including administrative ones. How do you think a virtual nation can help them? Take a minute to think and phrase a few hypotheses. Useful expressions: – I guess Bitnation can … – I suppose refugees may … – It’d be great if virtual nations could … – I wonder if virtual nations could … – I wish blockchain technology would make it possible to … 2. Read the following article Decentralised government project Bitnation offers refugees blockchain IDs and bitcoin debit cards. Bitnation, an ambitious project for the decentralisation of governance using blockchain technology, is offering victims of the current refugee crisis an emergency digital ID and a bitcoin visa card to receive funds from family in the absence of a bank account. CNED TERMINALE ANGLAIS 5 Susanne Templehof, founder of Bitnation, explained the Blockchain Emergency ID is a rudimentary emergency ID, based on the blockchain technology, for individuals who cannot obtain other documents of identification. The purpose is to cryptographically prove your existence and family relations, recorded on the Horizon blockchain, a distributed public ledger (like an international public notary of sorts). The ID form generates a QR code which can be used with a cellphone to apply for a Bitcoin Visa Card which can be used throughout Europe and the UK without a bank account. Templehof said: “We are providing emergency ID and then this visa card because most refugees will be unemployed. They won’t be legally able to get a job for several years and they can’t open a bank account.” She was talking at an event organised by the Bitcoin and Blockchain Leadership Forum, which is known for being a forward-thinking force within this space. Templehof added that allowing payment directly to bitcoin debit cards rather than solely relying on aid organisations spares people in crisis some added humiliation: “if you are an adult man, you are used to providing for your family and then you have to wait for handouts of blankets and food from charities.” “We also provide family services like maps where people can say, ‘I lost this person here - I’m in Germany’. So it’s basically all built around families uniting again.” The current refugee crisis in Europe highlights a problem in society which Templehof labels one of the most criminal parts of our existing legacy system – borders. “I would like to see all legacy systems disappear, the most important being borders. That is the most criminal one. Just because you are born in the wrong area with a piece of paper you can be subject to a horrible government or famine or starvation.” More generally, the project aims for mass adoption to eventually “outcompete governments by providing the same services cheaper and better through the blockchain”. “We don’t allow monopolies or oligopolies - why do we accept it when it comes to government services?” Bitnation’s core services are ID and reputation and dispute resolution and public registries. Other services include insurance, security, marriage, death certificates, land titles. Templehof compared governments to services available on the internet like Facebook or Linked-in. “Just because we are born in one area, we have to use one service provider. That is absurd to me. It’s as absurd as only being allowed to visit one single website because you are born in a certain geographical area,” she said. Incorporating a company could be done in 20 minutes and cost $2, instead of two weeks and £100; a bank might not recognise it but your customers will, said Templehof. “And with bitcoin we don’t need banks anymore.” She added: “To get married on the blockchain would take you ten minutes between writing the contract and time-stamping it.” Templehof warned that the intrinsic immutability of blockchain systems means it could be very hard to get a divorce, however, suggesting short term marriage contracts of four or five years at a time. “And in many countries things like gay marriage is illegal and of course blockchain doesn’t give a [damn] about that. “So you could marry as many people as you want, any gender. You could marry your cat - although that could be difficult to actually get the cat to sign.” As well as the huge increase in stateless people in Europe from the refugee crisis, Bitnation is looking at developing markets, assisted economies and the grey economy. 6 CNED TERMINALE ANGLAIS A compelling use case for blockchain registry capabilities concerns land rights in the developing world. In places like Ghana, 70% of land is untitled and people just trade it peer to peer, which brings a lot of security problems. “We are hoping they will leapfrog with this governance technology and the rest of the world will follow.” Doing the right thing in the developing world is one thing, but making a leap into developed markets is quite another. “I think over time it’s all about adoption, just like bitcoin. If you use it as a payment then it is money, regardless of a government.” Ian Allison, International Business Times, first published on October 30, 2015, updated September 29, 2016. https://www.ibtimes.co.uk 3. Answer the following questions in your own words (rephrase, do not quote the text unless asked to do so). a) According to Susanne Templehof, what is the main issue refugees are facing? b) What does Bitnation offer refugees to help them? c) What concrete form does this take? d) What other Bitnation service does S. Templehof develop in this paper? What are the upsides and downsides of this service through Bitnation as opposed to a regular State? What funny example does she give? e) Quoting the exact words from the text, how does S. Templehof define borders? → Check your answers. 4. Vocabulary & morphology a) What does “outcompete” mean in the following paragraph? More generally, the project aims for mass adoption to eventually “outcompete governments by providing the same services cheaper and better through the blockchain”. □ Finish up □ Be more successful than □ Be as good as b) Observe the verb “outcompete”. How is it built? c) Can you think of other verbs with a similar construction? → Check your answers. 5. Direct/Indirect speech Look at these two extracts from the text: Extract 1: “Just because we are born in one area, we have to use one service provider. That is absurd to me. It’s as absurd as only being allowed to visit one single website because you are born in a certain geographical area,” she said. Extract 2: Templehof warned that the intrinsic immutability of blockchain systems means it could be very hard to get a divorce, however, suggesting short term marriage contracts of four or five years at a time. CNED TERMINALE ANGLAIS 7 a) Which one is in direct speech and which one is in indirect speech? How can you tell the difference? b) Write each extract in the opposite type of speech. Direct speech → indirect speech and vice-versa. c) Why or when is direct/indirect speech used in this particular text? In general? Grammar tip: See Petite Grammaire Anglaise p164-169, “Style indirect”. → Check your answers. 6. Developing critical thinking skills. As you were studying the previous article, did you notice any weak points in the recap of the interview? Any issues that were not dealt with? Write additional questions you would have asked S. Templehof if you had been the interviewer. Grammar tip: pay attention to word order in questions. Many French speakers find it difficult to write grammatically correct questions in English. Take your time, and check the subject and verb are in the right order. See Petite Grammaire Anglaise p74-79, « Enoncés interrogatifs ». → Check your answers. Activity 3 - Better Virtual Citizenship? 1. Warm Up! As you saw in the discovery activity (the slideshow), the word “citizenship” is often associated with the adjective “good”. The idea of “good citizenship” is usually understood as being an active participant in your community, helping others and accepting differences. Do you think this can also be true in virtual nations? Or do you think virtual nations only foster individualism? Take a minute to gather your thoughts and write down a few key words. 2. Speak. Look at this document. Give yourself 3 minutes to prepare a few notes (no full sentences), then describe it in 5 minutes (use your phone as a timer). 8 CNED TERMINALE ANGLAIS  © Mongkolchon IStock Getty Images Plus Starter Tips: If you don’t know where to start, here are a few questions to guide you: 1. Think of the W questions: What? Who? Where? When? Why? 2. What type of document is it? 3. Describe the scene in general. What can you see? 4. What is the first thing you notice in this picture? Why? 5. How can we guess this man is homeless? 6. What does the background suggest? 7. Compare his hand to the hand that gives him the coin. 8. What type of coin is it? 9. How would you describe this man’s facial expression? 10. What may he be thinking? 11. How can you link this photo to the theme of “citizenship and virtual worlds” and to the documents you have studied before? 12. What message do you think the photographer wanted to share when he took this photo? CNED TERMINALE ANGLAIS 9  Words & Expressions you may want to use: – Homeless – Covered in dirt – Beggar / to beg / begging – Spotless Stairs – To give alms to [sb] – Facial expression – A shiny golden coin – Cryptocurrency – Brand new See: http://www.learnersdictionary.com for definitions in English. https://www.wordreference.com for translations. Saying where something is in a picture: In the background In the top left-hand corner In the top right-hand corner At the top On the left In the middle On the right In the foreground In the bottom left-hand corner In the bottom right-hand corner At the bottom Quelques conseils pour s’exprimer à l’oral en anglais : – Mieux vaut parler lentement avec un joli accent que rapidement en espérant cacher ses faiblesses. – Pour vous entraîner à avoir un ton dynamique et enthousiaste, écoutez les informations en anglais et répétez quelques phrases sur le même ton tous les jours. Avoir un bon accent, c’est avant tout savoir imiter ! – Si ce n’est pas déjà le cas, prenez l’habitude de vous chronométrer quand vous parlez. Ce sera utile pour de nombreux examens. Pour vous améliorer encore plus : enregistrez-vous, et surtout ré-écoutez-vous ensuite. Oui, c’est une expérience très désagréable (nous trouvons tous notre voix insupportable !) mais une fois passée la 1ère impression de malaise, vous verrez que vous pourrez apprendre beaucoup ! Cherchez ainsi à améliorer votre débit, votre ton et votre accent. Si vous êtes très courageu.x.se, alors filmez-vous ! Vous pourrez ainsi voir si vous avez quelques tics corporels à corriger (remonter constamment ses lunettes, se tordre les mains …). Vérifiez que vous regardez bien votre interlocuteur de temps en temps. Pour vérifier que votre prononciation est compréhensible, vous pouvez également utiliser un logiciel de reconnaissance vocale (speech to text) comme dans Google et voir ce que la machine écrit. Ce n’est pas infaillible, mais si l’ordinateur vous comprend bien, c’est vraiment bon signe ! Recommencez l’exercice plusieurs fois pour constater vos progrès. You can do it! → Voir la grille d’auto-évaluation dans le corrigé. 10 CNED TERMINALE ANGLAIS 3. Vocabulary To progress from level B1 to B2, what makes a huge difference is the variety of the vocabulary you can use. What word did you choose to describe this man’s face, “surprised”? What other words could you have used? Please match the words from column A to their definition in column B. A B A. Feeling or showing surprise because of 1. Astonished something unexpected. 2. Dumbfounded B. Feeling or showing great surprise or wonder. 3. Goggle-eyed C. To be confounded briefly with astonishment. 4. Startled D. Having bulging or rolling eyes in surprise. 5. Surprised E. To be surprised (usually in an unpleasant way) F. To be frightened or surprised suddenly and 6. Taken aback usually not seriously. → Check your answers. 4. “A penny for your thoughts!” Quelle est la différence entre ces deux énoncés ? Observez et complétez le tableau : What does he think? I wonder what he thinks. Exemple What does he think? I wonder what he thinks. Type de question Ponctuation finale Ordre des mots (sujet/verbe) Intérêt/usage → Check your answers. Activity 4 - Use what you have learnt 1. Recap. “Citizenship and civic participation are not dead; they are shifting to a new space.” Using everything you have learnt, explain this assertion in 5 to 6 sentences. → Check your answer. CNED TERMINALE ANGLAIS 11  Conseils pour l’écrit Si vous n’êtes pas encore très à l’aise avec l’écriture en anglais : – évitez à tout prix de penser en français avant d’écrire en anglais. Cela donne des résultats désas- treux : des phrases en « franglais » qui sont inintelligibles ; – préparez toujours vos idées (en anglais !) avant d’écrire ; – limitez-vous à des phrases courtes ; – assurez-vous que vos idées sont exprimées de manière logique (utilisez des mots de liaison simples comme « but », « and », « besides » …) ; – relisez votre travail minutieusement : nombre de mots qui respecte la consigne, orthographe, ponctuation… 2. Launch your virtual nation With a group of friends, you have decided to launch your own virtual nation based on the blockchain. Do some research on the Internet to see what already exists, and then write a short text (120 words) to advertise your new virtual nation. What kind of virtual citizenship will you offer? Don’t forget Facts: Name of your nation Advantages compared to other nations (virtual and physical) How to become a citizen Guarantees/rules Style: Use positive and engaging vocabulary, as in an ad; Short and clear sentences so that everyone understands your point; Make smart use of questions and direct/indirect speech to make your text livelier. You have completed Part 1. Well done! After this quick survey of how blockchain technology may open new horizons for individual citizenship, you will discover, in Part 2, that it may also be used for local social good. 12 CNED TERMINALE ANGLAIS