Activity - Luz - Tutoría

On the topic of internet/phone use there is such a wealth of material that it is practically impossible to choose - so if you’ll excuse the indulgence, this is a two-for-one post as I couldn’t decide which one to do!  The material is such that it could be graded to different levels.  

PBS Video

Pre-listening and Listening for gist

The teacher writes the title on the board ‘Teens on being tethered to their mobiles’

Discuss in groups of four - What do you think tethered means? (Explain for lower levels) What will you see in the video?  

Watch the video and check answers

Listening for detail

Watch the video a second time and this time, the teacher pauses after each set of answers and students have to guess what the question was (most of the questions aren’t included in the video, but it is obvious from the answers what was asked.)  Watch a third time if necessary.  For lower levels, the teacher could have the questions already prepared and students have to put them in order they hear them.  

Questions asked:  

Do you use Facebook? Stop at 0.15

What do you use your phone for?  Stop at 0.34

How many likes do you normally get? Stop at 0.46

What do you parents think about your phone use? Stop at 1.00  

Can you imagine a world without technology? Stop at 0.14

What do you think life was like before mobile phones? Stop at 1.30

What worries you about technology? Stop at 1.40

Do you know all the people who are liking your photos (included in the video) Stop at 2.08

Anything else you want to say? (included in the video)  Stop at 2.24

Post-Listening

Students take it in turns to ask and answer the questions in their group.  

Prince Ea - Can we Auto-Correct Humanity?

Pre-Listening and Listening for Gist

The teacher gives out the 10 words / phrases below, printed and cut out onto paper - one set for each pair in jumbled order.  Students discuss together what they think the video will be about.  The teacher also asks them what they think 4 years refers to, and what is 1 second lower than a goldfish.

Students watch the video to check their ideas and answers to the two questions for the first time and order the phrases as they see them on the screen (correct order as shown below).  The video is about social media and the average person spends four years of their life looking down at their cell-phone.  The attention span of an average adult today is one second lower than a goldfish.  

four years

lose touch

iMac, iPad, iPhone

selfish and separate

anti-social network

face to face

cnvrstn abbrvtn

1 second lower than a goldfish

autocorrect

digital insanity

Second Listening

The teacher gives out the lyrics, students listen again, and underline/highlight any expressions they don’t understand.  After listening, they compare with their partner to try to help each other or guess the meaning.  

For most levels, I don’t imagine they will have a lot of problems - but they may not know the meaning of the following:

buggin’ - American slang for ‘going crazy’ (closest Spanish translation: ‘flipando’)  

self-worth - the value you give to your life and achievements

SRS - Serious!

SMH - Shaking my head

pageantry - impressive or colourful ceremony

Post-Listening

Discussion topics:

Issues explored in the video and the following:
Some people say we don't spend enough time talking to each other these days. What do you think?

Do you have too many gadgets, would you say?

Do you have the same attitude to technology as your parents?

Do you use any methods to stop yourself being distracted by the internet?

In English class - students could work in small groups to write another verse of the spoken-word poem