2013

Social Networking Sites

and the Internet Student Worksheet

Analía V.Gozzarino

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The following lesson plan is based on authentic Internet-based materials. Please refer to the Teacher Worksheet for suggestions, extension activities, useful links and the answer key. If you wish to enhance this lesson plan with technology/web tools, please refer to the Technology Integration Practical Guide for detailed step-by-step instructions. Contact: analiagozzarino@gmail.com

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1) Read this short newspaper excerpt. Do you agree? Why? Why not?

2) You bought a new smartphone and it’s time to download the applications you like. When trying to do so, you come across all these icons. What do they stand for? Talk to a partner.

3) You want to keep in touch with your friends using a social networking site. is the most popular site with more than 1 billion users. Fill in the blanks to set up your Facebook account.

According to Google, In the U.S., 80 percent of smartphone owners say they don’t leave home without their device and one in three prefers their mobile rather than their TV. (May, 2012)

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4) Facebook users spend a lot of their time on Facebook. Some upload pictures and videos or post comments every day. What about you? How often do you do the following things?

1. check your emails? ………………………………………………. 2. update your profile picture? ………………………………………………. 3. update your status? ………………………………………………. 4. post comments? ………………………………………………. 5. upload photos/files? ………………………………………………. 6. “like” other people’s status, comments ……………………………………………….

or pictures?

5) Let’s speak! Use the information you provided in 4) and record yourself talking about the things you do on Facebook and how often you do them. 6) Now let’s listen to two friends talking about their own experiences using emails and social media.

a. Circle the correct option. Who …..

1. checks emails very often? woman/man 2. doesn’t log on very often? woman/man 3. doesn’t update his/her profile? woman/man 4. takes photos? woman/man 5. meets people? woman/man 6. joined Facebook a couple of years ago? woman/man 7. doesn’t want to use her/his time to check Facebook? woman/man

b. Listen again and answer these questions 1. How often does she check her emails? ………………………… 2. How often does he check his emails? ………………………… 3. Does he answer his emails quickly? ………………………… 4. When is he likely to meet his family? …………………………

c. Talk to a partner. Are these people’s experiences similar to or different from yours? In what ways?

7) Let’s work with the vocabulary. Look at the questions in 4) and 6) and write the words that collocate.

Check Update Like Upload

a picture

........

Meet

interact

friends

Post

Ask your teacher about the

technology necessary for

this activity!!!

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8) Let’s improve our reading skills!

a) Work with a different partner and write 2 questions you think the text “Are Social Networking Sites Good for Our Society?” will answer. …………………………………………………………………………………………. ………………………………………………………………………………………….

b) Complete the “Know” section in the following chart before you read the text. c) As you read, complete the “Wonder” section in the chart. d) After you finished reading, complete the “Learned” section in the chart

Are Social Networking Sites

Good for Our Society

Proponents of social networking sites say that online communities promote interaction. Facebook is a great way to

keep in touch with family members that live far away. In addition, Facebook makes meeting new people extremely

easy because it allows them to add up to thousands of friends, and acts as a social melting pot of the internet. With

instant messaging Facebook is the perfect environment to stay connected. Social networking sites also help people

who are socially isolated or shy connect with other people. Defenders also believe that social networking sites can

be used in education because they offer teachers and students a platform for communication and collaboration with

other teachers and students outside the classroom. Educators from around the world interact with each other via

social networks like Twitter and Skype.

Opponents of social networking believe that these sites do not promote interaction. On the contrary, they cause the

inability to have in-person conversations, create self-centered personalities, as well as addictive behaviors. Experts

also claim that the use of social networking sites is correlated with personality and brain disorders because they alter

children’s brains and behavior making them more vulnerable to ADHD*. Concerning education, two-thirds of

teachers believe that social media distract students and do not help academically because they waste time on

frivolous activities. Other educators think that sites like Facebook or Twitter facilitate cyber-bullying because there

aren't moderators monitoring what people say to each other. Another problem of social media is the spread false

information. For example, on Sep. 5, 2012 false rumors of fires and shootouts in a Mexico City suburb spread via

Twitter and Facebook and caused panic; the local police department received over 3,000 phone calls and schools

closed temporarily. Lack of privacy is another disadvantage of social networking sites because they expose users

who do not know how to set privacy settings to predators like pedophiles and burglars. Home robberies may result

from posting personal information such as vacation plans, posts, photos, or location tagging services.

*Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder

Source: adapted from http://socialnetworking.procon.org/

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e) Now check whether the text answered the questions you posed in a) 9) a. Work with a partner. According to the article, what are the positive and negative characteristics of social media? Complete this chart.

Article

Positive characteristics Negative characteristics

b. Now, what are YOUR ideas about social networking sites? Complete this chart. Include vocabulary/expressions from activity 7) as well. Then talk to a different partner and write his/her ideas down.

Me Positive/negative things about social

media

My partner Positive/negative things about social

media

10) Work with a partner. Student A strongly believes that social networking sites are good for society; student B thinks they have negative effects. Use the information in 9) to role-play the conversation. Useful expressions:

“I believe/ I think (that) social media is…. because it……” “In my opinion social networking sites are……..because they…….”

11) After practicing with a partner, you are more confident to speak. Record your own opinion about social networking sites. Respond to another student’s recording.

Ask your teacher about the

technology necessary for

this activity!!!