49 ESL Conversation Games & Activities - Jackie Bolen 2020

People use technology more, sleep less

Breaking News English article

1. Warm-up

A. What kind of technology do you use most often?

B. Are you addicted to any forms of technology? Which one?

C. Can you remember what life was like before smartphones? How was it different from now?

D. Do you think technology is mostly helpful or harmful?

E. Should there be a limit for children using things like smartphones or tablets?

2. Read the article and think about these questions

A. Are you surprised that a 6 year old has a good understanding of technology?

B. Do you use technology more or less than the U. K. average? Do you sleep more or less than their average?

C. Do you prefer online or face to face communication?

D. Does increasing technology use mean we are becoming anti-social?

E. Do you think smartphones are helpful or harmful for university students?

F. How much TV per day is too much? What are some of the negative effects of watching too much TV?

G. Do you think Korean children only understand technology when they are 14 or 15, or is it much earlier? Are you better at using technology than your parents?

3. Debate

In pairs, prepare either Side A (Technology plays too large of a role in our lives these days) or Side B (Technology is very useful in our lives and we should make use of it as much as possible). The teacher will tell you which side you are. You have 8 minutes to prepare your ideas and then give about a 2 minute speech.

Join with a group from the other side and both teams share their short speeches. Then, you will have about 10 minutes for a Q & A, where you can ask some difficult questions and also defend your opinion.