Suggested level – B1
intermediate
Objectives:
–
to develop speaking and reading
skills;
–
to develop students’ thinking;
–
to teach students to express clearly
their thoughts;
–
to teach students to work in a team.
Equipment: computer,
multimedia projector, handouts.
The Procedure :
I.
Warming
up
Teacher:
It is impossible to imagine our life without modern technologies. One of the
most widely- spread inventions is the Internet. What means of communication can you think of?
-
How do they affect our lives?
-
How do you think they will develop in
the future?
-
What are the different ways we can
use computers to communicate?
-
Do you have an e-mail address? How
often do you send and receive e-mails?
-
Do you have friends or family who
don’t live near you? How do you stay in touch with them?
II.
Main
Part
Teacher: Communication in social networks was chosen as the object
of our lesson because communication has always been an important part of
young people's lives. Today they can choose between traditional and new ways of
communication. Traditionally the young meet after classes with their school
friends, make parties and go to the movies or disco clubs to have fun, relax
and acquire new friends. But if the young people do not like noisy clubs and
other places of entertainment, they can find friends without leaving their
homes - the Internet gives such an opportunity. Because social networks become a major part of
the teenagers’ lives today. Most traditional communications media including
telephone, music, film, and television are reshaped or redefined by the
Internet. The Internet has enabled or
accelerated new forms of human interactions through instant messaging, Internet
forums, and social networking.
Work
with a partner. How often do you do these things on a computer (never,
sometimes, often, very often)?
1
do schoolwork
2
print documents or photos
3
use a webcam
4
go online and surf the Net
5
send emails
6
download music or films
7
read or write blogs
8
chat online
9
participate as a member of an online community (e.g. MySpace, Facebook)
Take
it in turns to ask how often you do the different things. Are your answers
similar?
Teacher: It
is widely recognized that social relationships have powerful effects on
physical and mental health. It’s not hard to understand why the number of
Internet-related psychological disorders has increased in recent years. But on
an emotional and spiritual level, it is hard to understand. Many people unconsciously use the fantasy
world of the Internet to escape unpleasant family dynamics or stressful
work-related conditions and often turn to the Internet and social networks for
comfort, familiarity, or support.
I believe that instead of making
Internet a taboo, we should educate children to use it for their benefit. It is
advisable for parents to monitor how much time their children spend on the
Internet, and if possible set a time-limit till which they would be allowed to
use the Internet.
The
Internet is a wonderful and amazing addition to our lives. The Internet is the
place where people from all parts of the world can come together.
I am absolutely sure that using the Internet
has more advantages than disadvantages. So, what do you think about the
Internet and communication in social networks. Watch the presentation. Take the
cards and make notes on the topic.
The Internet
|
Advantages
|
Disadvantages
|
|
|
|
Student 1: Firstly, I think
that the Internet provides access to a lot of information. Secondly, we can
communicate with other people through the Internet around the world. Thirdly,
the Internet provides the facility to get online education. Many websites of
different universities provide lectures and tutorials on different subjects or
topics. You can also download these lectures or tutorials into your own
computer. There are a lot of educational sites on any subject. It is a very
cheap and easy way to get education.
Student 2: Shopping online has also become a huge success
and is considered to be a great advantage of the Internet. No matter what
people are shopping for, it can be found on the Internet. People do not even
have to leave their homes. Just one click of the mouse on the items they want
to purchase and the items are delivered to their front door.
Furthermore, entertainment is another popular reason why many people
surf the Internet. Games, music, films, cartoons can be downloaded from the
Internet at no charge.
Finally, many services are provided on the Internet such as net banking,
job searching, purchasing tickets, hotel reservations, guidance services and
etc.
Student 3: As for me, I think that a lot of information
about a particular topic is stored on the websites, and it’s true. But some
information may be incorrect or not authentic. So, it becomes difficult for the
user to select the correct information. Sometimes you may be absolutely
confused.
Also, the Internet has negative effects on family and personal
communication. Through the Internet people start to communicate virtually, they
forget about their real friends, their families. You don’t know who you’re
really talking to on chat sites.
At last, in my opinion listening to a lecturer live is more effective
than reading the same lecture in the Internet.
Teacher:
I agree that the Internet is far from being ideal. But I’d like to hear the
answers to the following questions.
-
Why do people then long for lodging
information in the Internet, creating their own blogs and sites?
-
Why are social nets such as
“Odnoklassniki”, “VKontakte”, “Facebook” “Join Friends” and others are so
popular? Thanks to the well-known site of the TV channel Inter - “Zhdi menya”
thousands and thousands of people throughout the world were helped to find each
other.
-
And my last question is about education. You
can’t object that thanks to distance education people of remote regions have
the only opportunity to get education, can you?
Student 4: A lot of people may agree with your argument,
but it goes without saying that if you use the Internet, your personal
information such as your name, address, etc. can be accessed by other people.
People should become aware that collecting or sharing information online
increases the chances that their information will fall into the wrong hands.
What is more, it can be stolen and used illegally. People can manipulate photos
that you send on the Internet.
Student 5: In general, shopping on-line can have some
advantages, but in particular it has lots of drawbacks. Very often people buy
not the same thing that was advertised on-line. Sometimes they can be deceived
by cheaters and may be left without either their purchases or money.
Teacher: Thank
you. I agree with your arguments. You are very active and well informed. Now work
with a partner. Discuss these questions.
1.
How often do you have to write essays
or prepare presentations at school?
2.
Do you know any websites where you
can buy essays written by other people?
3.
What happens in your school if you
cheat in an exam or doing homework?
Read
this text about buying essays for school online. (Internet cheating. Gateway B1
by David Spencer p.123) Does the text give the:
1
teachers’ side of the argument? Yes/No
2
students’ side of the argument? Yes/No
3
arguments of the companies that sell online school work? Yes/ No
You
can answer yes more than once.
Internet cheating.
Millions of pounds are spent each year on Internet cheating. There are tens of thousands of websites where you can buy essays. With most essay-writing companies, students pay per word.
Sometimes they pay per page. Some
companies offer to write a special, personalised essay, but at an extra cost. You can also pay extra for faster essays.
El Barclay Littlewood
is the owner of one online
essay-writing organisation. 3,500 specialists are employed by his company. They have written more than 15,000 essays for students. The company made 90,000 pounds
in just one week in May.
Thanks to his
company, Littlewood has a Ferrari and a Lamborghini in his garage.
company, Littlewood has a Ferrari and a Lamborghini in his garage.
However, Internet
cheating is now an enormous problem for schools and universities. One
education expert predicted that schools would have to stop continuous
assessment and start
doing more exams again. Universities
and schools say that the
UK's academic reputation is going down because
of online essay companies.
Barclay Littlewood, on the other hand, says he doesn't help students to cheat. He says he simply offers them a guide. “The essays are a starting point. Students use them to create their own work. Students analyse our answers
and then they write their own. We're just
showing them how to write a great essay.”
But as one teacher replied: “The suggestion that these essays are used by
students as "guides" is crazy and dishonest. We need to do something to stop it.” Many colleges and universities now have software which allows
teachers to check if students are copying from five billion web pages. Many universities have somebody doing this full-time. “It's not
a question of catching people and
punishing them. It's a question of
helping students to understand what
education really is. Education is research and investigation. In the end, the students who are using these services are just not learning the skills they need for their studies or
for the rest of their lives.”
Read the text again and choose the best answers.
1 The price of a basic online essay usually depends
on
a who writes it.
b what the subject is.
c how long it is.
2 Barclay
Littlewood is
a a businessman.
o a writer of online essays.
c an ex-teacher.
3 An educational specialist thinks that online
cheating will
a change the way teachers teach.
o change the way teachers assess students.
c make it easier for students to pass exams.
4 Barclay Littlewood says
a students shouldn't just give teachers the essay
that they buy.
o he is helping students to copy work.
c his objective is to help students get the best
marks.
5 The text says that teachers
a have no way of knowing if students are copying essays.
b are using technology to find people who are
cheating.
c want to make cheats suffer.
Answer these questions using your own words.
1. Why
does Barclay Littlewood think online essays are good?
2. Why do teachers think online essays are bad?
Teacher: Social networks are also being used by teachers and
students of our lyceum as a
communication tool. Because many students are already using a wide-range of
social networking sites, teachers have begun to familiarize themselves with
this trend and are now using it to their advantage. Teachers are doing
everything from creating chat-room forums and groups to extend classroom discussion
to tests and quizzes.
Your home task is to answer the question:
Have you ever used a computer with you parents or grandparents? If so, what
for? Is it difficult for older people to use computers? Why? /Why not?
Resources :
4.
Gateway David Spencer: - MACMILLAN
2011.-160p.(122-124pp.)
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