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Playing safely

Following your digital print

Entering personal information into your smartphone or tablet and sharing it with people you don't know can be very risky. In this part of the project, we will be looking at security questions on the use of smart devices.

At the end of this section, you will have:

  • listened to some information about the responsible use of electronic devices.
  • written down the do's and dont's on the use of smartphones.
  • revised and learnt must and mustn't.
  • revised and learnt the modal verb should to give advice.
  • recorded a phone-in programme on smartphone security.
sharing information

Let us reflect for a while on security of smartphones. Answer the following questions orally:

  • Is searching the Net on your phone safer than searching it on a desktop computer?
  • Do you think people need some protection when using their mobile phones? 

Click on the image below and listen to some relevant information.

Pantallazo de vídeo
Comonsense.org. We the Digital Citizens

While watching and listening, discuss the following questions with a classmate:

  • what is not advisable to do when using your phone?
  • What measures do you need to take if you want to be/feel safe when you are using the Internet on your phone?

Comment your ideas about good and bad smartphone uses with the classgroup and your teacher.

Sexting or non-wanted contacts are two major problems that teenagers may face when they get online. The site esafety.com presents relevant information about these and other possible risks when you connect your smartphone to the net. Enter the site and read ways of staying safe online. Your teacher will point out the most relevant issues.

Grammar point: obligation, prohibition and advice

Log in at cacoo.com and create a chart with three columns with the headings 'you must' , 'you should / you shouldn't' and 'you mustn't'.

Select one of the three columns to answer each of these questions:

Type below each heading the information that you think is correct or wrong when using smartphones. 

Export your chart to your Weebly site.

privacy

With these modal verbs, you express obligation, advice and prohibition. These expressions will be useful for the phone-in radio programme, which is the mission you are about to carry out. For that reason, we encourage you to practise them with activities at the englishexercises.org site.

Phone-in radio programme - role play

For this mission, you will perform a role play based on a phone-in programme about smartphone security. Each student in the group will play a role. The guidelines below will help you fulfill the mission successfully. Please, read them carefully.

Your teacher will set you in groups of four and allot the following roles:

  • Students A, B and C: teenagers who are into technology and often play online games and use social networks such as Facebook and Instagram. Take turns to talk about a bad experience that you have had when getting online. Ask the expert for advice.
  • Student D: expert on smartphone security. Ask students A, B and C about their smartphone use routines and give them some advice and instructions for using online apps and games in a safe and responsible way.

Take into account that your teacher will consider the criteria reflected in the `Rubric to assess a podcasting' (download in editable odt format, download in pdf) 

Follow the instructions below to prepare your radio programme:

  • write a storyboard with storyboardThat including these points: introduction to the programme, questions about teenagers smartphone use and advice and instructions on security online.
  • practise your conversation as much as you can.
  • sign in at Voicethread, which is a free online tool.
  • record your voices through the webcam.
  • insert an image or video related to the topic of your discussion.
  • start a discussion with the topic 'Phone-in programme: teenagers' smartphone use'.
  • save your voicethread and copy the URL link to your page 'My digital resources' in your site. 

The use of the language contents that you are going to practise here will be required in your final challenge as you will need to include in your video some pieces of advice regarding smartphone security.

In case you need some extra help on how to use voicethread, watch the video Tutorial voicethread.

Share the link to your radio programme on Pinterest with other student groups. The class group will vote for the most interesting programme, which will be awarded with a badge.

Tip: when using Pinterest, remember to include a picture to illustrate the link to your radio programme.

After having listened to your classmates' radio programmes, are you sure of the measures that teenagers need to take regarding smartphone use? Take this quiz and check how much you have learnt.

Finally, post the link to your programme on your site, on the page 'My digital resources'.

Learning diary

One last thing, but not the least. It is very important that you reflect on how you felt while you were learning the contents and preparing the phone-in radio programme.

your learning diary

Peter O'Shea. Writing tools (CC BY)

Create a new post on your blog with the title  'Playing safely' and answer the following questions:

  • What are the most difficult aspects?
  • What tool was the most difficult for you to work with?
  • What do you think is the most important aspect you have learned?
  • Are there any aspects you didn't understand?

Do not forget it would be great if you shared these feelings and thoughts with your classmates. You will have 10 or 15 minutes to complete this part.

Creado con eXeLearning (Ventana nueva)