VIII. Overall results

III. Work in pairs.

Have you got a mobile phone?
Do you think mobile phones were a good invention?
Are there any places where you think mobiles should be banned?

IV. Mobile phone quiz
If you think your students will need support with the vocabulary try to pre-teach some of the words before they start. Ask students do the quiz

1) How many of the population of the UK own a mobile phone?
a) 95%
b) 85%
c) 75%

2) When was the first mobile phone created?
a) 1973
b) 1983
c) 1993

3) What were the first words spoken on a mobile?
a) “Can you hear me?”
b) “I’m on the train”
c) “Guess where I’m calling from?”

4) How much money was spent last year in Britain on ring tones?
a) ₤ 20 million
b) ₤ 50 million
c) ₤ 70 million

5) Where are mobile phones most popular?
a) In the United States
b) In Europe
c) In China

6) How many people in the whole world own a mobile phone?
a) 1.3 million
b) 1.3 billion
c) 1.3 trillion

7) Are mobile phones bad for your health?
a) Links have been made between mobiles and cancer
b) Links have been made between mobiles and memory loss
c) There is no evidence that mobile phones can damage your health

8) Men use mobiles more than women.
a) True
b) False
c) Maybe

How many did you get right? Check the answers with your teacher.
Who in your class got the highest mark?

Answers:

1) c (but 96% of all 15 – 24 year olds in UK own one)
2) a
3) c
4) c
5) b (40% of U.S. population and 60% European population own phones. China is the country with the most actual phones, with 200 million)
6) b
7) c (scientists are still investigating, but as yet there is no official evidence – more research is needed)
8) b (according to a recent survey, a third of all women said they use their mobile to organize most social arrangements, only one-tenth of men said the same)

V. Phone in. Work in groups
a) A radio station recently asked its listeners for their points of view about mobile phones. This is what some of them said. As you read the dialogues think about the following:

Do you agree with anything the people say?
Do you know anyone with similar views to these people?
What would you reply to this person if you were the radio presenter?

Paula from Newcastle
“I couldn’t live without my mobile phone. I think I’m addicted to it in fact! make over twenty phone calls a day and send at least forty text messages. I just like to be in touch with all my friends. I can’t really remember what my life was like before I had my mobile. I wouldn’t give it up for all the money in the world.”

Maria from Cardiff
“I have a mobile but I try not to use it too much. When I do have to use it for a long time I worry about what’s happening to my brain. Sometimes my ear gets really hot and I get a headache. I’m sure it’s not good for you to use a mobile for long periods of time. We all use them but there hasn’t been much research into the possible dangers.”

Mahesh from London
“I think they’re really useful. It’s great to be able to call a mate and tell him you’ll be a bit late to meet him. The other day my car broke down on the motorway and it was great to be able to phone for help. I got lost on the way to a friend’s house the other day and she told me the directions as I was walking along. That was really handy.”

Josh from Dublin
“I’m a teacher in a secondary schools and mobile phones really annoy me. The students send text messages to each other in the class and last month I caught two of my students cheating in an exam by sending messages to each other. In theory they are not allowed to bring them to school but it’s nearly impossible to stop them. I don’t think parents should buy them for their children. It’s crazy to see eleven year olds with their own mobiles. It must cost a fortune for their parents too.”

Simon from Plymouth
“ I have never had a mobile phone. I work from home, I’m a writer, so I really don’t need one. I have to phone friends on their mobiles though and my phone bill has gone up lots since everyone started using mobiles. My girlfriend keeps trying to convince me to get one, but I won’t. People think I’m a bit strange not having one but I don’t want people to be able to know where I am and what I’m doing every minute of the day. I like to be un-contactable!”

b) Now imagine you are going to phone in to the radio programme. What would you say? Write your comment below and then share it with the class.

VI. Emergency phone call. Work in groups
Ask students if they’ve ever had to use their mobiles in an emergency situation. Most people would agree that mobile phones are useful in emergency situations. What situations can you think of where a mobile phone would be really helpful? Write three ideas below:

Ask them to imagine situations where it may be really useful to have a mobile phone.
Put their ideas on the board. Encourage your students to use their imaginations.

(lost on a mountain walk, on a sinking ship etc. etc.)

VII. Work in pairs

Now you are going to imagine you are in one of these situations. Luckily you do have a mobile phone with you.

Who would you call?
What would you say?
Work with a partner and write a dialogue.

VII. Design the next generation mobile phone Work in groups
Students should work together to design the next generation mobile phone. They should be encouraged to be as imaginative as they can.

To get them started, ask the questions to the group and see what they think.
As students are working in groups on the design, you can go around the groups and monitor. They may well need a lot of support with new vocabulary.
When students have designed the phone and drawn it they could present their idea to the class. You could have a class vote to decide on the best design.