Because social media can be addictive and distracting, many people are looking for ways to use it less. Grace Marshall, a writer and coach, says that instant messages and work emails can cause problems. She thinks companies should make rules about when people need to answer messages to help them balance work and life and stay mentally healthy. Fred Stutzman, who made the Freedom app, says that social media is made to be addictive and it's not people's fault if they can't stop checking it.
As technology gets better, there will be more distractions. Vladimir Druts, who helped make FocusMe, says monk mode is important because it's different from the way society makes us want things right away. He thinks that with more artificial intelligence, more apps will try to get our attention. So, more people might try monk mode to focus better and be more productive in a world full of digital distractions.
Original news source: The people going 'monk mode' to limit social media use (BBC)
π Vocabulary:
Group or Classroom Activities
Warm-up Activities:
– Vocabulary Pictionary
Instructions: Divide the class into small groups. Give each group a list of vocabulary words related to the article. One student from each group will come to the front of the class and draw a picture representing one of the words. The other students in the group will try to guess the word based on the drawing. The first group to guess correctly gets a point. Continue until all the words have been drawn.
– Headline Creation
Instructions: In pairs, students will create headlines for news articles based on the information in the article. Encourage them to be creative and catchy with their headlines. After they have created their headlines, they will share them with the class and explain why they chose that headline.
– Opinion Spectrum
Instructions: Create a large chart with a spectrum from "Strongly Agree" to "Strongly Disagree". Read out statements related to the article, such as "Using social media less can improve productivity." Students will stand in a position along the spectrum that represents their opinion on the statement. After everyone has chosen a position, allow a few students to explain their reasoning.
– Two Truths and a Lie
Instructions: In pairs, students will take turns sharing three statements about their social media habits. Two of the statements should be true and one should be false. The other student must guess which statement is the lie. This activity encourages students to share personal information and practice listening and speaking skills.
– Future Predictions
Instructions: In small groups, students will discuss and share their predictions about the future of social media and technology. They can use the information from the article as a starting point. Each group will present their predictions to the class, and a class discussion can follow to compare and discuss different ideas.
π€ Comprehension Questions:
Monk mode is when you focus on one thing and don't let technology distract you. More people are trying it because they want to use social media less and be more productive.
Apps like Freedom and Forest can help people use less social media by blocking it or turning off the internet for a while. This way, people won't be able to access social media and will be less tempted to use it.
Some people think companies should make rules about answering messages because instant messages and work emails can cause problems. Having rules can help people balance work and life and stay mentally healthy.
According to Fred Stutzman, it's not people's fault if they can't stop checking social media. He thinks social media is made to be addictive, so it's hard for people to resist using it.
Vladimir Druts thinks monk mode is important because it helps people focus better and be more productive. He believes that in a world full of digital distractions, monk mode can help people stay on track and not get easily distracted.
According to Vladimir Druts, as technology gets better, there will be more distractions. He thinks that with more artificial intelligence, more apps will try to get our attention. This means people might need to use monk mode even more to stay focused.
More people might try monk mode in a world full of digital distractions because they want to be more productive and less distracted. They realize that social media and technology can be addictive and want to find ways to use them less.
π§βοΈ Listen and Fill in the Gaps:
More are trying "monk mode" to use less social media and do more work. mode is when you focus on one thing and don't let technology distract you. This idea is getting popular, with lots of people using the hashtag #monkmode on TikTok. There are also apps like Freedom, ColdTurkey, , and Forest that help people block or turn off the internet for a while. Because social media can be addictive and distracting, many people are looking for ways to use it less. Grace Marshall, a writer and coach, says that instant messages and work emails can cause problems. She thinks companies should rules about when people need to answer to them balance work and life and stay mentally healthy. Fred Stutzman, who made the Freedom app, says that social media is made to be addictive and it's not people's fault if they can't stop checking it. As gets better, there will be more distractions. Vladimir Druts, who helped make FocusMe, says mode is important because it's different from the way society makes us want things right away. He that with more artificial intelligence, more will try to get our attention. So, more people might try monk mode to focus better and be more productive in a world full of digital distractions.
π¬ Discussion Questions:
1. What is "monk mode" and why are more people trying it?
2. How would you feel if you couldn't use social media or technology for a while?
3. Do you like using social media? Why or why not?
4. What problems can instant messages and work emails cause?
5. Do you think companies should make rules about when people need to answer messages? Why or why not?
6. What is the Freedom app and how does it help people?
7. Why do you think social media is made to be addictive?
8. How do distractions affect our ability to focus and be productive?
9. Do you think monk mode is important? Why or why not?
10. How do you think artificial intelligence and more apps will affect our attention?
11. Why do you think more people might try monk mode in a world full of digital distractions?
12. How do you think monk mode can help people be more productive?
Individual Activities
ππ Vocabulary Meanings:
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π Write a Summary:
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