19th October 2020
Technology
Let’s kick off with a song. Maybe the music isn’t your cup of tea, but that’s not the point. Just see how much you can understand.
The song is called ‘Good Technology’ and is from a band called Red Guitars who were from Hull which is in the north-east of England :
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Cs0OkiCZNRI
The lyrics:
Good Technology
We’ve got photographs of men on the moon
We’ve got water that is good for us
We’ve got coffee that’s instantaneous
We’ve got buildings that are very tall
We’ve got cigarettes that are low in tar
We’ve got policemen can tell us who we are
We can reproduce a work of art
We’ve got missiles can tear the world apart
Good, good, good, good, good, good technology
We’ve got trains that run underground
Aeroplanes that fly very fast
We’ve got music that is popular
We’ve got machines that sound like orchestras
We’ve got ability to transplant a heart
We’ve got freezers full of body parts
We’ve got computers that can find us friends
We know roughly when the world will end
Good, good, good, good, good, good technology
We’ve got animals with transistors in
We’ve got pills that can make you slim
We’ve got factories turning frozen chickens out
We’ve got ovens that cook in seconds flat
We’ve got plastics that are indestructible
We’ve got deodorants that make us smell of flowers
We’ve got detergents to clean up the sea
We’ve got sounds can turn you inside out
Sometimes I wonder what it is all about
There’s lots of leisure time to sit and work it out
There’s a TV show I’ve got to see
Good, good, good, good, good, good technology
Good technology
Source: Musixmatch
Songwriters: Stuart Ross
Now, to cut down on ‘Teacher Talking Time’ and to get the class prepared to speak, to use intonation and stress as well as affording them the chance to use their L-FWs and idioms, a little warm up activity.
Firstly, what did you think of the song, with special reference to the lyrics and themes. remember – this song was from the 1980s, before mobile phones and the internet, which are now ubiquitous.
Ask and answer. Speak to many different students.
Elicit answers, interview your fellow students, pump them for information, don’t allow them to get away with a two- or three-word answers
How many hours do you use a computer every day ?
[Ask what the computer is used for, ask for examples, favourite sites, what is the work – play balance ?]
Do you have a smartphone ? If so, what type ?
Have you ever read an e-book ? Which one ?
What are your favourite video games ?
Do you write or read a blog ?
Are you on Instagram or Twitter ? Why or why not ?
When do you post comments online ?
Do you make phone calls or text family and friends ?
Who is teaching whom here ?
Thinking on your feet.
What is happening here ? What’s the story ?
Thay Paul's Notes 