Are "Selfies" Harmful to Your Friendships?

According to a recent study done in the UK, posting too many selfies on Facebook and other social media may not be so good for your relationships. "Wait", you may ask, "what exactly is a selfie?" A selfie is a photo you take of yourself, simple as that! Read more about it here in this Wikipedia entry.

And for more see"What is a Selfie" explanation here:

For this first part of a 2 part lesson on the above-mentioned UK study on selfies, the students did this exercise below (thanks to Breaking News English for word list!):

See how many of these words you can use in a sentence. Work in pairs.

study / social networks / relationships / photograph / photo sharing / close friends / Wikipedia / popularity / buzzword / shocked / control / flattering / supportive / opposite

After students had time to go through the list with their partner, many students had the opportunity to share a sentence with the rest of the class. Here are few:

1. A study shows that posting too many selfies on Facebook might not be a good thing.
2. Facebook is the social network I use most often.
3. If you post too many selfies, you might hurt your relationships. 
4. Taking a photograph of yourself is called a selfie. 
5. One photo sharing app is Instagram.  
6. I like sharing things with my close friends. 
7. If I want to know something, I sometimes look it up on Wikipedia.
8. I was shocked when I saw Miley Cyrus dancing the other night on TV! 
9. Don't post so many selfies. Try to control yourself! 
10. My parents are very supportive people. 
11. Good is the opposite of bad. Posting too many selfies: bad. Not posting too many selfies: good. 

You may notice there are a few words missing from this list of sentences. The reason is because some of the words proved difficult to make sentences with. Below are those words, with definitions and sentences provided by The Free Dictionary

1. Popularity: the quality of being widely admired or accepted or sought after; "his charm soon won him affection and popularity."
2. Buzzword: A stylish or trendy word or phrase. "[Selfie] is the new buzzword."
3. Flattering: To portray favorably: "That photograph is flattering to you."

For a humorous look at selfies, here's a Selfie Song for you:

Coming up next week: Should there be rules to Social Media? What photos do you think are OK to post on Facebook? Which do you think are not?

Welcome to a new school year!

This was the first week of classes for CSW. It was good to see the returning students after the long summer, taller, rested, and ready for a new school year! We welcomed two new sections of eager TTO students. I caught my first glimpse of them during their lunch break, taking a look at their new iPads, which will be used in most classes (see photo on left).

As an introductory lesson for a new year of English Fluency lessons, the students learned I only have one rule in my class: RESPECT. Respect yourself, each other, and (of course!) the teacher. Respect means to have consideration for. What does respect look like in a classroom setting?
     Here are some words with the root word respect: 
     respected                      
     respecting
     respectful
     respectfully ...
Can you think of others? What is the opposite of respect?

During this first class, we spent time interviewing each other, using a list of some very thought-provoking questions (thanks to Institute for Research and Reform in Education for these suggestions). Here are a few from the list: 

1. What is your favorite thing you did this summer? Why?
2. What books have you read lately? What was something you found particularly interesting in them? 
3. What movies have you seen recently? How do you feel about the level of violence depicted in movies today?
4. What do you like to watch on TV? Is this a show you feel is appropriate for young children to watch? Why or why not?
5. Who are the members of your family? Who are you closest to? Why?
6. Are you the oldest, middle, or youngest child in your family? How do you like that position in the family?
7. What do you look for in a friend? How easy or difficult is it to find these qualities.
8. What is one thing you like about this school?
9. What is one thing you would change about this school?
10. How do you usually act when you're in a new group?

Students were divided in groups of two and spent time interviewing each other and discussing the questions and answers on their own. Then, some of the pairs came up to the front and conducted the interview with the rest of us as the audience in a Jay Leno, David Letterman, Jimmy Fallon style!

And to close, just one last word on R-E-S-P-E-C-T by the great Aretha Franklin!