Week#4 - Group Discussion Task Sheet

Week# 4 Exercise#3 - Group Discussion Task Sheet

Topic: Social Media has made the world a better place. Do you agree or disagree? 

Goal: From this activity, you will learn how to take an active part in face-to-face semi-formal discussions and be able to present your views clearly and handle turn-taking conventions smoothly. (CLO 3)

Grouping Instructions:  To participate in this discussion, the class will need to form groups of six students. Three students in the group will argue that Social Media has made the world a better place and the other three students will argue the opposite.

Research Activity (1): Listen to a TED Talk discussing Social Media Effects and write down the main ideas. 

The presenters in the following TED Talks are highlighting either the positive effects of Social Media or the negative effects of it on today’s society.

Talks promoting Social Media: 

https://www.ted.com/talks/clay_shirky_how_cellphones_twitter_facebook_can_make_history?language=en

https://www.ted.com/talks/stefana_broadbent_how_the_internet_enables_intimacy?language=en

Talks against Social Media: 

https://www.ted.com/talks/james_surowiecki_on_the_turning_point_for_social_media?language=en

https://www.ted.com/talks/sherry_turkle_alone_together?language=en

Exercise#3 Step1:  In your group of three, choose one of the talks.  Each should listen to it and take notes individually.

Step 2: Then, in your group, discuss what you think the main points in the chosen Ted Talk are and write the main points that you agree on onto the SM TED TALK main ideas worksheet.

Step 3:  Submit your group’s SM TED Talk main ideas worksheet.

Research Activity  (2): Read an article about Social Media effects and summarize the main points.

Exercise#3 Step 2: In your group of group of three, look through the articles below and choose 3 articles that support your argument. Some of the articles outline the positive effects, some articles outline the negative and the others outline both the positive and negative effects. 

• http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/275361.php
•  
• http://www.business2community.com/social-media/impact-social-media-truly-society-0974685#rs4GjoyDApDmjOWh.97
• http://smallbusiness.chron.com/negative-effect-social-media-society-individuals-27617.html
• http://www.rd.com/health/wellness/negative-effects-of-social-media/
• http://www.hongkiat.com/blog/science-you-and-social-media/
• http://www.huffingtonpost.com/suren-ramasubbu/influence-of-social-media-on-teenagers_b_7427740.html

Step 2: After choosing the suitable articles that support your argument, each of the three students in the group should read one article and summarize the main points being presented in bullet point format. So, three different students will have read and summarized 3 different articles.  

Step 3: Students in the groups of three sit together and discuss the main points of all three articles. The group fills out the SM Articles Main Idea Worksheet where they create a list of either the positive or negative effects presented in all three articles read by the different members of the group. 

Exercise#3/ Step 3: Submit your group’s SM Article’s main idea worksheet.

After-research Activity:

In your groups of three, from the main ideas extracted from the TED Talk you have listened to and from the articles you have read, agree on the points you will be using to make your arguments during the discussion. Remember that for building arguments you will need to use…

• ·         Facts and statistics
• ·         Examples
• ·         Experts Opinion
• ·         Common Sense
• ·         Personal Experiences  

Discussion Practice:

In preparation for your Group Discussion Assessment, and after hearing some tips on Meeting and Discussion Behavior, sit together with your group (of six) and practice discussing the topic. 

Topic: Social Media has made the world a better place. Do you agree or disagree?