The texting hat |

Note : All Viralelt posts share the same structure. Teacher’s notes appear only on How to use Viralelt. This is done to keep “teacher text” to a minimum and avoid repetition.

Do you think it’s rude to check your phone when you are with other people? Does this depend on who you are talking to, or how many people you are with?

How do you feel and react when you are having a conversation with somebody and they start checking their phone?

Is it more acceptable to interrupt a face-to-face conversation when you get a phone call, or when you get a social media notification? Do you think attitudes to different types of interruption are changing?

Do you ever feel that interacting with your phone is more interesting and enjoyable than being in the company of the people around you?

Do you reply to text messages, social media comments and emails as soon as you get them?

Is it wise to check your phone or send text messages at the same time as you are doing something else, e.g. walking along the street, watching TV, listening to music, eating, driving, studying, participating in a meeting etc?

Why do you think mobile phones cause so many arguments between couples?

Have you ever had disagreements or arguments with other people because of the way you use your mobile phone?

In which situations should you not check your phone? Do you ever feel tempted to break mobile phone etiquette?

What do you mainly use your phone for: to send text messages, to check social media, to make calls, to take photos and videos, to record your voice, to consult maps, to send emails etc? How often do you do each of these things?

Which two of the above questions are being discussed?

Download “Question time” and the “Sitting comfortably?” script in an editable Word document here.

You may also be interested in the following four videos which also deal with the topic of texting and smartphone use. The first is the “teenage car crash” video mentioned in Q9.