For Conversation Press#1

LESSON
2
MAKING A DIFFERENCE
Prepared by: Arlene A. Sta. Maria

OBJECTIVES
• Analyze literature as a means
of connecting to the world.
• Reflect on how to manage the

use of ICT gadgets without
deviating from human
interaction.
TASK 1 : Reading
FOR CONVERSATION,
PRESS # 1
by Michael Alvear
A funny thing happened in the way

to communications revolution:
we stopped talking to one another.

I was walking in the park with a
friend recently, and his cell phone rang,
interrupting our conversation. There
we were, walking and talking on a
beautiful sunny day and—poof! ---I
became invisible, absent from the
conversation because of a gadget
designed to make communication
easier.
The park was filled with people
talking on their cell phones. They were
passing other people without looking at
them, saying hello, noticing their babies
or stopping to pet their puppies.
Evidently, the untethered electronic

voice is preferable to human contact.
The telephone used to connect you
to the absent. Now it makes people
sitting next to you feel absent.
Why is it that the more connected we
get, the more disconnected I feel? Every
advance in communications technology
is a setback to the intimacy of human
interaction.
With e-mail and instant messaging
over the Internet, we can now
communicate without seeing or talking
to one another. In making deposit at
the bank, you can just insert your card
into the ATM.
With voice mail, you can conduct
entire conversations without ever
reaching anyone. If my mom has a
question, I just leave the answer on
her machine.
As almost every conceivable
contact between human beings
gets automated, the alienation
index goes up.
I am no Luddite. I own a cell phone, an
ATM card, a voice-mail system, and an
email account. Giving them up isn’t an
option---they’re great for what they’re
intended to do.
It’s their unintended
consequences that make me cringe.
So I’ve put myself on technology
restriction:
no instant messaging with people who

live near me, no cell-phoning in the
presence of friends, no letting the voice
mail pick up when I’m home.
Readers Digest, pp. 143-145, July 2000

VOCABULARY
1. Untethered – mechanical, without
emotion
2. Setback - problem
3. Luddite - a person opposed to
new technology
4. Cringe - tremble
5. Restriction - limit
TASK 2: UNDERSTANDING THE TEXT
Choose the correct answer to each item.
1. The author’s purpose in writing the article is to make
us realize that ____________.
A. Communications technology is interfering with
human contact
B. People are communicating less than they did in
the past
C. The advances in communications technology are
unnecessary
D. People are forgetting how to communicate with
others
UNDERSTANDING THE TEXT
2. The question “Why is it that the more connected we

get, the more disconnected I feel?”
_____________.
A.reveals the author’s confusion about technology
B.invites the reader to disagree with the author
C.highlights the author’s examples and arguments
D.challenges the reader to find answers to problems
3. The author’s tone throughout the
selection is_________.
A. amusement
B. hostility
C. criticism
D. indifference
4. The third and fourth paragraphs give

emphasis on how a cell phone ______.
A. provides convenience
B. isolates people
C. threatens safety
D. efficiently works
5. The idea that bothers the author most about

the effect of communications technology on
his life is _______________.
A. limited communication with strangers

B. lack of social formula
C. extreme preference for cell phones
D. deviation from meaningful interaction
TASK 3: ENRICHING YOUR EXPERIENCE
1. Go back to the text For

Conversation, Press # 1. Aside
from the communications
technology cited by the author.
What other technological
advances in communication
deviate from human
interaction? Reflect on the
author’s concern and how you
use your ICT gadgets without
neglecting human interaction.
Write your reflections on the
sheet below
2. Form five groups to work on the
activities below
Group1.
ACTORS
In a role play, show the proper etiquette

when using a cell phone and
telephone. (How should we deal with a
phone call or text message when we are
talking with someone).
Group 2.
Dancers
Through a dance, interpret a song

that discusses the author’s desire to
have human contact rather than the
use of technology in communication.
Group 3.
Mathematicians
Make a computation of how much your

weekly expenses allotted for load and
phone bills amount to. Think of how you
can still use the technology but lessen the
expenses.
Group 4.
Researchers
List the advantages and disadvantages

of communications technology. Use the
chart below.
COMMUNICATIONS TECHNOLOGY
UNIT ADVANTAGES DISADVANTAGES
TELEPHONE
CELL PHONE
FAX MACHINE
E-MAIL
VOICE MAIL
Group 5.
Singers
Compose a jingle about

communications technology highlighting
its importance but not losing interaction
with others, then sing it.

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How does the author feel about technology interfering with human interaction?

How does the author feel about technology interfering with human interaction?

What examples does the author provide about technology isolating people?

What examples does the author provide about technology isolating people?

LESSON

Prepared by: Arlene A. Sta. Maria

• Reflect on how to manage the

A funny thing happened in the way

we stopped talking to one another.

Evidently, the untethered electronic

no instant messaging with people who

Readers Digest, pp. 143-145, July 2000

2. The question “Why is it that the more connected we

4. The third and fourth paragraphs give

5. The idea that bothers the author most about

A. limited communication with strangers

1. Go back to the text For

In a role play, show the proper etiquette

Through a dance, interpret a song

Make a computation of how much your

List the advantages and disadvantages

Compose a jingle about

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