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1. TABLETS: Walk around the class and talk to other students about tablets. Change partners often. Sit with your first partner(s) and share your findings.

2. CHAT: In pairs / groups, decide which of these topics or words from the article are most interesting and which are most boring.

ambitious plans / revolutionize / e-readers / online devices / e-learning / trained / decision / predict / rivals / gadgets / embrace technology / high-speed Internet / shift

Have a chat about the topics you liked. Change topics and partners frequently.

3. TABLETS INSTEAD OF…: What are the pros and cons? Complete this table with your partner(s). Change partners and share what you wrote. Change and share again.

Tablets instead of…	Pros	Cons
textbooks
reading books
computers
phones
game consoles
newspapers

4. SMART: Students A strongly believe smart schools are better than today’s schools; Students B strongly believe today’s schools are better.  Change partners again and talk about your conversations.

5. GADGETS: Which are your faves? Rank these and share your rankings with your partner. Put the best at the top. Change partners and share your rankings again.

tablet (iPad, etc.) mobile phone MP3 player computer

e-reader game console camera TV

6. TABLET: Spend one minute writing down all of the different words you associate with the word ‘tablet’. Share your words with your partner(s) and talk about them. Together, put the words into different categories.

BEFORE READING / LISTENING

1. TRUE / FALSE: Read the headline. Guess if  a-h  below are true (T) or false (F).

a.	S. Korea is giving a laptop to each student in exchange for a textbook	T / F
b.	All schools will be free of textbooks by 2015.	T / F
c.	South Korea’s “smart education” project will start with high schools.	T / F
d.	The Education Minister stressed the need for teachers to learn the tech.	T / F
e.	All schools will be equipped with Korea-made Samsung products.	T / F
f.	There will also be online lessons for students who miss classes.	T / F
g.	Korean students are tops when it comes to digital literacy.	T / F
h.	Koreans are still not quite ready to embrace a digital society.	T / F

2. SYNONYM MATCH: Match the following synonyms from the article.

1.	announced	a.	plans
2	revolutionize	b.	competitors
3.	intends	c.	change
4.	switch	d.	specialists
5.	ensure	e.	made public
6.	experts	f.	reading and writing
7.	rivals	g.	transform
8.	embrace	h.	serious
9.	literacy	i.	welcome
10.	major	j.	make certain

3. PHRASE MATCH:  (Sometimes more than one choice is possible.)

1.	ambitious plans to revolutionize	a.	based books are out
2	It intends to	b.	of digital literacy
3.	This means bulky, paper-	c.	learning materials
4.	switch to online	d.	yet made a decision
5.	e-learning and mobile-	e.	digital content
6.	The Ministry has not	f.	digitize all textbooks
7.	experts predict it will opt for	g.	of technology
8.	In addition to	h.	school classrooms
9.	well known for its embrace	i.	Korean-made devices
10.	ranked first in terms	j.	devices

 

WHILE READING / LISTENING

GAP FILL: Put the words into the gaps in the text.

South Korea’s government has announced (1) ____________ plans to revolutionize school classrooms and (2) ____________ the world’s first “smart education” system. It (3) ____________ to digitize all textbooks in all schools by 2015. This means bulky, paper-based books are out and handheld tablets and e-readers are in. First in (4) ____________ to go digital are elementary schools, which will switch to online (5) ____________ by 2014. South Korea’s Ministry of Education says it will invest $2.4 billion to create and deliver the e-learning and (6) ____________-learning materials. Education Minister Lee Ju Ho explained the need to ensure teachers are (7) ____________ trained in using the new tech in class. "It's very important to make sure that the two can (8) ____________ together,” he said.		intends sufficiently devices provide work ambitious mobile line
The Ministry has not yet made a (9) ____________ on which make of products it will bring into the classroom. Many industry (10) ____________ predict it will opt for Korean-made devices such as Samsung’s Galaxy Tab rather than (11) ____________ from international rivals Apple or Sony. In addition to digital    (12) ____________ in the classroom, the Ministry is also hoping to make online classes available for students who miss lessons. South Korea is well known for its (13) ____________ of technology and high-speed Internet. A Ministry official stated: “Korean students have (14) ____________ first in terms of digital (15) ____________ among developed nations…That’s why Korean students, who are already fully prepared for digital society, need a [major] (16) ____________ in education.”		gadgets shift experts ranked content literacy decision embrace

LISTENING – Listen and fill in the gaps

South Korea’s government has _______________________ to revolutionize school classrooms and provide the world’s _______________________ system. It intends to digitize all textbooks in all schools by 2015. This means bulky, paper-_______________________ handheld tablets and e-readers are in. First in line to go digital are elementary schools, which will switch to _______________________ 2014. South Korea’s Ministry of Education says it will invest $2.4 billion to create and deliver the _______________________ learning materials. Education Minister Lee Ju Ho explained the need to ensure teachers are _______________________ using the new tech in class. "It's very important to make sure that the two can work together,” he said. 

The Ministry has not yet _______________________ which make of products it will bring into the classroom. Many _______________________ it will opt for Korean-made devices such as Samsung’s Galaxy Tab rather than gadgets from international rivals Apple or Sony. _______________________ content in the classroom, the Ministry is also hoping to make online classes available for students who miss lessons. South Korea is well known for _______________________ and high-speed Internet. A Ministry official stated: “Korean students have ranked first in _______________________ among developed nations…That’s why Korean students, who are already fully prepared for digital society, need a _______________________.”

 
 

AFTER READING / LISTENING

1. WORD SEARCH: Look in your dictionary / computer to find collocates, other meanings, information, synonyms … for the words ‘text’ and ‘book’.

text

book

• Share your findings with your partners.

• Make questions using the words you found.
• Ask your partner / group your questions.

2. ARTICLE QUESTIONS: Look back at the article and write down some questions you would like to ask the class about the text.

• Share your questions with other classmates / groups.
• Ask your partner / group your questions.

3. GAP FILL: In pairs / groups, compare your answers to this exercise. Check your answers. Talk about the words from the activity. Were they new, interesting, worth learning…?

4. VOCABULARY: Circle any words you do not understand. In groups, pool unknown words and use dictionaries to find their meanings.

5. TEST EACH OTHER: Look at the words below. With your partner, try to recall how they were used in the text:

ambitious smart out switch invest together

decision opt content miss ranked major

STUDENT TABLETS SURVEY

Write five GOOD questions about tablets in the table. Do this in pairs. Each student must write the questions on his / her own paper.

When you have finished, interview other students. Write down their answers.

	STUDENT 1 _____________	STUDENT 2 _____________	STUDENT 3 _____________
Q.1.
Q.2.
Q.3.
Q.4.
Q.5.

• Now return to your original partner and share and talk about what you found out. Change partners often.
• Make mini-presentations to other groups on your findings.

TABLETS DISCUSSION

STUDENT A’s QUESTIONS (Do not show these to student B)

a)	What did you think when you read the headline?
b)	What springs to mind when you hear the word ‘tablet’?
c)	What do you think of the idea of swapping textbooks for tablets?
d)	Do you think children will be better educated by using tablets?
e)	Would you prefer to use a textbook or a tablet to learn?
f)	Why do you think there aren’t more countries aiming for “smart education”?
g)	What benefits will there be for Korean society if children have their education wholly on digital formats from elementary school on?
h)	Do you think students will lack something by not using textbooks?
i)	Do you think teachers will be ready to teach using the new materials and technology?
j)	What do you think of tablets like the iPad and Samsung Galaxy Tab?

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STUDENT B’s QUESTIONS (Do not show these to student A)

a)	Did you like reading this article?
b)	Should South Korea use only South Koran products?
c)	What are the good things and bad things about tablets?
d)	What do you think of the idea of online classes for children?
e)	Are online classes better than real classes?
f)	Is your country highly digital?
g)	Why do you think Korean students are number one for digital literacy?
h)	How is your digital literacy?
i)	What three adjectives would you use to describe this article?
j)	What questions would you like to ask Korean Education Minister Lee Ju Ho?

LANGUAGE – MULTIPLE CHOICE

South Korea’s government has announced (1) ____ plans to revolutionize school classrooms and provide the world’s first “smart education” system. It intends to digitize all textbooks in all schools by 2015. This means (2) ____, paper-based books are out and handheld tablets and e-readers are in. First in (3) ____ to go digital are elementary schools, which will (4) ____ to online devices by 2014. South Korea’s Ministry of Education says it will invest $2.4 billion to create and deliver the e-learning and (5) ____-learning materials. Education Minister Lee Ju Ho explained the need to ensure teachers are sufficiently trained in using the new tech in class. "It's very important to make (6) ____ that the two can work together,” he said. 

The Ministry has not yet made a decision (7) ____ which make of products it will bring into the classroom. Many industry experts predict it will (8) ____ for Korean-made devices such as Samsung’s Galaxy Tab (9) ____ than gadgets from international rivals Apple or Sony. In addition (10) ____ digital content in the classroom, the Ministry is also hoping to make online classes available for students who miss lessons. South Korea is well known for its (11) ____ of technology and high-speed Internet. A Ministry official stated: “Korean students have ranked first in terms of digital literacy among developed nations…That’s why Korean students, who are already (12) ____ prepared for digital society, need a [major] shift in education.”

Put the correct words from the table below in the above article.

1.	(a)	ambition	(b)	ambitions	(c)	ambitiously	(d)	ambitious
2.	(a)	bulky	(b)	sulky	(c)	surly	(d)	burly
3.	(a)	square	(b)	circle	(c)	line	(d)	squiggle
4.	(a)	direct	(b)	switch	(c)	eject	(d)	traverse
5.	(a)	mobility	(b)	mobile	(c)	mobilize	(d)	mobiles
6.	(a)	ensure	(b)	assure	(c)	sure	(d)	insure
7.	(a)	on	(b)	by	(c)	of	(d)	at
8.	(a)	apt	(b)	pot	(c)	tap	(d)	opt
9.	(a)	prefer	(b)	over	(c)	instead	(d)	rather
10.	(a)	of	(b)	to	(c)	by	(d)	for
11.	(a)	embrace	(b)	hug	(c)	cuddle	(d)	hold
12.	(a)	full	(b)	fullest	(c)	fully	(d)	fullness

 
 

WRITING

Write about tablets for 10 minutes. Correct your partner’s paper.

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HOMEWORK

1. VOCABULARY EXTENSION: Choose several of the words from the text. Use a dictionary or Google’s search field (or another search engine) to build up more associations / collocations of each word.

2. INTERNET: Search the Internet and find out more about tablets in education. Share what you discover with your partner(s) in the next lesson.

3. TABLETS: Make a poster about tablets. Show your work to your classmates in the next lesson. Did you all have similar things?

4. “SMART” EDUCATION: Write a magazine article about “smart” education. Include imaginary interviews with people who are for and against it.

Read what you wrote to your classmates in the next lesson. Write down any new words and expressions you hear from your partner(s).

5. LETTER: Write a letter to South Korea’s leader. Ask him three questions about using tablets in education. Give him three of your ideas on how to make education better. Read your letter to your partner(s) in your next lesson. Your partner(s) will answer your questions.

 

 
 

ANSWERS

TRUE / FALSE:

a.

F

b.

T

c.

F

d.

T

e.

F

f.

T

g.

T

h.

F

SYNONYM MATCH:

1.	announced	a.	made public
2	revolutionize	b.	transform
3.	intends	c.	plans
4.	switch	d.	change
5.	ensure	e.	make certain
6.	experts	f.	specialists
7.	rivals	g.	competitors
8.	embrace	h.	welcome
9.	literacy	i.	reading and writing
10.	major	j.	serious

PHRASE MATCH:

1.	ambitious plans to revolutionize	a.	school classrooms
2	It intends to	b.	digitize all textbooks
3.	This means bulky, paper-	c.	based books are out
4.	switch to online	d.	devices
5.	e-learning and mobile-	e.	learning materials
6.	The Ministry has not	f.	yet made a decision
7.	experts predict it will opt for	g.	Korean-made devices
8.	In addition to	h.	digital content
9.	well known for its embrace	i.	of technology
10.	ranked first in terms	j.	of digital literacy

GAP FILL:

South Korea to swap textbooks for tablets

South Korea’s government has announced (1) ambitious plans to revolutionize school classrooms and (2) provide the world’s first “smart education” system. It (3) intends to digitize all textbooks in all schools by 2015. This means bulky, paper-based books are out and handheld tablets and e-readers are in. First in (4) line to go digital are elementary schools, which will switch to online (5) devices by 2014. South Korea’s Ministry of Education says it will invest $2.4 billion to create and deliver the e-learning and (6) mobile-learning materials. Education Minister Lee Ju Ho explained the need to ensure teachers are (7) sufficiently trained in using the new tech in class. "It's very important to make sure that the two can (8) work together,” he said.

The Ministry has not yet made a (9) decision on which make of products it will bring into the classroom. Many industry (10) experts predict it will opt for Korean-made devices such as Samsung’s Galaxy Tab rather than (11) gadgets from international rivals Apple or Sony. In addition to digital (12) content in the classroom, the Ministry is also hoping to make online classes available for students who miss lessons. South Korea is well known for its (13) embrace of technology and high-speed Internet. A Ministry official stated: “Korean students have (14) ranked first in terms of digital (15) literacy among developed nations…That’s why Korean students, who are already fully prepared for digital society, need a [major] (16) shift in education.”

LANGUAGE WORK

1 - d

2 - a

3 - c

4 - b

5 - b

6 - c

7 - a

8 - d

9 -d

10 - b

11 - a

12 - c

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