Topic 1: Culture, Language, and Manners

• As our society and language develops, our communication is changing because of cell phone availability and usage. I am 55. My daughter is 24. As a young teen, she used to sit in the back seat with another friend and EACH of them would be texting someone else while they went somewhere together. This to me is RUDE, but the two of them didn’t have any problem with it. She has learned some better norms and manners now, thankfully.
• Another of my pet peeves is restaurants. Example: I will go out with my husband to dinner. We will put our phones on vibrate or silence so we can enjoy some time together. At another table, another couple (younger perhaps, or not) will one or BOTH be talking loudly on their phones to someone else! Don't we wonder why they bothered to go out together? (We wonder why we bothered if they are going to be so rude.)
• Do you have any input on this? Are we using cell phones to be rude? It isn’t the phones, it’s what we do with them. So, are we more ill-mannered than we thought?
• Respond to at least one of your classmates. Do you agree or disagree with what they said? Why or why not? Have you changed your mind on cellphone usage over the years? Why or why not?

Week 1 Explore Activities (Optional)

Who does not use the internet in the US?

• http://www.pewresearch.org/fact-tank/2016/09/07/so…

Who has access across the world?

• https://www.internetsociety.org/issues/access
• http://www.internetworldstats.com/top20.htm

• http://www.pewglobal.org/2016/02/22/internet-acces…
• http://www.pewinternet.org/fact-sheet/internet-bro…

Who do we trust online?

• https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/trust-i…