During the lesson, the information for you to know is written in regular type, and what we suggest speaking or reading aloud to children is in bold. All resources for this lesson, including the Teacher Guide, Student Page, Family Connection Card, and other resources can be downloaded in a ZIP file by clicking on the following link:
In some lessons you will find "resource articles." These are articles written by experts from around the world to help equip you for your work with children and adolescents. Share them with parents or guardians if you consider it appropriate.
I have much to write to you, but I do not want to use paper and ink. Instead, I hope to visit you and talk with you face to face, so that our joy may be complete.
2 John 1:12
Our electronic devices, though useful, are often obstacles to true relationship. Mobile phones and tablets allow us to connect with people across the street and across the world, but they may cause us to disengage with those who are nearest to us. We trade the joys of shared smiles, warm handshakes, and kind greetings for words or images on a screen. This Bible passage reminds us of the value of true, face-to-face relationship—the kind that cannot be developed in the same way through writing letters or sending text messages. This is the kind of fellowship God desires for us. But this kind of meaningful relationship can be challenging in a world filled with technology.
For the next week, keep track of how often you look at your mobile phone. Make a mark for every minute you spend communicating with others through electronic means. Then compare it to how many minutes you have spent talking, laughing, praying, and spending time with those you care about. If you find that technology has gotten more of your attention than those in your home or in your community, commit to making a change. Make it your priority to connect with others face to face, so that your joy may be complete!
Encourage the teens to ask a family member, “How often do you use technology? Do you think it is helpful or harmful?” They can then share that technology has many benefits when we use it wisely.
Teacher Tip: If possible, email or text the Family Connection Card to the families of your students.
Greet the teens warmly as they arrive. Ask them if they have been able to show honour to others in the past week. Invite 2–3 students to share their stories with the whole class.
Have the teens find partners. Then explain the activity.
I am going to share a statement and emotion with 1 student from each pair. That student will say the same statement to his partner, and his partner will try to guess the emotion he is feeling. However, as the student repeats the statement, he must try to say the statement without expressing any emotion. Also, he must not use facial expressions or gestures that might help his partner to guess his emotion. Here is an example:
Say the following without emotion in your voice, with your hands at your sides, and without showing any facial expression:
I had chicken for dinner last night.
When I do not use facial expressions and body language to communicate, you may have difficulty understanding my message. You will know that I had chicken for dinner last night, but you will not know whether I like chicken or dislike it, and you will not know if I am happy or disappointed about the chicken I had for dinner. Let me say it a different way. Watch carefully and see if you understand my message in a different way.
Repeat the statement while smiling and acting excited.
This time, you probably received a much more complete message. You may now believe that I like chicken and am happy I had chicken for dinner last night. Let’s do this again with a different emotion.
Repeat the statement while looking disappointed or unhappy.
This time, you may think that I do not like chicken and am disappointed or angry that I had chicken for dinner last night. Now you will do this with your partners.
Have 1 partner in each pair come to you. Quietly share 1 statement and emotion from the list provided, and have the students return to their partners. Give the pairs 2 minutes to share the statement without facial expressions or hand gestures and then with facial expressions to allow their partners to guess the emotion. Then repeat this with the other partner in each pair.
Choose a statement and emotion from this list or think of your own:
Allow 2–3 teens to share their answers to the following questions.
Was it difficult to guess the emotion your partner was feeling? Why or why not?
What does this help us to understand about communication?
Our words are important, but so are all the other ways we communicate. When we are trying to understand what another person is sharing with us, we use all the information we have. However, when we do not have 1 or more of those clues, we may have difficulty determining what the person is trying to say.
Communication is an important part of healthy relationships. However, one of the challenges we have when we communicate using technology is that we often do not have all the communication clues we have when we talk with someone in person. We can read the words someone posts on social media or sends in an email, but we may not be able to see the person’s tone or facial expressions, so we do not understand the emotions behind the message. This may lead us to misunderstand the person’s meaning or intention.
We live in a world where technology is an important form of communication and a valuable way to gather information—and its uses are growing every day. There are many wonderful benefits of technology, but there are also many reasons we should be wise and careful about the ways we use it. Today we will learn more about learning to use technology wisely.
Technology can make our lives better, and it helps us to communicate. Technology also allows us to access information quickly and easily. Here are some of the benefits of using technology wisely:
Read the list below. After each item on the list, ask 2–3 teens to share examples of how technology could be used in that particular way.
Technology provides us with many new opportunities, ideas, and information. But we need to be wise in the ways we use it to avoid some of its negative effects.
Here are a few negative effects of technology:
1. Our relationships may be damaged. Electronic communication may cause us to disconnect with the people who are around us. We may spend more time talking online, texting, playing games, or looking for information than talking with those who are in the same room! Our relationships with our families and the members of our community are more important than those we have through technology, and we should spend our time in ways that reflect this.
An unfriendly person pursues selfish ends and against all sound judgment starts quarrels.
Proverbs 18:1
2. We may not spend our time well. Technology is addictive, and we often spend more time than we planned on chatting with friends on social media, playing online games, and searching the internet for interesting information. We should think carefully about how much time we spend using technology and balance it with time spent on other things that help us to learn and grow and on developing relationships with others.
“I have the right to do anything,” you say—but not everything is beneficial. “I have the right to do anything”—but not everything is constructive.
1 Corinthians 10:23
3. Our personal information may be misused. Technology allows us to easily store personal information. However, this information can be misused by others to take advantage of us or steal from us. Bank and financial information, identification, photos, and other important personal information are often stored online and may be protected with passwords. Whenever possible, protect your information by keeping careful track of your devices and using strong passwords. Do not share your passwords with others to prevent others from stealing or misusing your information. Also, do not click on links in emails or messages from people you do not know. This could be a virus or spyware program designed to make your device vulnerable to hacking.
4. Our safety may also be compromised. Allowing others to know our location, see personal photos, and access our personal information can make us vulnerable to physical or emotional harm. Whenever possible, turn off the location tracker on your portable electronic devices and do not post information or photos that will let others know where you are. Other personal information you should not share includes: your full name, where you live, your mobile phone number, your birth date, a physical description of yourself, or your parents’ or family members’ names. Being wise with your personal information can help you to protect yourself.
Listen to what the Bible teaches us about protecting ourselves by making wise choices.
If you are using the Memory Verse Poster, show it to the students.
The prudent see danger and take refuge, but the simple keep going and pay the penalty.
Proverbs 22:3
What does this verse teach us about protecting ourselves?
Allow 2–3 teens to share their thoughts. Then guide them to understand that we should do what we can to protect ourselves from danger.
What are some examples of ways we may compromise our personal safety and information when we use technology?
Allow 2–3 teens to share their thoughts.
What can we do to prevent this?
Allow 2–3 teens to share their thoughts. Suggestions could include: setting strong passwords and not sharing them with others; not posting or sharing personal information; and being careful not to lose portable electronic devices or leave them in places where they could be stolen.
When we allow technology to damage our relationships, take up too much of our time, or put us at risk of danger or harm, we may find that the negative effects outweigh the positive ones. We need to think carefully about being safe and wise when we use technology so we can enjoy its many benefits.
Now let’s talk about some practical ways we can use technology wisely so we can enjoy the good things it brings to our lives.
Divide the teens into groups of 4–5. Read the Bible verse and have the teens discuss the question and think of practical applications in their groups.
The Bible gives us some helpful guidance and encourages us to be wise about the things we think about and see. Listen to this verse:
Finally, brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things.
Philippians 4:8
What can we learn from this verse about positive ways to technology?
We should focus on things that are true, noble, right, pure, lovely, admirable, excellent, and praiseworthy. We should only use our mobile phones and the internet to help us to focus on
these kinds of things.
Now let’s think of some practical and helpful ways to use technology. As you try to decide if your ideas will help you to protect your mind, reputation, time, and heart, ask yourself these questions:
Encourage each group to come up with at least 5 ideas. If they need help, suggest the following: send encouraging texts to friends and family members, read the Bible online or on the mobile phone, use the calendar features to manage time well, find answers to important questions to improve performance at work or school, or make productive use of time on buses or while waiting.
Optional: If you are using the Student Pages, allow the teens to use their pages for this activity.
Give the teens about 5 minutes to do this activity. Then close with a blessing based on Philippians 4:8:
Blessing: May you use technology to help you to focus on whatever is true, noble, right, pure, lovely, admirable, excellent, and praiseworthy. May you learn to use wisdom as you decide how to protect yourself and enjoy the benefits of technology.
Lead the teens in singing this quarter’s song, if possible.
Life on Life ©2020 David C Cook. Reproducible for home or classroom use only. All other uses require written permission from David C Cook [email protected]. All rights reserved.
