Pratique du Shadowing: Is smart technology making us dumb? | GMF compact - Apprendre l'anglais à l'oral avec la vidéo

I remember the time when I had memorized  the phone numbers of friends and family.

I also used to be pretty good at mental math.  But then came smartphones. And I noticed how I rarely make an effort to remember things  because, hey, I can just look them up. So is smart technology making us dumb?  Let's find out. This is GMF compact.

Our beloved smartphones, tablets, computers. How  would we survive the day without them? But do these gadgets make us stupid? Are we losing the  ability to think, memorize and problem-solve?

Well, the answer is no. Yes, there  are negative impacts of us clinging to our smartphones the whole day. Tech-neck,  distraction, anxiety. Excessive screen time in the evening may mess with our sleep. But in  a recent study from the University of Toronto, researchers came to the conclusion that while  technology changes our cognitive abilities it doesn't harm them. The researchers point  out that we now have the ability to outsource tasks. So instead of figuring out how to navigate  from one place to another, we can just use GPS.

Instead of solving a complex mathematical problem, we can let our smartphones do that for us. This  frees up the mind to deal with other tasks.

Researchers see our smartphones as some kind  of an extension of our brain, so essentially, making us into a smarter being. Now, everything I  said generally applies to young adults and adults.

When it comes to children the story is a bit  different. Debates are ongoing about what's best for the brains of little ones when they are  learning to read and write. The good old pencil, paper and printed books are tablets with learning  apps. Well, studies suggest that children who spend more time on screen than talking to actual human  beings suffer in their language development.

As children grow older, digital devices become  part of their learning equipment in class.

In countries like the US, many schools have rolled  out tablets for elementary school children. How they are used depends on the school and the grade.  Some educators limit the use to multiple-choice tests while others let students read, write,  do research and presentations on their devices.

Despite benefits like instant access to  information and interactive learning formats, there are concerns among parents and teachers  that tablets, laptops and smartphones in class reduce children's attention span. Also, studies  show that writing by hand instead of typing engages the brain more than simply typing on a  computer. Fun-fact: In Silicon Valley, tech-free schools are becoming more and more popular.  And the people who send their kids there are executives of tech companies. All in all, experts  insist in the end it comes down to how we use our gadgets and how much time we spend on them.  Alright. Now that you're done watching a video, put your device down and maybe go for  a walk or talk to an actual person.