Shadowing Practice: Is smart technology making us dumb? | GMF compact - Learn English Speaking with Video
Creating lesson...
1
I remember the time when I had memorized the phone numbers of friends and family.
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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.
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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?
4
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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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As children grow older, digital devices become part of their learning equipment in class.
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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.
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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.
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Vocabulary and speaking notes for this lesson
This B2 speaking lesson is built on the video “Is smart technology making us dumb?”. The speaker keeps coming back to these words: smartphones, tablets, learning, researchers, device. This video has 10 sentences and 496 words to shadow. The speech runs for 3:31. The speaker talks at a steady 141 words per minute, a comfortable pace for shadowing. 83% of the words are among the 3,000 most common in English; the rest is worth studying before you start. 4 of its 10 sentences are questions, so it is good practice for question intonation and short answers.
Key vocabulary in this video
The 15 most advanced words in the video, with pronunciation and meaning:
| Word | Pronunciation | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| smartphone noun | /ˈsmɑɹtfoʊn/ | A mobile phone with more advanced features and greater computing capacity than a feature phone. |
| tablet noun | /ˈtæblət/ | A slab of clay, stone or wood used for inscription. |
| researcher noun | /ˈɹiˌsɝ.t͡ʃɚ/ | One who researches. |
| gadget noun | /ɡæd͡ʒ.ɪt/ | Any device or machine, especially one whose name cannot be recalled, often either clever or complicated. |
| memorize verb | /ˈmɛm.əˌɹaɪ̯z/ | To fully learn so as to have entirely available to the memory; to learn by heart, commit to memory. |
| outsource verb | /ˈaʊtˌsɔːs/ | To transfer the management or day-to-day execution of a business function to a third-party service provider. |
| educator noun | /ˈɛd͡ʒəkeɪtɚ/ | A person distinguished for their educational work, a teacher. |
| navigate verb | /ˈnæv.ɪ.ɡeɪt/ | To plan, control and record the position and course of a vehicle, ship, aircraft, etc., on a journey; to follow a planned course. |
| distraction noun | /dɪsˈtɹæk.ʃən/ | Something that distracts. |
| pencil noun | /ˈpɛnsəl/ | A writing utensil with a graphite (commonly referred to as lead) shaft, usually blended with clay, clad in wood, and sharpened to a taper. |
| insist verb | /ɪnˈsɪst/ | To hold up a claim emphatically. |
| mathematical adjective | /ˌmæθ(.ə)ˈmæt.ɪ.kəl/ | Of, or relating to mathematics. |
| interactive adjective | /ˌɪn.tɚˈæk.tɪv/ | Interacting with or communicating with and reacting to each other; influencing or having an effect on each other; acting or capable of acting on each other or… |
| compact adjective | /kəmˈpækt/ | Closely packed or densely constituted; having much material in a small volume. |
| cognitive adjective | /ˈkɑɡ.nɪ.tɪv/ | Relating to the part of mental functions that deals with logic, as opposed to affective which deals with emotions. |
Phrasal verbs you will hear
| Word | Meaning |
|---|---|
| come down to verb | To reach by moving down or reducing. |
| figure out verb | To come to understand; to discover or find a solution; to deduce. |
| find out verb | To discover, as by asking or investigating. |
| point out verb | To identify among a group of similar subjects, or in a scene where the subject might not be readily seen or noticed, with a gesture of the body. |
| roll out verb | To deploy or release (a new film or software, etc.); to launch (a product or service), especially in a gradual fashion across multiple regions. |
Grammar in this video
The structures the speaker uses most, with the exact words from the video:
| Structure | In the video |
|---|---|
| “Used to” used to + verb — a past habit or state that is no longer true | used to be |
| Relative clauses who / which + clause — extra information about a person or thing | children who spend · people who send |
| Present perfect have/has + past participle — a past action that still matters now | have rolled |
Pronunciation to watch
- The “th” sounds: mathematical /ˌmæθ(.ə)ˈmæt.ɪ.kəl/, mathematics /mæθ(.ə)ˈmæt.ɪks/
- Long words — get the stress right: educator /ˈɛd͡ʒəkeɪtɚ/, mathematical /ˌmæθ(.ə)ˈmæt.ɪ.kəl/, interactive /ˌɪn.tɚˈæk.tɪv/, mathematics /mæθ(.ə)ˈmæt.ɪks/
How to practise with this video
- Listen to the whole video once without speaking and note the words you do not know.
- Shadow it sentence by sentence at normal speed, repeating each one until your rhythm matches the speaker.
- Record yourself and compare with the original, paying attention to words like smartphone, tablet, researcher.
What is the Shadowing Technique?
Shadowing is a science-backed language learning technique originally developed for professional interpreter training and popularized by polyglot Dr. Alexander Arguelles. The method is simple but powerful: you listen to native English audio and immediately repeat it out loud — like a shadow following the speaker with just a 1–2 second delay. Unlike passive listening or grammar drills, shadowing forces your brain and mouth muscles to simultaneously process and reproduce real speech patterns. Research shows it significantly improves pronunciation accuracy, intonation, rhythm, connected speech, listening comprehension, and speaking fluency — making it one of the most effective methods for IELTS Speaking preparation and real-world English communication.