Sunday, February 27, 2011
Teachers or Robots?
A new emerging trend in technology is the use of robots to teach students. In South Korea this is actually taking place in many primary classrooms. They use Engkey robots to teach English to their students in place of highly qualified teachers because they are lacking highly qualified English teachers. Proponenets of the robots say that the students love them and are engaging and ensure people that they will not be able to take the place of teachers but may be used as teacher assistants. Some people fear that robots could take the place of teachers all around the world and this may be a trend not worth setting. What do you know about this form of technology. Do teachers have a reason to be concerned? What do you think?
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I think teachers will always be the real tool in education. As teachers, we have to learn what works best for our students in our classroom. Not every tool of technology will work with your lesson or assignment. The teacher has to be the best tool before technology can be the second best tool in a classroom.
ReplyDeleteC. Fields - Mobile Device Group
I fully believe that teachers have a value and they should use the technology as a tool rather than a replacement. However, I often ponder what will happen in the far future. Will technology replace teachers one day? Will students be able to get online and take a course that can actually communicate with them. You watch these Discovery shows and wonder what is to come?
ReplyDeleteI do not believe that students can get everything they need from a robot. There is no way that teachers can be replaced by them. Robots will never beable to give students the personal feel that comes from a human being. I do believe that they can be used along with a teacher but not solely on their own. This is a great conversation to have because it is quite interesting.
ReplyDeleteS.Gilbert
It is crazy to think that technology has come so far that robots are being used to instruct students. However, it seems that the Korean example is only using them out of necessity, considering no English teachers were available. While I feel that robots can serve a purpose, it will only be a matter of time until the newness wears off and those using them in place of humans recognized robots cannot compete with the effectiveness of caring, professional educator. This is a very interesting topic and one that deserves our attention. However, I feel like our (teachers) jobs are still safe.
ReplyDeleteAs a student, i feel that it is necessary to have living, breathing, humans as our instructors. I enjoy knowing that the teachers have once been in our positions, and were dedicated to earn their degrees, in whatever they may be teaching, to help us. Humans also have something robots don't, which is feelings and emotions. Robots can't collaborate with our feelings to help us learn and achieve our goals. Each student has a different learning style, and tolerance to each subject. And robots, being programed, cant meet all of these students needs.
ReplyDeleteI am not familiar with the technology that was stated about 'robot teachers' in the classroom. However, I am pretty familiar with technology and very much support the use of technology in the classroom. I do feel that the concept of artificial intelligence has it merits in many areas and the classroom should not be absent of that technology. The use of artificial intelligence and technology should never replace the carbon figure of underpaid; mostly under-appreciated; learned intelligence that can share actual experiences and empathize with their students, also known as a teacher.
ReplyDeleteBeing that I am unfamiliar with this topic I decided to Google search it a little further. I agree with most people that in order for students to get the full benefit of their education they need a warm body in the classroom as their teacher. However, when reading up on these Engkey robots I found out some pretty interesting things. First, they are very engaging to the students. When we stop to think about it, this really makes sense. What are our students into nowadays? Video games, computer games, iPods, and overall technology! My students know more about computers now than I knew when I graduated college. It makes perfect sense why they would be so into these robots- it's just another new, interesting form of technology for them to get into it. Secondly, these robots actually have screens of human faces that are hooked up via teleconference from the Philippines. The students are working with an actual English teacher. It's basically outsourcing since South Korea cannot find teachers. The robots can sense movement and even laughter and act more like a human than some people probably even thought. Also, many students reported that they felt less shy approaching the robot even though they knew there was a real teacher on the other end. I think this is a very innovative way to fulfill the need of highly qualified English teachers in South Korea. Do I think its a permanent solution? I hope not and I definitely hope not for the United States. I still think that students need a person to share with and connect with at school. For many students, school is their safe place and they need their teachers to be someone they can trust and confide in. I just don't see how a robot can fulfill that need. I do think it would be neat to see how these robots could help in other ways, like what is mentioned- as teacher assistants.
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