Human plus machine isn’t the future, it’s the present, Garry Kasparov said in a recent TED talk. So what would a smart classroom with a bot look like?
1 She could automate basic activities in education, like grading: Teachers often find that grading takes up a significant amount of time. This could be utilised to interact with students, prepare for class, or work on professional development.
2 She could adapt to student needs: A greater level of individualised learning could be achieved. These systems respond to the needs of the student, putting greater emphasis on certain topics, repeating things that students haven’t mastered, and generally helping students to work at their own pace.
3 She could change the role of teachers: Teachers will supplement AI lessons, assist students, and provide human interaction and hands-on experiences for students. Schools abroad are embracing the flipped classroom model.
4 She could improve learning: Teachers may not always be aware of gaps in lectures. ‘Coursera’, an app, does this. When students are found to be submitting the wrong answer to an assignment, the system alerts the teacher and gives clues to students.
5 She will interact with information: With more integrated technology, students in the future may have vastly different experiences of doing research and looking up facts than the students of today.
Do you think Artificial Intelligence can add value to classrooms?
Yes, AI can add value to classrooms, in the form of instant knowledge. It can facilitate objective conversations.
Ayera Choudhary, class XII, Bhavan Vidyalaya, Panchkula
How can it help?
It leaves zero probability of error. They can be directly linked to the internet, enabling students and teachers to have access to the sea of knowledge stored online. It could help teachers in the grading process too.
Shubh Panchal, class XII, PIS, Ahmedabad
Can AI replace teachers?
I don’t think that’s possible. Though AI might score full marks when you consider just the ability to teach, a robot can never replace a human. A teacher is involved in emotional development and you can’t take that away.
Vehaan Handa, class IX, Vidya Valley, Pune
Do you think AI could keep a watch over distractions?
Yes, considering a robot can solve doubts as well as keep track of students’ distractions without getting tired or bored, this will force kids to study and ultimately they will never have any doubt left.
Prem Malve, class X SOS Nagpur
Imagine if AI takes charge of class
That wouldn’t be nice. The fun of being a student will go. The robot will take away the innocence related to school life. With no emotions, school memories will be robotic.
Natasha Srivastava, class XII, Greenwood High, Bengaluru
Ai in chinese classrooms
Around the same height as a Barbie doll, the brightly coloured, airplane-shaped Ledi is not a typical toy. Ledi, manufactured by Beijing tech startup Turing Robot, is well-versed in poetry, basic maths and Chinese fairytales — in other words, it has the intelligence of a well-educated 12-year-old, according to the company’s CEO, Guo Jia. Ledi’s smarts are thanks to AI, which allows the robot to respond to children’s speech. Launched in 2015, Guo claims they’ve sold over 100,000 robots priced at 1,198 yuan each. Source: Sixth Tone