+Welcome.
Robots can support education in terms of both teaching & learning.
First, in teaching they can be t1) teachers, t2) teacher assistants, t3) teacher programmable objects, that is constructed in hardware, or programmed in software, or t4) a combination. A key research area in this approach is the creation of robots resembling humans physically, mentally and emotionally. [1] (Educational robots)
Second, in learning they can also be l1) students, l2) student assistants, l3) student programmable objects or l4) a combination. [2] (Educational robotics) As students they could be involved in team learning activities or even VLEs/LMSs & virtual worlds. (New? proposal)
Please share with us a) your experience, direct or indirect providing any results, or b) opinion, e.g. advantages, disadvantages, comparisons, propositions, predictions, or c) interesting references, with respect to the above three perspectives.
Thank you.
[ Featured references:
1. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Robot#Educational_robot
2. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Educational_robotics
3. https://www.researchgate.net/publication/294278166_Should_we_welcome_robot_teachers (Chalamalla)
4. http://www.scientificamerican.com/article/4-robots-that-teach-children-science-and-math-in-engaging-ways/ (Abedallah)
5. http://www.telegraph.co.uk/technology/news/11123336/Meet-Amelia-the-computer-thats-after-your-job.html (Leona)
]
Article Should we welcome robot teachers?
Dear @Alexandros, the robots are widely used in teaching and learning; the following report from Scientific American entitled: " 4 Robots That Teach Children Science and Math in Engaging Ways Modular, programmable automatons make STEM learning fun" is an example about using Robots to teach children Math and science in engaging ways with fun, see the report at the link:
http://www.scientificamerican.com/article/4-robots-that-teach-children-science-and-math-in-engaging-ways/
P.S. The Robots are help material and the human interaction is a must in dealing with children.
Dear Alexandros, Dear All,
This is my "humble" opinion about using robots in education. I do not object the use of them to support the "human" teaching-learning process but I am against replacing "human" teachers by "robotic" teachers. How can the robot impose discipline in a class or lecture ? Ultimately, a teaching-learning process will be subjected to evaluation mainly by written exams. When my students sit for a written exam, these are examples of the measures undertaken: 1) The exam is written in small but seen letters(such as Arial 10). 2) The exam is 2 or more forms. 3) I have an assistant to watch with me. 4) The students are arranged to be as far as possible from each other. All these precautions are to prevent cheating. I do not think that a "robotic" teacher can prevent the students from deceit in exams and hence the education process will end up with a disaster.
In such human process, a machine cannot be as efficient as a human.
Replacing humans is too pre-mature to bring in (so do not worry Dr. Matar). However, there are tens of toy-robot applications designed for little kids to help them repeat over-&-over certain statements in preparation for schooling as well as robots designed to give motivational statements each time a kid does something right!
On the other hand, I do not know of robots for higher classes.
Dear Alexandros, according to the embedded post, RobotsLab considers the idea that robots can teach mathematics by means of its product, the Box. It consists of a hardware and curriculum kit aimed at teaching, amongst others, Algebra 1 and 2, physics and geometry, trigonometry to grades seven to 12. It probably reflects the second category?
http://thejournal.com/articles/2013/02/07/robot-set-helps-teach-math-and-science.aspx?admgarea=News1
Dear Alexandros, the embedded post refers to the role of AI in deep learning. It reports on the competition between Microsoft and Google in this field. In my mind, this qualifies as an interesting reference.
http://www.makeuseof.com/tag/microsoft-vs-google-leads-artificial-intelligence-race/
Dear Alexandros and all,
I am new to this field but find this a quite interesting subject. I would say that with the current state of the art of robotics, it would be impossible to completely replace human teachers with robotic ones (and even if we could, i am not sure i would support this approach). However, it would be interesting to introduce robots as tutoring assistants, where they would not replace but actually help teachers. The way i see it is you have a class where the teacher is human, but you have a robot that acts not as a teacher but more as a peer, an entity that is closer to a guide than a classical teacher. An entity that can interact with students (i think such interaction may work better at younger ages than teenagers) and through probably goal-directed interactions and tasks can help the students acquire knowledge or dominate already acquired knowledge. I do not believe that teachers can be replaced but robots can be somewhat closer to what Khan academy platform is trying to achieve: a personalized learning engine. Such an approach could be closer to constructivism perhaps....
Dear colleagues, the embedded post explains how social storytelling robots are used to assist preschool children in honing their language skills. In this scenario, robots indeed function as somewhat of tutoring assistants, as Vicki suggested. Using robots in contexts such as these may enhance individualization, since it is believed that they may be able to detect some social cues and offer relevant solutions, which may assist children in learning at their own pace.
http://www.newscientist.com/article/mg22229694.100-kindergarten-bots-teach-language-to-tots.html#.VAc-zldb1Cq
Dear Alexandros and colleagues, I regard the embedded post as an interesting reference. It explains how a newly unveiled artificial intelligence computing system may impact on the global workforce. Since the system can take care of certain tedious and laborious tasks, its human co-workers may rather focus their energy on creative tasks.
I found the final paragraph of particular interest since it points out that Amelia's developers aim at eventually addressing the human need for companionship with their system.
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/technology/news/11123336/Meet-Amelia-the-computer-thats-after-your-job.html
Yes, robot can help in education but cannot replace teacher/lecturer.
Dear colleagues, robots will indeed probably never replace teaching staff, but they indeed seem to have a supportive role to play. According to the embedded post, robotics is an essential subject for the 21st Century. It illustrates how robotics can be incorporated in STEM education (at primary level).
http://www.bostonglobe.com/magazine/2014/10/02/stem-newest-darling-robotics/FrQEOiiLNbWXL5GI6UE8WP/story.html
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