I have an idea, AI Teachers or assistant teachers.

I see this world full of technology and constantly think about how much use it has that isn't being taken advantage of. We have all these companies focusing on hover boards, drones, automated cars, etc; which seem to be progressive. Why don't I see a big push from industries to start automating teaching? We seem to be capable if we aren't just on the verge of creating programs that can help students better individually than a classroom teacher can. I haven't even google searched it yet, just had a thought that many of you may have had and thought it could be an interesting discussion. My research begins ...3,2,1 now!

a reply to: intrptr

Hmm. Not too much of a contribution but it was an entertaining watch.

a reply to: Antipathy17

Okay, different tact. Factories are automated pretty much nowadays. Eliminating jobs isn't improving things except for the shareholders.

Teaching is a last bastion, why not put them in the unemployment line, too?

a reply to: intrptr
That's a very good song. I can see how it fits the subject matter. As everything becomes more automated, humans will be less capable of doing things themselves as they rely on machines more and more.

a reply to: Antipathy17

Technology is all well and good if you're motivated to learn when using it. The problem with learning without a teacher is the tendency for students to cheat when they're unsupervised! My students used a computer application to become OSHA certified. Here's what happened, the few motivated students did the work, than gave all the other students the answers to pass the online test. These students didn't even take the time to watch online video and take the pre-test. So some of these students are certified in OSHA safety standards and have no idea how to safely operate a machine and work in a safe environment.

What a great way to put themselves and others at risk. No matter what I do to rectify the situation, the test has been compromised because the answers to this test are still floating around among students. I no longer offer OSHA certification because of this breach.

There's way too much laziness and apathy in the classroom today to rely on students to police themselves. Students want the easiest way out, and claiming computers are the answer for replacing teachers is a sure path to a world of incompetency. Until technology advances to the point where all you need to do is attach a few wires to your forehead and information can than be downloaded directly into your memory, schools and teachers will still be an integral part of learning. You also need teachers for hands on training to learn any kind of technical skill, something computers can't do.

a reply to: intrptr

Are we supposed to sit on technology? We need to adjust more than one system obviously. If we are looking to make life easier on all, joblessness will come. We either turn socialist with some twists or invent a new system entirely.

a reply to: WeRpeons

I say, bad apples. Poor teaching environment from earlier ages is a strong possibility. Not saying it's provided by teachers but instead a flawed system. We can't keep expecting people to keep up in the information age if we aren't teaching them more/faster/individually. That's just my opinion though and why I am here.

originally posted by: Antipathy17
a reply to: intrptr

Are we supposed to sit on technology? We need to adjust more than one system obviously. If we are looking to make life easier on all, joblessness will come. We either turn socialist with some twists or invent a new system entirely.

The point I was making is its easier and cheaper to automate than hire real people and pay them a decent wage.

In a world where everything is automated the only job left for the masses is slavery. Automated teaching, policing and nursing, doctors, firemen, sure why not? We don't need them, they cost more and complain too much…

Huge factories with no one in them, churning out product to consume…

no thanks.

You should watch a movie titled, THX 1138.

a reply to: Antipathy17

There's a lot of questions to be asked.

I mean ... how will an AI deal with disruption?

Will it know if you're lying to it/cheating?

Will it have a physical presence (or a 'body' if you will) in the class room?

Will it be able to motivate or inspire you?

Does it know how to alter its teaching methods for different styles of learning?

Once the kinks were worked out I could see it being a benefit in some areas. Apparently some teachers just throw packet after packet at you to read and teach yourself, whilst they just sit on their azz twiddling their thumbs all year. I would be frustrated beyond words if that was the education offered to me.

a reply to: Antipathy17

Granted teachers need to change with technology on how they present their material. However as a retired CAD instructor who worked in the field and also previously owned my own advertising and design studio, I presented a majority of my material in a way that would keep students attention. I used my advertising background to create animated Power Points which incorporated humor, incorporated current music and included funny tips to help kids remember terms or identifying hardware they needed to become familiar with so they could specify it on their drawings.

I even had an electronic scoreboard in my lab where each student had their own hand held buzzer. At the end of every two chapters of terminology, the entire class would participate in a game of CAD Jeopardy. I would give out prizes for 1st, 2nd and 3rd place. Prizes consisted of school t-shirts, school magnets etc.... Believe it or not, I always had a handful of students who refused to participate. Some didn't bother taking it serious.

Since I taught in a lab, every student had their own computer and access to the Internet. A lot of my students loved my lab! However, here's the depressing part...Only 40% of students in my classes were motivated to do the required technical drawings or passing their related tests. I'm sorry, but that's a really sad perspective on today's generation. In my 22 years of teaching, the laziness and apathetic nature of students today is very concerning. Incompetency will have a direct effect on the strength of America and it's economy.

It really comes down to this old saying when it comes to learning "You can lead a horse to water, but you can't make him drink." You can have the brightest teachers, the most up to date technology, and an environment that's absolutely fun to learn in, but if you're not motivated and your apathetic towards education, you will simply make yourself incompetent and less likely to succeed in life.