Author: Bob Hand
Artificial intelligence (A.I.) and automation software are transforming the U.S. into what pundits are calling an “automation nation.” Automation is having a dramatic impact in certain sectors. In fact, the scope of industrial automation will increase more than fifty-fold from 2012 to 2025. “Exponential growth” is a misnomer; this is a revolution — one that is creating real fear in the job market. People are wary of entering certain career fields or spending time and effort on certain degrees. After all, their skills may be rendered obsolete in a few short years.
Are K-12 educators in that same camp? Will the nation’s educational system embrace automation to the extent that the skills we’ve developed as teachers will become redundant? First, let’s look at how A.I. plays a role in the classroom today.
Are K-12 educators in that same camp? Will the nation’s educational system embrace automation to the extent that the skills we’ve developed as teachers will become redundant? First, let’s look at how A.I. plays a role in the classroom today.
What Role Does A.I. Play in Education Today?
Many schools across the nation today take advantage of school-issued digital devices or bring-your-own-device policies in order to give students access to virtual learning environments and intelligent tutoring systems, among other applications. These are often used to augment instruction in a traditional classroom setting, though they can be (and have been) also used in online curriculums to facilitate instruction.
The question of whether or not we should replace the traditional educational experience with online solutions is up for debate — and largely dependent on each individual student’s needs. Nevertheless, the concept of personalized online instruction is gaining traction. Certain A.I. learning software platforms are capable of assessing a student’s ability, accessibility needs, and learning preferences. Through the analysis of big data, software is capable of estimating a student’s inclinations based on demographic information. As this technology further blends into society and becomes more advanced, it could radically change the educational system as we know it.
The question of whether or not we should replace the traditional educational experience with online solutions is up for debate — and largely dependent on each individual student’s needs. Nevertheless, the concept of personalized online instruction is gaining traction. Certain A.I. learning software platforms are capable of assessing a student’s ability, accessibility needs, and learning preferences. Through the analysis of big data, software is capable of estimating a student’s inclinations based on demographic information. As this technology further blends into society and becomes more advanced, it could radically change the educational system as we know it.
Will It Eliminate Traditional Education?
The answer to this question depends entirely on how administrators and educators envision technology’s role in the classroom as it advances. There is a real possibility that A.I. and automation will radically change the K-12 educational landscape. But will it completely eliminate traditional education? It’s impossible to give a definitive answer, but there is no doubt that it is already changing it.
In fact, this change is already being felt today in higher education. This is mostly seen in the transformative impact of online learning technology. As noted by Subhash Kak, writing for Smithsonian.com: “Unless universities move quickly to transform themselves into educational institutions for a technology-assisted future, they risk becoming obsolete.” These institutions need to explore ways for A.I. to improve the educational experience and reduce the cost of education in order to stay competitive. Similarly, traditional K-12 schools will need to take advantage of A.I. in order to remain relevant in the 21st century.
In fact, this change is already being felt today in higher education. This is mostly seen in the transformative impact of online learning technology. As noted by Subhash Kak, writing for Smithsonian.com: “Unless universities move quickly to transform themselves into educational institutions for a technology-assisted future, they risk becoming obsolete.” These institutions need to explore ways for A.I. to improve the educational experience and reduce the cost of education in order to stay competitive. Similarly, traditional K-12 schools will need to take advantage of A.I. in order to remain relevant in the 21st century.
Nevertheless, taking part in online learning programs presents its own challenges that parents and educators need to keep in mind. While A.I.-assisted software can provide instruction at a pace that best serves student needs, the benefits of peer collaboration and face-to-face instruction cannot be ignored. Students enrolled in online courses today often need to make an effort to form relationships with instructors and students in order to make online learning more like a traditional educational experience.
Some commentators have a radical view of the future of education. Sir Anthony Seldon, a historian and political analyst, argues that teachers will be completely replaced by intelligent machines within the next 10 years. Current educators, he argues, will become “little more than classroom assistants … They will remain on hand to set up equipment, help children when necessary and maintain discipline.” In theory, A.I.-assisted personalized learning software will offer individualized instruction to meet the needs of every student.
While it’s unlikely that educators and administrators will uniformly cede the future of education to our inevitable robot overlords in such a short time frame, it’s difficult to validate or contest these predictions. However, they indicate two important truths: (1) teachers need to be willing and able to adopt new technology to best serve students, and (2) educators need to come to a common understanding of technology’s role in the classroom.
Best Practices for A.I. Integration
A.I. will play a major role in K-12 classrooms in the future. In fact, you may already use some programs in your classroom that use A.I. to personalize instruction. You should always evaluate the role and purpose such applications play in your classroom. Remember that technology has a point of diminishing returns in the classroom.
As you assess new applications and platforms for consideration in your classroom, or as you reevaluate those you currently use, consider:
Whether or not teachers will play a secondary role to A.I. is uncertain, but there is no question that it will play a major role in future developments in K-12 education. A.I.’s impact will not only be determined by the potential of applications and platforms that take advantage of it, but by how we, as educators, define its role.
In order to provide balanced instruction — a holistic approach involving peer collaboration, individualized instruction, and key components of socialization — we need to integrate it with deliberate purpose. As you find opportunities to adopt such applications in your classroom, understand the implications it may have for the future of education.
About the author:
Bob Hand is a blogger from Boise, ID. He studied English with an emphasis on Secondary Education at the University of South Carolina, and continues to keep a pulse on current issues in education. His hobbies include reading and collecting vinyl records. You can follow him on Twitter @bob_hand567.
As you assess new applications and platforms for consideration in your classroom, or as you reevaluate those you currently use, consider:
- What is the purpose?: When students engage with the application during class, what will its role be? What will your role be? If software provides further structure to instruction or helps students organize information or collaborate, it is being used constructively. If it supplants your role as a teacher, reconsider your choice to use it.
- Creation over consumption: Does the technology place an emphasis on content creation or consumption? Some personalized learning software works as little more than as ineffectual digital workbooks, while others engage students with creative, thought-provoking activities.
- FERPA regulations: As A.I.-assisted programs individualize content to suit student needs, what information about the student is collected? Who has access to this data? If there is any chance that using an application could put student information at risk, refrain from using it.
Whether or not teachers will play a secondary role to A.I. is uncertain, but there is no question that it will play a major role in future developments in K-12 education. A.I.’s impact will not only be determined by the potential of applications and platforms that take advantage of it, but by how we, as educators, define its role.
In order to provide balanced instruction — a holistic approach involving peer collaboration, individualized instruction, and key components of socialization — we need to integrate it with deliberate purpose. As you find opportunities to adopt such applications in your classroom, understand the implications it may have for the future of education.
About the author:
Bob Hand is a blogger from Boise, ID. He studied English with an emphasis on Secondary Education at the University of South Carolina, and continues to keep a pulse on current issues in education. His hobbies include reading and collecting vinyl records. You can follow him on Twitter @bob_hand567.
