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Guest Post | The Future of Artificial Intelligence and Automation in K-12 Education

1/18/2018

14 Comments

 
Author: Bob Hand
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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.


​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.

​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. 
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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:
 
  • 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:
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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.
14 Comments
Madison link
1/22/2018 04:43:30 pm

The integration of Artificial Intelligence is definitely an interesting discussion to have when it comes to K-12 teaching. Although I don't think A.I is going to completely overhaul the way students are taught, I do think that the continuous developments that are being made in technology will change the way teachers and students approach learning. I personally have experience with grades 9-12 online schooling, and I found that while it diminished the need for constant supervision by teachers, it did not completely erase the need for an teacher to be there in person some of the time. As I'm sure education will begin to change in response to new technological studies and advancements, I am curious to see how A.I assisted learning will develop over the years, and possibly change the way I as a future teacher will use technology in the classroom. Great article!

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Bob Hand link
1/23/2018 03:05:07 pm

Thanks for reading! I'd also say that Sir Seldon's vision of the future of education might be a little far fetched. A.I.-assisted learning software should definitely be used in conjunction with traditional methods (and not outright replace them).

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Gwenyth Rosenkrantz
1/23/2018 12:55:35 pm

A.I. is all around us! I think the definition isn't well defined in this article. The ghosts in Pacman are technically A.I.!

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Bob Hand link
1/23/2018 03:11:14 pm

Great point! I would say the focus here is on cutting-edge developments in A.I. (advanced machine learning, analytics in combination with big data, etc.). We commonly use "A.I." to refer to the ability of tech to imitate intelligent human behavior — and those ghosts always outsmarted me as a kid.

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Coby
1/25/2018 11:56:28 am

Online schooling and technology has definitely become more prevalent within schools and in society. Technology has brought a lot of benefits to the education of all children around the world. Different applications and various mobile devices has helped make a child’s learning go beyond just the classroom. Yes, technology and online services can help personalize a student’s learning based on their needs, but they still need to be in a class and interact with others. A big part of growing up throughout school is learning social skills and peers as well as teachers in schools are the ones who are able to help them work on those skills. Whenever each student is ready to get a job, they will need to use the social skills to get a job and work with other people. Teachers do need to keep up on the latest technological advancements so that when their students leave their classroom, they have the knowledge and skills that they need in the workplace. I totally agree that technology devices need to be used as a way to complement the learning of students from the teacher. Not everything can be taught while looking at a screen on some device. In case that artificial intelligence or automation takes over education instead of teachers, how would the social and communication skills be taught? That is my concern as I have seen families go to a restaurant and are on their phones/electronic devices instead of interacting with one another. I hope that we can avoid that in the future while still using the benefits that technology brings us.

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Bob Hand link
1/31/2018 03:12:04 pm

Thanks for sharing your thoughts! I absolutely agree, and I think that peer collaboration is an essential part of socialization. Personalized learning software just can't replicate that experience — at least not yet.

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Relaina
1/26/2018 11:20:55 am

When you say Artificial Intelligence and Education I automatically think of online college courses. Some undergrads take online classes only because of the convenience it brings them. I definitely think more and more students will be taking online courses only in the future. That is when it comes to college. However, I do not believe that in our lifetime we will see a k-12 classroom run by A.I. Students form deep relationships with their teachers that they can not form online. My question for you is how much technology should be integrated into the classroom so that A.I does not take over? Should teachers be using technology in every lesson?

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Bob link
1/31/2018 03:18:41 pm

I appreciate your comments and questions! I think the importance of a strong teacher-student relationship can't be understated — students can only meaningfully engage with subject material when they trust their instructor. How much "trust" can students place in A.I.? I imagine some students could thrive in that environment, but would require a traditional classroom.

As far as how much technology should be in the classroom, I think it would depend on context. As long as the technology in question — whether it be personal devices, virtual reality, or personalized learning software — doesn't distract from the overall objectives of the lesson, it shouldn't be a problem.

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Andrew
1/28/2018 11:26:12 am

I always find it interesting when we use the term "artificial intelligence" because it immediately brings to mind dystopian future scenarios where robots control every aspect of society. I think, in the more modern sense, A.I. is a term that is very broad and touches on many different areas of our current world. I can definitely see A.I. becoming more widespread in a classroom setting, but I'm not sure I can picture it completely replacing a physical teacher. In my experience, especially for younger children, having a physical teacher is something that the students not only need, but is also something they seem to want. Children are much more open about feelings and emotions, and being able to empathize and have an emotional connection between the teacher and student is one of the most important ways to foster learning in the student. The only time I can see A.I. completely taking over teaching is if they find a way to make the A.I. not only look human, but make it also be able to possess and interpret real human emotions.

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Bob Hand link
1/31/2018 03:28:25 pm

As A.I. becomes more sophisticated, more capable of demonstrating "soft skills," it will play a larger role in education. Helping students develop empathy and social skills may be beyond the reach of current tech, though that begs the question: how many years will it be until an A.I. could become an effective teacher on all fronts? It's definitely an eerie concept. Thank you for reading!

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Dimitri Johnson
1/28/2018 03:21:51 pm

I don't think Artificial Intelligence (A.I.) or online schooling for that matter will ever dominate the educative setting of schools. This is not to say a dependency on technology has been developed within the educative system by both students and teachers alike. Having volunteered in several primary education classrooms, (and growing up with a math teacher as a father), I've come to see technology as a tool rather than a dominating force in classrooms. Technology is the method by which we can accurately convey information, I think any setting in which it's used to run the entire class will not effectively teach all students with different forms and methods of learning. To some extent, a guiding presence or instructor is always needed to clarify or define the guidelines of a lesson, and I don't see Artificial Intelligence ever being capable of achieving that feat or illusion of an educative aid. This is not to say technology is incapable of organizing and in a sense running a classroom, but I don't think technology can ever convey the same level of interaction support, or understanding that an effective teacher or professor can.

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Bob Hand link
1/31/2018 03:33:35 pm

Thank you for sharing your thoughts. I think you're right; at the moment, it's clear that A.I. isn't capable of teaching the social skills and demonstrating the empathy needed to gain the trust (and even respect) of students — especially students in their elementary years. It's difficult to say if it will ever be possible, but it will be interesting to see what developers are able to do. School districts and educators just need to be wary of putting too much trust in unproven solutions as we move forward.

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Maria
1/28/2018 09:25:14 pm

While A.I is and will be a useful tool in education, I just can't imagine that replacing teachers with A.I would actually work. I believe that students learn best within actual relationships. The benefit of A.I. applications seems to be that they can better assess a student's ability, accessibility needs, learning preferences etc, but if that is the case, I think that it can remain a great assessment tool for the teacher to use, without becoming the dominant mode of instruction.

Reply
Bob Hand link
1/31/2018 03:36:48 pm

Thanks! At its current level of development, I'd also say that A.I. should be viewed as a tool — not as a means to replace instructors. We have to wait to see what the future holds, but it's important that students are able to collaborate with peers and instructors. Isolating them with learning software is clearly not ideal.

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