Brent Holcombe
Information Systems
April 2, 2019
Paul Tallon
Blog
Will technology ever replace teachers? Well, that is what was brought up in the recent article on Forbes.com on April 1, 2019. Quora, another site was a key contributor in writing this article and they were the ones who brought up the entire idea of if technology could eventually replace teachers. Katie Fang, CEO of SchoolLinks.com on Quora, discusses how achievable this idea is and if it is even a good idea. From my understanding Fang’s views towards this are a mix of both for and against technology replacing teachers. When asked about her views she states, “My answer is a yes and a no. It depends on what your job really is. Technology should change the way we work in a positive way”. Katie Fang made her point clear by furthering her comments in explaining that humans are in fact irreplaceable in the education industry. This is because humans have the instincts and compassion that technology or AIs do not. Although technologies should not fully replace humans, they can help humans and teachers out to let them focus more on what is important, the students. Technology could replace the unimportant jobs and tasks that teachers do that are time-consuming and insignificant in the teaching industry. All of the grading and paperwork and other tasks could be replacing by technologies such as AIs which in return would allow the teacher to focus on things such as shaping and engaging with the students.
After reading this article written by Katie Fang, I could not agree more with her. I believe whole heartedly that teachers are the back bone of America. I feel that many issues in America can begin to be solved through education. I think that this is idea of using technology to replace teachers in CERTAIN ways is the beginning to a monumental change in a lot of people’s lives. I agree with Fang’s ideas on how teachers can offer much more than an AI, or a robot can. My sister is a teacher and she goes above and beyond when it comes to caring for her students. She teaches the third grade and does things such as dress up for special occasions or bring in snacks that allow for her students to be excited for something. Technology will never be able to replace the charisma and special touch from a human. However, I do believe that technology can help replace time being wasted by teachers on insignificant tasks. Tasks such as filing paper work or grading could potentially be done by AIs or other “robot” like devices which would allow teachers, such as my sister, to focus more on engaging with their students and bettering their learning experience. Overall, I think this article was written well and covered some topics that should be discussed further because they could potentially change a lot of people’s lives. Katie Fang speaks very well and gets her point across all while proving her points by backing it up with extra information.
https://www.forbes.com/sites/quora/2019/04/01/will-technology-ever-replace-teachers/#5bdb80484279
3 comments:
In my opinion, it will be VERY hard to have AI replace teachers. I’m sure it won’t be impossible to have AI teaching kids in school in the future, but it will not be the same as having a human teach. I agree with your post in that “technology will never be able to replace the charisma and special touch from a human”. Humans can connect emotionally with each other and AI (as it is right now) can’t connect to humans like that. The AI that would replace a teacher would probably have to be coded for every possible human interaction that it may come to contact with; that simply isn’t feasible. Sure, an AI could be created to teach a class a certain topic and answer some questions from the students. However, that would be it. Students would not have a chance to ask the AI its own experiences with the topic. For example, some students ask our professors at Loyola their experiences when they did their research. Or, what it was like when the professors were in college; what were their college experiences applying for jobs. AI would probably not be able to answer that.
As far as using AI for grading and paperwork, I think it will be useful. But, I don’t think it will be able to replace all grading. AI may be able to replace grading multiple choice answers or fill in the blanks—those sorts of assignments. It will be difficult to have AI read different short answer questions, essays or reports. However, I do believe it will give teachers more time. How that extra time spent is ultimately up to the teachers. As a student, I think that time should be spent engaging with students more. Instead of giving another lecture about the topic, maybe going out and doing hands-on activities. More time from having the AI grade assignments shouldn’t equate to more assignments being handed out to students. If people really cared about human interaction and how AI could replace humans, then we should do things that are harder to replace.
Is it possible for AI and other technology to replace teachers? Yes. Will it be difficult? I think so in some aspects. Technology was made to make lives easier and reduce time. Because of this, we should focus on having an easier time engaging with one another and spending more time with one another. We should discuss things that technology or AI will not be able to teach us. If we don’t continue to have human interactions, we might as well all be replaced by technology.
Your article points out possible conflictions involving the advancement of technology; specifically, AI, and how it will affect the educational system. Like the comment stated above, I believe that it would be difficult to transition to fully implemented "AI teachers" to instruct classes. Rather, these already exist in the forms of software and services like Wiley Plus. Even Quizlet has this capability. The software has the ability to test your learning through the use of algorithms by testing you and seeing which problems you need to study more of. Although it is possible for someone to teach him/herself a subject, having a human professor can be motivational and stress relieving. AI software like the ones described do not understand that humans make plenty of mistakes outside of classes. Perhaps you came to class 5 minutes late; you would already be marked absent. Perhaps your computer acts up during an exam and you still get graded based on what you've completed. There is no sympathy, just systematic processes. Another important aspect of having a human professor is the ability to converse and share your thoughts.
What also comes into mind is how AI would even replace teachers? Who would regulate them, who would create them, who would implement them? Would prestigious universities have "better" AI than community colleges or high schools? What company would be at the forefront of creating these? From what I know, Wiley Plus is highly used and already has AI tech implemented within its software to help students learn. It is a tool used by professors to help students retain knowledge of topics taught in their lectures. Perhaps what could be implemented is the automation of time-consuming tasks such as taking attendance (for small schools) with RFID technology, including what is said in the original blog as well about filing paperwork and grades.
I believe that what is more important is the development of technology that can be used by teachers to help them learn more about what certain students struggle with, or maybe what students in general struggle with so that they can further explain and clear up that material. For instance, maybe like some sort of CRM but for students.
In the past few years, there have been constant fears about technology replacing humans in their jobs. Although technology has many positive ways in which it can help the economy and make people’s jobs easier, it also lacks the capabilities of human emotions an understanding how our minds work in order to perform our specific tasks. Some jobs require these abilities that technology just cannot replicate and further teach others how to do these jobs as well. And based on the article that you discussed, teaching is one sparking controversy.
Teaching education is a crucial part of expanding our knowledge of the world around us, past, present, and future, as well as learn more about ourselves and others and how to function in society. “While artificial intelligence programs have proven they can teach students to read or do math, teaching social and emotional skills is more complex.” This is a key element in maintaining our ways of life, so replacing human teachers with those of technological ones will cause a loss in real human experiences that could affect what we learn.
You make a great point in saying that technology should be able to replace tasks that are deemed as not requiring as much effort, such as grading tests and quizzes or filing paperwork. Technology is most of the times created in a way that does structural tasks in which there is a specific order. So by having artificial intelligence perform these jobs that require not much skill, it can improve the lives and the workloads of teachers everywhere.
The most obvious reason for not replacing teachers with technology is the loss of jobs it will create. There are many teachers for all ages and all subjects, whether it’s for elementary school, high school, college, and even classes that adults can take when they want to expand their knowledge in a certain field for a job. There is an abundant number of schools worldwide that has teachers as the backbone of the schools, so replacing them with technology may be more costly than having teachers. This will also cause a negative rift in the economy and affect families and how they will be able to live. Therefore, overall, I believe replacing teachers with technology is for the most part a dangerous change that will affect more than just the teachers themselves.
https://www.thetechedvocate.org/artificial-intelligence-will-never-replace-teachers/
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