Bots in the Classroom
Guy Huntington
Trailblazing Human and Entity Identity & Learning Visionary - Created a new legal identity architecture for humans/ AI systems/bots and leveraged this to create a new learning architecture
December 27, 2023 update - I strongly suggest readers skim “How Do I Trust Entities??? Different Levels of Identity & Credential Assurance - A Thought Paper”. and “My Learning Journey”.
June 13, 2023 update - I strongly advise readers to skim these recent articles:
There's a wave of change beginning to lap at school doors...bots. This post will examine:
Bots Are Here
Physical and virtual bots are now entering classrooms. Examples include but aren't limited to:
Chipping Away at Education
All of the above examples are, what I call in my head, "using technology to chip away" at portions of the current education system. From many different perspectives, they're trying to rethink portions of the system.
Some of them are producing measurable learning results BUT, from an educational administrator's perspective, many of them aren't reducing costs to the existing system's budgets. Instead, in addition to the teachers, the largest cost centre in schools, they're adding new capital/operating costs to the budget.
My premise? The school system needs to be rethought such that each student is equally addressed, while costs are reduced.
Rethinking the Education System
Several years ago, I went out for a coffee with the former superintendent of my school district. Together, leveraging technology, we had implemented many different changes. I told him we had failed. He looked at me like I was a dummy, rattling off the many things we had done, asking why I would say such a thing?
I replied that we hadn't changed the underlying system. The first day of school, a student shows up together with 20-30 other students. The teacher at the front doesn't know them, their learning strengths and weaknesses. The conveyor belt of the system begins to move, i.e. time. Students, like myself, who can easily learn, thrive. Others, who have different learning challenges begin to fall of the wagon, so to speak.
After some thought, he asked me what I was proposing? I stated before a child enters a classroom, the first requirement is to do a in-depth assessment of them. This includes their physical abilities (e.g. motor, sight, sound skills, etc.), aptitudes, learning abilities, abilities to work with others, etc.
Take this, and then begin to create a learning plan per child. It would likely involve a wide variety of different techniques, resources, humans and technology, at different times, for different subjects, etc. Then do continual assessments.
At the time of our conversation, digital twins, AI, technology to monitor/predict people's behavioral/biometrics, and bots, both physical and virtual, was all in its early days.
Digital Learning Twin
Before any technology is used, or any teacher begins to teach, the first thing is to understand the learner. In "Digital Identities, Students & Privacy" I lay out the idea of creating a learning digital twin. The technology is emerging, allowing creation of what I told my friend about.
Vision:
Skim these three papers to see a new learning vision:
New Learning Architecture:
Skim this new learning architecture which lays out the vision:
New Age Identity & Privacy Architecture For Humans and AI Systems/Bots
Skim these two architecture docs:
Humans:
AI Systems/Bots:
Roles, Data Privacy & Liability
This paper "Humanoid Robots as Teachers and a Proposed Code of Practice", examines the role of bots and teachers in the classroom moving forward, suggesting a code of practice. It also touches on privacy of student data and liability.
In "Digital Identities, Students & Privacy", I dive into the same waters. Bots, of any type, bring with them AI, plus the ability of continual behavioral/biometric monitoring. All of which leads to whopper sized databases, which can be used to predict a student's behavior, long after they've graduated. Note that in most of the above examples, this topic isn't mentioned.
Virtual Students
In "Digital Twins/Virtual Selves, Identity, Security & Death", I discuss the rapid emergence of virtual selves. With the advent of AI/AR glasses, it merges formerly online and offline worlds. All I can see in my head, is a confusing world of entities, both physical and virtual, heading towards the classroom. As an old guy, I see it as the coming to life of this old scene from Star Wars, where Princess Leia sends a message.
Skim these articles to see the world of privacy as we know it in a classroom is coming to an end:
Human and Bot Teachers
The digital learning twin will constantly recommend customized learning pathways for each student. Going back to my prior point about budgets, the new system must be able to deliver, for each student, the best learning for them, at a lower cost. Thus, different degrees of automation will be used, at different points along a student's learning pathway, as and when it works.
As the research paper noted above states, teaching roles will change. A teacher may still teach to some students, some of the time. The teacher might physically be in the same classroom as the student, or located on the other side of the planet. It's a mind-shift most educators aren't thinking of.
Bots, both physical and virtual, will be used, at the right place and time, for each student, given each student's learning plan. The bots may facilitate group work, teach independently, etc.
Teaching Bot Singularity
In the thought paper "Artificial Intelligence & Legal Identification", I discuss bots working together in singularity. The ability to work together in singularity isn't here yet, but it's coming. What was once the age of science fiction is now on our doorstep.
To see an example of 2,300 physical bots working together in a modern warehouse watch this video:
Thus, it begs the question on how teaching bots will be able or unable to collectively work together? Much thought needs to be put into this, since the effects on privacy, over time, will be stunning.
Ethics & Schools
Into all of the above enters ethics. In a fast changing planet due to this curve, what ethics need to be taught in our schools? There's currently much debate about ethics for AI, gender, race, et al. Pushing aside for the moment what ethics needs to be taught, can bots "teach it" in an unbiased way?
Today, the likely answer is no. BUT, with the rapid pace of change, it's not inconceivable, in the not so distant future, they could. The proposed code of practice referred to above, needs to be adjusted to include standards for teaching of ethics.
Assessments
In "AI, Cheating & Future of Schools/Work", I examine the current arms race leveraging AI, wireless et al to cheat. At the end it states "Given the rapid change, instead of trying to prevent Jane Doe from cheating on an exam, essay or HR assessment, why not consider?rethinking schools?and business with new age tools to rethink learning, assessment and work? Leverage the technology, rather than try to swim against it."
Wind of Change
In the 90's Scorpion song "Wind of Change", it contains the words "Take me to the magic of the moment, on a glory night, where the children of tomorrow dream away, in the wind of change." The video ends with the statement of a female astronaut, "When you look at it up here, you get an appreciation of our world is a beautiful place, and we do need to take care of it."
We have choices. We can let technology lead us or, we can lead it, to leverage our children's lives, such that they may live their dreams. It's time to rethink our learning systems, from the child learner's perspective, planet wide.
About Guy Huntington
I'm an identity trailblazing problem solver. My past clients include Boeing, Capital One and the Government of Alberta's Digital Citizen Identity & Authentication project. Many of my past projects were leading edge at the time in the identity/security space. I've spent the last eight years working my way through creating a new legal identity architecture and leveraging this to then rethink learning.
I've also done a lot in education as a volunteer over my lifetime.?This included chairing my school district's technology committee in the 90's - which resulted in wiring most of the schools with optic fiber, behind building a technology leveraged school, and past president of Skills Canada BC and Skills Canada.
I do short term consulting for Boards, C-suites and Governments, assisting them in readying themselves for the arrival of AI systems, bots and AI leveraged, smart digital identities of humans.
I've written LOTS about the change coming. Skim the?over 100 LinkedIn articles?I've written,?or my webpage?with lots of papers.
Quotes I REALLY LIKE!!!!!!:
Reference Links:
An Identity Day in The Life:
My Message To Government & Industry Leaders:
National Security:
Rethinking Legal Identity, Credentials & Learning:
Learning Vision:
领英推荐
Creativity:
AI Agents:
Architecture:
AI/Human Legal Identity/Learning Cost References
AI Leveraged, Smart Digital Identities of Humans:
CISO's:
Companies, C-Suites and Boards:
Legal Identity & TODA:
Enterprise Articles:
Rethinking Enterprise Architecture In The Age of AI:
LLC's & AI:
Challenges With AI:
New Security Model:
DAO:
Kids:
Sex:
Schools:
Biometrics:
Legal Identity:
Identity, Death, Laws & Processes:
Open Source:
Notaries:
Climate Change, Migration & Legal Identity:
Fraud/Crime:
Behavioral Marketing:
AI Systems and Bots:
Contract Law:
Insurance:
Health:
AI/AR/VR Metaverse Type Environments:
SOLICT:
EMP/HEMP Data Centre Protection:
Climate:
A 100,000-Foot Level Summary Of Legal Human Identity
A 100,000-Foot Level Summary Of The Learning Vision: