We all know the scenario: robots overtaking humans…how scary is that? When it comes to our classroom, what are the chances to be displaced by artificial intelligence or mere chatboxes?
First of all, let’s get information about what artificial intelligence is capable to accomplish. I quite often read information about algorithms, chatboxes and apps, not only to be updated but also to try them myself. There is an important distinction to be made: technology used by teachers and technology employed by students. Each one has definite purposes, to say the least.
Below we can find some reflections about my findings:
AI is already being applied in Language Acquisition In fact, this is not new at all. The application of AI started about 30 years ago. Duolingo is a free app used to learn languages and it is quite popular among students, since it is free. This app has recently included a new feature: a chatbot, which allows students to practice without feeling embarrassed of making mistakes, especially if they do not feel particularly confident when speaking. We were all new to the language once; would you not have preferred if there had been absolutely no potential of anyone taking notice of those mistakes?
- AI is really effective in terms of collecting data, which allows thestandardization of information regarding students’ production, let’s say in written tasks, and also provides instant feedback. There are platforms that are available 24/7. This gives the students the sense of always getting attention. Who would not like getting immediate replies when practicing? Waiting for feedback may be quite discouraging.
- LUMILO is an augmented reality assistant which, together with the teacher, monitors students’ performance in real time and allows the teacher to assign more challenging activities to stronger students and provide support to the ones that are struggling with the tasks. If we do not step up and accept the challenge that the ever-improving augmented reality technology presents, who will?
- GRAMMARLY corrects students’ writings. This means saving a lot of time in class. What can a teacher do then? Identify the students’ weaknesses and providing them with practice on that particular issue. Besides, this application helps students to know their scores, how well they are doing, but NOT how to write and/or organize a text. Because of this, students will still ask themselves “but what can I do to improve?” which will result in them seeking advice from their teachers.
- Technology promotes collaboration. Forums and wikis work really well. Teachers start the thread and students participate by answering the main questions and replying to at least two of their classmates. Rules regarding participation must be clear to make the most of it.
- Technology reduces repetitive tasks by programming the feedback of each question in an exam after it is finished, for example, which in turn allows not only to get the score, but also statistics of the classroom’s results. It is also very handy when getting the final scores of a course since we upload each activity’s grade all along the duration of the course or the term; when it is finished we are able to get the final score just by clicking on it. As teachers, we deserve some help with data organization too, don’t we?
- And last, but not least important, when dealing with this fear of being substituted by a contraption, rest assured, technology will never be able to replace teachers. However, our roles are constantly changing, and this is no exception. We will turn out to be supervisors in the learning process. Once again, this is not breaking news. With the Flipped Classroom, we have a similar role. It is a matter of not losing perspective.
Now, what about you?
Have you ever felt threatened by technology that your institution has invested on?
Do you think it is not a fair competition or just not possible to compete with Artificial Intelligence?
Biodata
Zarela Cruz graduated from Ricardo Palma University as a translator. She also finished her master’s studies in Linguistics and took some specialization diplomas in the Teaching of English and Spanish. She has also completed some online certificates: Teaching the Working Adult, Online, Hybrid and Blended Education, among other self-study courses. She has taught different courses, programs and levels and has been a teacher trainer, a lecturer and online instructor for more than 25 years. She has just finished her master’s studies in Translation. This article aims to reflect on this important current topic, the use of Artificial Intelligence in the classroom.
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We invite you all to read our latest post on Artificial Intelligence and its uses in the classroom. Your insights are more than welcome!
We should not be threatened about AI. On the contrary, AI is helping in different in the services and industrial sectors. Some of the routine tasks can be well handled, as correcting tests, quizzes, exams and even essays. This releases the burden on us and by doing so we can devote our efforts into a more thorough teaching. We can spend more time preparing more down to earth classes. Another aspect to consider for your jobs is Big Data. We can extract data on our students’ performance and see some trends. For example, see when did the students’ get a high or low score? Was it at AM or PM? On what day of the week? So this helps program our testing and our activities better. We can also see how are the students’ reacting to what we are offering.
Zarela, who knows maybe a bot wrote a respond on your blog!
Glad to see that you are so positive about the impact of AI in our field! You are right, it can be very helpful and benefitial in terms of getting immediate feedback and collecting data.
In bank and online courses websites among others, bots do reply any frequently asked questions! It took me some time to realize it when I was having some trouble with a course fee I paid some time ago and started asking for further information. After a while, I could see it was not a person, but a bot…hopefully we keep on reading and replying our readers’ comments! It is the best part of blogging! Thank you for your interest in our blog and for your contributions, Luis! Best.ZC
I see AI as a tool and not as a threat. It helps a lot inside and outside the classroom, especially with new learners. I don’t think AI can replace real teachers because they need each other. Great article!! I’m going to try and use some of the tools you mentioned in this post 🙌
Glad to know that you found the post useful. Happy learning as well! Regards.ZC
Technology is applied to help us with different tasks in our lives. Learning new languages is one of the options. As I read in another comment, AI will never replace the teacher. No matter how advanced the program or the app is, many people will decide which is better – face-to-face or virtual. I think it depends on the age and the place where you live. A 7-year-old boy who uses the smartphone and has access to a lot of information is not the same as an adult who lives in the Highlands and doesn’t even have complete primary education.
That is true, Jose; connectivity is a must when taking online courses and the students’ profiles are worth to be taken into consideration. Thank you for sharing your viewpoints! ZC
This is a really interesting topic since it does not only involve teaching but also other kind of activities and industries. It is a fact that AI is part of our lives, and that many jobs are now performed by AI tools. It is also a fact that teaching as many other activities has evolved over the years. Time ago, teachers (with all my respect) were the only ones who said what was right or wrong, and students just agreed with it. Then, students were able to give their opinions, make comments and even give new information to teachers and in the classroom. Now, teachers use technology as a perfect aid in the classroom and out of it. Therefore, AI should not represent a thread for teachers but a good and new opportunity to innovate, to improve, to create something much more appealing for students in order to motivate and encourage language teaching. So it is just a matter of adapting to new trends and tools and to be creative in order not be left behind.
Our role as teachers has changed quite considerably all along these years. I totally agree with you regarding the implementation of technology and the need to be constantly updating. Great comment as well! Regards.ZC
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