I Learned it From my Computer... Blog #4

In Nelson’s Computer Lib/ Dream Machine there is a focus on education needing to move past its overly structured, unthinking roots. Nelson’s primary issue with education is the mind set it produces in children which follows them into adulthood, “Not becoming involved with the subject, the student grabs for rote payoff rather than insight” (309). This relates to the computer through the use of computers as a tool to teaching. The idea is that computers are “cold” and “inhuman,” whereas teachers are “warm” and “human.” This is a stereotype that is not held up by much factual or statistical information. Overall, the use of the computer as teacher enables the student to become more intimate with the subject he is studying rather than focusing on completing busy work to make the desired grade; actually studying a subject rather than learning it long enough to get through a course and promptly forgetting it upon completion.

As of right now, the most consistent use of computers in the classroom is merely as a teaching aid or tool. The thought process for this type of use, related to the computer, is the same as using chalk on a chalkboard or marker on a whiteboard; the computer is considered merely a communication tool between teacher and student or as a more convenient way to give multiple choice tests. It is now also used more often for research, but again, this is similar to the use of a book or journal. There is little time devoted to truly experimenting with the other tool provided by computers: possible artificial intelligence to educate.

Looking up “artificial intelligence in education” on Google search produced quite a few hits. Most collegiate institutions now provide online classes in which the student works (for the most part) at his own pace, takes part in online forum discussions with other students, and uses AI based computer tutorials to help work through certain subjects without the direct aid of a human teacher. One such site is http://www.aaai.org/. This site specializes in improving “the teaching and training of AI practitioners,” among other AI related subjects. A page on the site related specifically to AI education discusses the continual, albeit gradual, movement toward employing AI directly in schools.