Robot Teacher in an English Classroom

              The rapid speed at which technology is advancing is mind-blowing.  As I was watching the FOX 5 news last week, a story was released about a robot named NAO, created by the company TEQ, being used in several schools throughout New Jersey. This particular story was based on the Randolph Township, N.J. school district. This robot is programmed to respond to commands. Its main purpose is to help students learn; students are able to control the robot themselves. It is primarily used in math and science classes to teach students basic programming skills. Perhaps what intrigues students the most is that the robots respond to commands, making students feel in power.

            Each robot costs approximately $16,000, which several school districts many not want to invest in due to low budgets. However, there are currently $3,000 NAO robots integrated in classrooms all throughout the United States. I believe that it is crucial that all educators are aware and familiarize themselves with the NAO robot, because they may be present in our schools.

            The news report was only about a minute long, so I decided to do some further research. Even though the NAO robot could potentially benefits several students, should we as future educators be concerned? In The Huffington Post article entitled, “Nao The Robot Teacher Becomes Newest Edition To Kansas School's Teaching Staff,” the article states, “The Career and Technical Education Academy in Hutchinson, Kan., has hired a new teacher who may fit in perfectly at an institution with such a technological name. The Hutchinson News reports NAO, a robot teacher, has arrived mid-year at the high school but is already making a big impact.” As a future educator aspiring to find a job as an English educator in a matter of a few months, this concerns me, because the robot is considered a teacher. Is a robot truly capable of replacing a teacher?

            I then began searching for other related articles and came across an article entitled, “Robots Teach English In South Korea,” also on The Huffington Post website. Even though this article was not referring to a NAO robot, it sparked my interest because it was based on a robot teaching an English class, my content area. This article is extremely vague and short, but as a future English educator, I question the accuracy and potential of these robots. How can a robot conduct a classroom discussion and really get to know their students? Will these robots benefit all students? What difficulties will the robot encounter with students with disabilities or English Language Learners? How will a robot control classroom management? These are all questions that I have about this new form of technology; however, I am aware that the robots are still in their early stages. 

            It has only been a little over three years that I graduated from high school, yet I have realized that so much has already changed. I used to carry heavy textbooks and novels from class to class. Today, several students own a Kindle or iPad where they have access to millions of texts whenever they need it. Also, several schools provide each student with a laptop or an iPad; therefore, having access to different methods of teaching through the internet. Technology is definitely playing an important role on the education of all students.

Sources:
The FOX 5 news video and report can be found here: <http://www.opposingviews.com/i/technology/gadgets/robot-teaching-kids-new-jersey-school-district-video#>

“Nao The Robot Teacher Becomes Newest Edition To Kansas School's Teaching Staff.” The Huffington Post. <http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/04/01/nao-robot-schools_n_2994863.html>

“Robots Teach English In South Korea.” The Huffington Post. <http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2010/10/22/robots-teach-english-in-s_n_772467.html>