ROBOT TEACHERS Text 1 1

THE ROBOT AS A TEACHER
1] Before you read the text below, write in the table below what YOU think are the advantages and disadvantages of using robots as teachers.
WHAT DO YOU THINK?

ROBOT TEACHERS
HUMAN TEACHERS

ADVANTAGES

DISADVANTAGES

WHAT DOES THE TEXT SAY?

ADVANTAGES

DISADVANTAGES

2] Read the text; then write in the table above the advantages and disadvantages of using robots as teachers.
Now answer the questions below about the text.
1. Dr. Marina Dodigovic's software can make a teacher's job easier, but can it replace him? Dodigovic, an assistant professor of English and TESOL at the American University of Sharjah, certainly doesn't think so.
2. "Not in the long run," she says. "Computer applications are very task-specific." On the other hand, the human brain is capable of processing an unimaginable range of functions simultaneously.
Styles of Learning
3. What's more, it can adapt to a student's style of learning. The pilot project has been successfully tested on around 300 students in Taiwan, Australia and the UAE, achieving an average of 85 % success in the correction of errors.
4. The software is already being tested in AUS's foundation classes. However, it needs more student input before it can be fine-tuned to meet the needs of the student community as a whole. If developed commercially, the software can be provided online.
The advantages of using “Intelligent Tutor”
5. There are various advantages of using this software. These include the following:
a. A student can learn at his own pace.
b. Immediate correction of errors and immediate feedback.
c. Teachers under pressure of time and resources can't often address an individual student's specific needs.
d. Timely help can help maintain students' interest in a language programme and help reduce the drop-out rate.
6. "The software uses the same reasoning processes as a flesh and blood tutor," says Talhami. Both Talhami and Dr. Marina Dodigovic, who is developing the Intelligent Tutor, would welcome funding from private companies for commercial production. But it isn't all that forthcoming. "There's very little history of research in this region," says Talhami. "This attitude has to change." The main costs are in research, he says.
Voice to text
7. Intelligent Tutor uses 'Voice to text'; with this software a student doesn't have to type out an assignment; he just speaks and his thoughts and ideas automatically appear on the computer screen. A disadvantage of this is Voice to Text allows no time for reflection; how many times have we said something we felt sorry about a second later? So, Voice to Text, is mainly used for writing short notes. It can help, however, learners with disabilities that make it difficult for them to type.
A teacher's burden
8. Today's classroom is a far cry from yesterday's classroom; and so it will be from tomorrow's classroom. There was a time when the teacher was the be all and end all in a classroom. Today he is jostling for attention alongside multimedia devices, laptops and the worldwide web. His role is fast becoming that of a guide, directing students towards sources of knowledge and how these can be best used.
Artificial Intelligence
9. Dr. Kurt Van Lehn, artificial intelligence researcher and professor of computer science at the University of Pittsburgh in the USA, paints a scenario of a time when "class work takes place at home, with the help of a smart tutor. When a student hits a rough spot, the tutor will automatically send a file with the problems to the teacher. When students return to class, the teacher can help them. The system directs human contact where it's most needed," he says. However, he stresses: "You can't replace a teacher."
10. Researchers are working on creating more efficient applications that can take on more of the tiresome aspects of a teacher's job, such as marking answer sheets. Even today online systems are available where students can turn in essays and get them graded. Compare this with a teacher going through 25 answer sheets and returning them to students in a week or two.
3] Match the words with their meanings. Write a) to j) in the middle column.
WORDS FROM THE TEXT

MEANINGS
1) User interface

a) Relating to a particular job which needs to be done
2) Artificial intelligence

b) Having something as a part, using it
3) Pilot project

c) At the same time
4) Flesh and blood

d) Situation, place and time
5) Repetitive

e) Work done before the main research begins
6) Scenario

f) Human
7) Task-specific

g) Made to suit people’s needs in a better way
8) Fine-tuned

h) Happening again and again
9) Simultaneously

i) What people see on their computer screens
10) incorporating

j) The ability of a machine to think like a person
4] Are the following sentences about the text TRUE or FALSE? UNDERLINE the sentences where you find the answers.
1) Dr. Dodigovic doesn’t think that teachers will be replaced by computers. ____
2) The Intelligent Tutor will be developed further based on what students think and say. ____
3) Private companies don’t want to give money to the Intelligent Tutor Project because they don’t’ believe it will be successful. ____
4) Classroom in future won’t be that much different from what they are today. ____
5) The Intelligent Tutor reduces the number of students who don’t finish a course. ____

5] Choose the correct answer. UNDERLINE the sentence where you find the answer.

1] Which of the sentences below about “Voice to text” is NOT TRUE?
a) It helps students with learning disabilities. b) It allows students to tell the computer what to write. c) It lets students organize their thoughts before speaking.

2] What does Dr. Kurt Van Lehn say about artificial intelligence?
a) Students don’t need to attend classroom lessons.
b) It tells the teacher about students’ mistakes.
c) It can replace the teacher in the classroom.

3] What does the text say about applications that are currently being developed?
a) They can do boring, repetitive tasks.
b) They can be developed very quickly.
c) They can teach students how to write essays.

4] ONE of the things below is NOT listed in the text as an advantage of Intelligent Tutor. Which is it?
a) It shows students their mistakes.
b) It enables students to study as fast or slowly as they want.
c) It shows how long students are logged into the program.

6] Using the notes you have taken in the table above, choose ONE of the topics below to write about:

a) In future, with the development of computer assisted language learning, students won’t need to attend university. Do you agree? Why? Why not?
b) Robots will replace teachers. Do you agree? Why? Why not?
c) Real classrooms will be replaced by ‘virtual’ classrooms. Do you agree? Why? Why not?
Write between 150 and 175 words. Divide your writing into THREE OR FOUR PARAGRAPHS. Each paragraph must have a different SUB-TOPIC, for example:
Paragraph One: Artificial Intelligence; Paragraph Two: Computer Assisted Language Learning For Young Children; Paragraph Three: User Interface etc.
NAME:__________________________ ID: _______________
SECTION: ______
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