Question of the Day: How can AI chatbots in education help children learn to read and be a cost-effective alternative to tutoring?
Educator (1972–present)Just now
I receive questions daily. Today’s question is ” How can AI chatbots in education help children learn to read and be a cost-effective alternative to tutoring?
AI is attractive to this generation, so apps will be something students find exciting. They want quick answers and AI can generate answers faster that a person. However, far too many times AI generates information that is false, or an hallucination (what tech individuals are calling lies today). The App may omit important information, as well.
Young students have to learn to find other sources to see what is correct and incorrect in any AI generated product. It can create videos that look so real, but aren’t. Any student using AI has to learn to ask questions, “Does this make sense?” “Where did this information come from?” etc.
They will also need to become excellent observers who question every video they view. The way in which AI Apps can create fake news is somewhat scary if one is not taught to question everything. I can actually ask an App to create a video of catching a 325 pound fish in and Australian ocean, when I have never been to Australia or gone deep see fishing.
Kahn Academy is working on AI applications to help students learn math according to their unique learning style, but I am not sure it has developed to the point that it is reliable. This is exciting to me, because it will eventually take the guesswork about how to deliver math instruction based on each individual’s unique style of learning. It will, however, require teacher viewing first.
AI Apps are free for now while they build an interest in them. They have only been available to students for a little over 8 months. Once they get enough users, I suspect they will eventually come with a charge.
Please comment on how you feel about AI use. Share this with others who might have concerns about AI Apps.
They are the future, so we need to prepare our children. We really don’t know what is coming next, but I can guarantee you, there will be other things that will require a keen eye and a questioning mind to prepare our students for this 21st century.