Comments on: Teachers Aren’t All Made from Meat

By: hthth

hthth — Fri, 27 Apr 2007 23:44:23 +0000

By the way, can you give me a price range for these kinds of systems? Just an estimate, based on your experience?

By: hthth

hthth — Fri, 27 Apr 2007 21:57:15 +0000

Hey John.
Yeah, of course this system doesn’t replace a human, and that Gazette article is definitely exaggerating its potential — like the media so often tends to do.

But it might make up for a lack of human teachers, provided they are actually cheaper.

I get the feeling you think I considered this a replacement for humans? That was not my intention — as I understood the article, they are comparing their AI system to “static” or non-interactive eLearning.

That is, a replacement for traditional eLearning tools: reading static text and answering exams versus having an AI agent help you study.

I just realized reading over the article that the “But does it rival us meatmachines?” implies this, woops. My bad. I added it as “extra spice” when I was done writing the entry and didn’t realize until now that I hadn’t explained this was a comparison of two eLearning methods — not AI and human teachers.

Fixed now. Thanks.

By: John Pozadzides

John Pozadzides — Fri, 27 Apr 2007 19:13:04 +0000

First of all, in the corporate world I had a LOT of people trying to sell me similar training systems for my staff at great cost.

Every one of them claimed it could improve retention and comprehension, and all incorporated what they claimed were AI type components. However, there are opposing views to all of this marketing hype.

– The machines cannot guage a human’s interest in a subject, nor can they do anything to increase it. Great teachers can.

– The cost of such machines are extraordinary. You could hire more teachers for the same money.

– The programs and hardware need to be updated routinely which means there are ongoing costs in addition to the upfront costs.

If you need any proof that skepticism is in order just examine this one statement:

“We have found all the mechanisms (that help students succeed) and we have applied them to eLearning.”

Oh really? So, how does the system help when a person is feeling a little ill, or worried about a relative in the hospital, or nervous about an upcoming test, or tired?

eLearning is an excellent tool to augment traditional learning methods, but attempting to replace them altogether is absolute folly.

John

PS – I have helped to develop eLearning programs so I have some experience in this area.

By: hthth

hthth — Wed, 25 Apr 2007 23:23:29 +0000

Hey John — yeah, this type of software and research is definitely worth persuing.

By: John Fitzsimmons

John Fitzsimmons — Wed, 25 Apr 2007 18:48:32 +0000

“For those interested, these projects use the open source Unreal game engine.”
… Sweet.

Personally, Id love to learn Spanish thru GTA type of game setting. The whole idea is genius, especially in regards to learning languages.

This needs to be brought to the public. Someone needs to contact RockStar quick!