Living and Learning with Robots… NOW!
How do today’s young
students understand the potential of robots in their world? Actual robots, that
is, robots they increasingly will encounter in their home and neighborhood, in
the world of work and commerce, and in school, as well.
Along with a teacher
colleague, Dr. Rose Reissman took on this powerful, relevant and very timely
foray into bringing a controversial and important real world theme into Language
Arts and Social Studies oriented learning activities.
At Ditmis Middle School
(Brookly, NYC) Reissman collaborated with Ms. Amanda Xavier to introduce the
topic Xavier’s 4 ELA 6th grade partnered classes. These include three
enrichment classes and an ICT group.
Here’s quick rundown of
what the 2 educators did with the students. This short segment is followed by
Reissman’s in-depth article on how colleague teachers everywhere can similarly
bring this important approach to their students.
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First Session: The topic was connected thematically with the
1950 Ray Bradbury short story ‘The Veldt’ which focuses on children's addiction to a
multi-sensory telepathically controlled "nursery" with lethal
consequences to the parents of the children.
In this context the
students in the first lesson considered whether they would want to have their
younger siblings buy an actual 2020 product –MIKO 2
the playful robot that is a friend to younger children and gives homework help.
The students were
pre-assessed about their views on this topic. They talked about it .
Next they watched a MIKO
commercial video (YouTube) and were asked to focus on how the family in the
video interacted with MIKO as well as
the child and the ways the company used music and visuals to highlight the
positives of this technology item that is currently for sale to all.
The students then
discussed their reactions to this video and finally were given the varied
project options to do, samples of which were provided.
Second Session: Ms. Xavier’s 4 classes were then discussing
whether robots are useful would be cost effective in filling some job openings
at their middle school, as well as the extent to which, as sophisticated middle
school students they would like or could adapt to a well programmed robot
instructor as sole educator or as part of a resource ICT team or collaborating
with Ms. Xavier as do I.
As part of this
experience They will see videos of actually in implementation, teaching robots
at work with students in classrooms in different parts of the world .
The project the students
will do will be a poem or story or poster or PSA/commercial for or against
robots as teachers.
The three 6 th
gradeclasses of Mrs. Francis, also ELA at this school, had the same lessons but
not connected to literature. One of them is an ICT class with many ESL
students.
Mr. Guardino is currently
doing the same two parts described above with his 605 ELA class; no
connection to Science Fiction.
Mr. Carideo is infusing
a single lesson on MIKO into his coding and programming robotics class. also a
6th grade.
Ms.Cataldo is doing the
two part topic (above) with her ESL self contained class 7th graders with a
spread of English reading levels. The use of the videos made the topic
immediately accessible.
Interestingly, Tte
ESLstudents felt the robot could help younger siblings with English assignments
and free up older siblings to do their own work.
Mark Gura, Editor
Living
and Learning in an Increasingly Robot Filled World!
How teachers can engage students, grades 4 -12, in
considering the education, and life impacting possibilities robots offer-
By Dr. Rose Reissman
Look up and around you, robots are here… in school
and everywhere. For ELA teachers- video clips featuring a programmable robot toy, robot
tutors and companions; and horror of horrors, classroom teaching robots; are not some slick take-off on
movie fiction, but rather, recognizable, documented use of robots in current,
actual use.
A growing number of secondary and elementary schools
strapped for cash or short on enrollments at specific sites, have begun using
robots as teachers of content and methods.
Families and educators use robots
that are very affordable-to train and support students in understanding pet and
even friendship relationships. Indeed,
various companies offer what amounts to a child grade and age appropriate Siri
or Alexa home assistant- always there, as is its adult counterpart, with positive
reinforcement and help.
While there is no debate that these finely
designed robots as teachers or as supports can immerse the students in learning
content skills with actual outcomes and
if tapped at home provide the robot support that so comforts adults; is it good
for a child to have a friend at the end of the day who has a set of
programmable responses and moods or will
a robot teacher be able to respond to the differentiating instruction and
social and emotional aspects of teaching as well as do human teachers? Does this truly ready the child for
developing human lasting friendships or short lasting ones that end with a
whimper or a bang? Can a robot teacher also provide life lessons and the human
connection some of today's students facing social-economic, immigrant, special
needs learning and trauma in their personal lives, so need from an educator?
Does having a small portable robot who emits
lifelike barks and nicely simulates small dog moves and sounds plus can be
programmed to show recognition for the owner/controller, train the child to be
a nurturer of a small canine or feline being who poops, emits sounds endlessly,
begs, and shuts down when he or she feels like it, not the owner often
controlled by the pet?
What the robots who are ALREADY here among us and a
strong force, allow for – is their use as the catapult platform for engaging
students in the big questions and ideas that are the stuff of deep learning and
understanding and thinking so crucial to thriving in our 21st
century.
These essential questions speak beautifully to
students who are middle and high school or beyond, since from the level of
their comparative maturity and their life experience with friendships and loss,
they can evaluate the efficacy of these programmable pals and pets. They speak
beautifully to all students who at the moment are overjoyed by the concept of
robots they already adore from movies and Lego robotics steam course as their
teachers.For middle school and beyond students:
Before viewing the digital excerpts:
Would you initially be happy to have a
robot – with the same content mastery - replace your current human teacher or be
part of a teacher team who already teach your class?
Explain your initial reaction and why
yes or no.
If you needed help or had a question in
that class with a robot teacher and a human one, which would you approach for
help or to ask a question. Explain your answer.
There are
currently toys that younger children ages 5-8 can program as robot friends
and as robot dogs or other pets. What would be the positives for the children in being able to buy and to program
these robot friends and pets? For each positive provide an explanation.
What would be the negatives for the
children in these toys who as programmable as friends by them , would never
cause them any pain as do friendships sometimes or disobey as do the most
obedient live pets? For each negative provide an explanation.
If you could buy one of these for a
younger sibling or relative, would you do so?
Explain the reasons why you would or would not make the purchase.
View
These Videos:
Here’s MIKO
William Recoppa on CBS 2 New York
After
Viewing: (Critical
Media Viewing)
Would you want to be in William's class?
Tell why or why not. In what ways is
William an effective teacher? How would
you improve William? Why? Should William
be improved?
In what ways as depicted in the
excerpts, do each of the children benefit positively from the toy robot friend
and the toy robot pet?
List the benefits as shown or
communicated in each excerpt.
How do the media creators of each
excerpt “stack” the positives to make the parent buyer want to buy the toy
robot since it is not only “good” for the child, but also the family?
List these deliberate “sales” positives
placed in each excerpt which is of course a commercial for the product?
As someone who is several years older
than the target owner of these toys, do you find these “sales” positives convincing
or not? Explain why.
Projects and Preferred Future
Discussions/Explorations:
1. ELA
students can write opinion and argument essay piece point positions on the Use of Programmable toy
robots as friends or pets using their reactions to these excerpts and then one
or two vetted secondary sources and asking their parents or adults.
2. ELA
students can read the prescient story “Robbie” (1940) written by Isaac Asimov
which includes a girl developing a close relationship with a robot nanny who is
then sent away. They can compare and
contrast Asimov’s point of view in this story with the perspective of the robot
toy companies that produce these toys.
They can conclude with their personal perspectives. (Reading across
print and digital genres).
3. Students
can have a podcast discussion arguing for and against programmable robot friend
toys and invite PTA members, toy store owners, the school counselors, school
psychologist and others to weigh in on this issue. (Community Engagement)
4. Students
can work in an Inventions or a scratch class to design a powerful robot toy
friend or robot toy dog that will be useful in helping students prepare for a
human or live pet relationship. (Stem Engineering in Design Process)
5. Students
can develop “anti” robot toy friends commercials or PBAs or videos to counter
these or interview younger siblings particularly those who have some form of
toys like the ones shown. (Media
Literacy)
6. Students
can do market research and go through toy catalogs and ads as well as local
stores to document already available and affordable toys like those in the
videos and make a n online display or Power Point commenting on these various
toys. (Business Marketing Research-Parcc)
7. Students
can examine how the first video seems to market to Latinos. They can explore to what extent some of their
native cultures and their America born families would never consider allowing
young children to program toys as robot friends or pets. They can get family
cultural and/or religious perspectives on toys as robot friends or pets. (Culturally Responsive)
8. Students can explore and analyze movie series
such as the Transformers which certainly portray robots as human friends or
consider Data from Star Trek and the famed Star Wars robot friends to consider
how these unavailable in real world cinematic heroes paved the way for very
affordable and programmable toys. Because
Data can be a very human empathetic pal, does that mean an eight year
old should have a programmable friend whose words and gestures are
pre-programmed by the eight year old and his parents? (Robots in Pop Culture).
9. Students
can enjoy creating online scratch scenarios or working with available
programmable toys similar to the ones in the videos which their younger
siblings have, to retell the film from the emotions or perspective of the robot
toys-just as toy story is told from the perspective of non animate toys. This creative revision of the excerpt might
fictively reveal that the robot toys like the toys of toy story have “feelings:
that are real.
10. Finally
in “The Veldt” (1950) Ray Bradbury portrayed two children aptly named Wendy and
Peter who were so caught up in a telepathic “Nursery” immersive environment
that they wished never to exit it and literally locked out their parents . The
parents attempted to shut down the nursery and pull their children away from
this addictive toy technology. To what
extent if any, might toys like ones in the videos, become too addictive for
young children and stop them from making human friends and having barking live
canine companions?
11. Do
you think within the next five years of your life there will be a mix of robot
and human instructors in high school and college? Why or why not? Use one piece of research to
support your ideas. Will you care if
your instructor is a robot or a human or not care as long as you learn the
material? Explain your response.
12. Would you as career choice or as a researcher,
want to specialize in robotic designs of robots as teachers or as child/teen
home assistants? Explain why you might
want to do this work.
What is so
intellectually rich and emotionally provocative in the discussion raised by
these tech robot teachers, friends and pets, is that there is no single
“correct ‘ answer for any student. But
the conversations and activities that can be generated by the robots already in
prevalent use among us, are ones that are worth having and whose results may
redefine teaching, friendship and pet
furrever families in the 21st century.
Staff at Ditmas Middle School involved in this project:
- Dr. Rose Reissman, Amanda Xavier, Dina Francis, Steven Guardino, and Mary Cataldo
- Also, Angelo Carideo and under supervision of Marielena Santiago,
Principal and Michelle Buitrago - Assistant Principal Ditmas Middle School is located in Community School District #20/Brooklyn - New York City Department of Education
Rose Reissman is
the founder of the Writing Institute, now replicated in 200 schools including
PS 191 in Manhattan, New York City. She is a featured author in New York
State Union Teachers Educators Voice 2016 and was filmed discussing ESL student
leadership literary strategies developed at Ditmas IS 62, a Brooklyn public
intermediate school. Ditmas IS 62 is under the leadership of Marielena Santiago
Principal and Michelle Buitrago AP. The Writing Institute Team are: Michael
Downes, Angelo Carideo, and Amanda Xavier.
Contact: roshchaya@gmail.com
