The Question of Artificial Intelligence

From almost the start of my career, which is now 45 years ago, there has been computer technology in the classroom.  I used to tell my Teacher Education classes that there has always been technology that we have used as part of our teaching repertoire. I remember the old Bell & Howell movie projectors and the R. C. A. record players and the Gestetner reproducing presses.  Those were all in use when I began and when they were replaced by newer tools, we took them in our stride and adopted them, often with pleasure.  But, what used to be called Information and Communication Technologies were, from the beginning, were seen as technology on a whole different plane.  We don’t talk about i.c.t. anymore.  That has been superseded by computer technology then digital technology and now we are talking about the use of virtual reality and artificial intelligence and robots.  Each is a slight variation of the other, but no one denies that they are transformational in a way, earlier technology could never be.  However, young teachers should not view any of these tools as usurping the essential role played by teachers in front of students.  True, A. I. will be able to take over some tasks, GRADUALLY!  Robots will eventually be in a position to be used in schools to complete tasks that suit them.  But nothing will replace the idea of a teacher guiding a student.  Lest you doubt that, just think of those very early experiments where monkeys were raised by metal dummies or pseudo monkey facsimilies.  In every case, baby monkeys chose the blanket covered dummies because they were warm and fuzzy.  Classroom teachers will always be in control unless they allow the technology to replace them.  We are, as societies, going to determine how these technologies are implemented unless we allow them to plunge headlong over top of us!