According to "What happened when a professor built a chatbot to be his teaching assistant." Jill Watson, an artificial intelligence bot, is hired to be a teaching assistance. She can help human instructor to answer question online for students. Ashok Goel, who hired Watson as TA, did not reveal this bot's identity to students until their final exam. Those students were amazed what Watson did during the semester. Goel is forming a business to launch this chatbot to world-wide education for helping instructor answer many questions because sometimes there are 10,000 questions on the course's online forum and many of them are the same. So it might be useful to answer the same answering without the professors have to do it themselves.
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My Yes/No question is:
Do you prefer online learning?
My answer is:
No, I quite prefer classroom learning but sometimes online learning is better.
When I studied in the university, some subject required to attend to some lesson and do exercises on E-learning. It's quite good if the internet signal and your gadget do not have problem because one of my friends used to face a problem with the signal after he finished his work, so he had to go to other place to find an internet signal and try again to send his work.
Last week, I had attended to listening and speaking class at AUA. In class, students were separated and debated each others about topic "Online learning is better than classroom learning." I can learn more about advantages and disadvantages on both side and some reasons that all students discussed have changed my mind about online learning.
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Reference
In all honesty, I prefer classroom learning to online learning. Social interaction is a strong point classroom learning has against online learning. I'm one of those student who have to learn via internet most of the time, sometimes it's a struggle that you can't see people's expression or you can't have activities with people in your classroom. All you can do is waiting for the video call to discuss your idea with your classmates. But sometimes, i can't deny that online learning is better in some places. You can google for your needed information or anything you want to know about that instance.
ReplyDeleteI'm not sure that I would want to use all online learning, but the Internet offers a range of powerful tools that teachers today should be using to improve the service they provide to students. Refusing to use online tools in 2016 seems to me a bit like refusing treat children with modern medicines because its not the traditional herbs used by the ancestors.
ReplyDeleteActually, I've done a couple of teaching courses online, and the experience was largely positive. And with AI assistants coming online to make it more personal, it can only improve, not that I want to put myself entirely out of a job.
I didn't comment on Feem's related post a couple of weeks ago because I wanted to see your responses first. I'm not sure that I would want my students working individually online in class, but I also think it's largely a waste of time if they come to class to read and write - those are generally best done outside of class, leaving us free to do what Nan suggest in her earlier comment: discuss what we are reading and writing and learn from what we have been doing. But who, today, would want to send work on paper when a digital format is so vastly more useful for both teachers and students?
DeleteI have to confess that when I was doing a project for the Ministry of Education over Songkran, I was a bit surprised at how little some teachers knew about the powerful modern tools available for learning.
I absolutely support Nan’s idea and your idea that “it's largely a waste of time if they come to class to read and write - those are generally best done outside of class,….. from what we have been doing”.
DeleteSo, one of the most important points to come to the class is not to read and write in the room, but to exchange ideas and have a discussion. Students in this era are so lucky because there are tons of technology-based tools to support their education if they apply them properly as I presented in my several-week-ago post.
To tell you the truth, I have never known classroom technology and related tools by Google until I studied your class in the first time (9 months ago). I suppose that it’s very helpful indeed. To find many drawbacks of them is extremely challenging for me.
I agree with you. I also perfer classroom learning to online learning.
ReplyDeleteI think that classroom learning can improve not only education skill but also can improve social skill which is important in real life.
Moreover, I believe that no one can work or live alone. That's why classroom learning, that can provide social ability to work with other, is my choice.
I prefer classroom learning to online learning. Even online learning is more convenient that we don't have to go to class and there's no schedule. But I think classroom learning is more effective for most of the students as it provides interactions between teacher and students and also interactions among students,so it will be easy for students to understand lessons and they will enjoy the classes. And I definitely sure that I can't sit in front of the computer all day to study and understand all of the courses by myself.
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ReplyDeleteFor me, there are many benefits to learn via online learning. For example, it's convenient for me to study everywhere or every time I want. Secondly, if I doubt something, I am able to stop online videos and then I will gradually find out problems. There are lots of ways to solve problems such as asking peer via the internet or playing those videos again. Actually, last year, I had to learn many lessons for admission. As a result of learning many tough lessons via online learning, I could finish studying within five months.
ReplyDeleteThat doesn't mean that I hate classroom learning, but both of them have pros and cons. Surely, you can ask your teachers when you suspect something while studying in a classroom.
I prefer classroom learning. I am having some online classes but it is really not comfortable for me to talk and discuss with professors and classmates. However I have to accept the useful of online class and some supporting programs. Better combine both of them like we are doing in Peter's class.
ReplyDeleteI absolutely agree with you that the combination of both styles of learning is the most effective way.
DeleteI like classroom learning because we still need real interaction between people. I think I'm too lazy to use pure e-learning. It's good to use as a media for classroom class because of its attraction.
ReplyDeleteI totally agree with you that using an e-learning as a part of study is a good idea. Every class still needs interaction between teachers and students and it would be easier if the teachers can give homework via online.
DeleteDefinitely! Learning in class is much better than in online because you can directly discuss with your classmates and teachers. E-learning might be more comfortable and easier, but it's also hard to reach for some who don't have internet. In class, you can get to know your classmates and learn from them; both their strengths and weaknesses, so that you can improve yourselves.
ReplyDeleteI think it's depend. The online course can bring lessons to people in all over the world with the distribution cost nearly 0 dollars. You can manage a class for various kinds of people from different backgrounds or cultures, so it can lead to the ideas' exchange and participations in a very huge but manageable scale. In contrast, a physical classroom can help deeper communication and touching from contacts with real people, so it help a lot for more sensitive and complicated topics of learning. The mix from both styles' benefits should be the perfect way for learning environment.
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