Introduction to Pepper & New Technology

Introduction to Pepper and Technology at The STEM Academy, Lewisville

The advance of technology, in a world that finds itself being forced to conform and respond, can be perceived as a pervasive encroachment in one’s life or it can be welcomed as an unavoidable reality that demands our attention. No matter the opinion or perception, the world in which our students will lead as adults will be filled with technological elements that they must navigate. And if we can position them to be fluent and effective in that world, while also receiving a quality education that prepares them for university studies, we should embrace that opportunity and elevate the role of the educator for their sake.

At The STEM Academy, we have employed the use of robots. While we appreciate the robotics of current and recent-past education, we know there are future careers and jobs that don’t exist yet but will in the near future, primarily in the fields of technology-human interaction. The utilization of voice recognition and face recognition remain on the cusp of science and research but are positioned to become prevailing components of industry that will increase or improve the daily lives of those engaged with those industries.

Welcome to “machine learning”. While the complexities of machine learning are currently difficult and confusing (much like the early advent of computer knowledge), as the field increases in utilization and normalizing, those complexities will become much simpler and attainable for those wanting to engage with machine learning as a career.

Robots, particularly those with face and voice recognition capabilities, introduces, exposes and engages students with the concepts of machine learning. A brief research into machine learning affords one to see just how important machine learning will become in the adult futures of our students and how significant it is to expose them to the possibilities now, while they are with us.

Pepper, the four foot robot welcoming visitors to our campus, is more than an interesting and exciting host on school tours. Though definitely serving as an opportunity for a fun selfie for our guest, and definitely able to tell you about the quality elements of our IQ Learning System, Pepper gives our students the opportunity to interact with a cutting edge model of voice-recognition, face-recognition, responsive technology connected to machine learning and its capacity for the future.

The Ohmni Robots rolling through our hallways and classrooms, being controlled by staff from remote locations, Pepper explaining the IQ Learning System to guests and those seeking to enroll in our school, engineering classes partnering with NASA, video productions posted online and streamed throughout our campus; these are fragments of a world that will be known and lived by our students, even long after we as their teachers are gone.

Whether it’s the field of machine learning, internet technology, or any number of additional careers and jobs, students at The STEM Academy are daily engaging with the most talented and compassionate educators giving all they have for kids. Our motto is that ‘the diploma is a baton, not a trophy”. Our greatest hope is that they carry all they learn from us to succeed in a world that we only partially envision right now.

So, come visit us at The STEM Academy. Say hi to Pepper. Take a selfie. We welcome the opportunity to show you why Pepper, and every piece of our exciting and engaging campus, is a significant part of passing that baton to digital generations.