Maurice:
As a high school educator, I am excited about the potentials of artificial intelligence (AI) tutoring delivered through a cloud-based platform. The integration of AI technology in education has the potential to revolutionize the way students learn and interact with their teachers. With the help of AI, students can receive personalized and adaptive learning experiences catering to their unique needs, interests, and learning styles in a course such as mine: French as a Second Language.
AI tutoring can offer students rapid feedback and encouragement that I may not be able to give effectively and consistently, especially when considering that class sizes, in my experience, can range from 4 students to close to 30! A cloud-based platform offers greater adaptability and accessibility, allowing students to get access to the materials they require at any time and from any location, so long as they have their device and access to the Internet, of course.
What is essential to keep in mind, and was mentioned previously in the TED Talk from the Intelligent Tutoring page, is that the use of AI tutoring should not completely replace the teacher. The teacher is the adult role model who should be offering pupils incomparable support, empathy, and direction. It is essential that existing teaching methods are supplemented by AI tutoring, and that teachers are prepared to successfully implement AI technology in their classrooms. With that being said, I hope that you have some takeaways that you can use or that you have understood how AI tutoring through the cloud can enhance the current education systems (as this is not limited to the Kindergarten - grade 12 system.
Richard:
While I do not work in the K-12 sector, I was fascinated to see how the cloud was helping to facilitate innovation in the market and also evolve in its own right. One of my biggest takeaways from this OER is a change mindset when I hear the term "cloud-learning". Often I would only associate the cloud with its current state of being a technology for storage and accessibility, and that will not go away in the long term in my opinion. However, the cloud has reached a point in ed tech that innovations in emerging markets would not take place without considerations for service models, whether the cloud would be private, hybrid, public etc., entrenching it as a fundamental tool moving forward.
This takeaway expands outside of more than just the K-12 market. In adult education, I can see several parallels where intelligent tutors could play a vital role in supporting employees. While working in provincial healthcare we are only starting to see full functionality of cloud-based learning solutions like Microsoft Office 365, it's encouraging to see AI solutions are already available for when the organization is willing to take the next step. Often times when we hear of supervisors or colleagues being unable to take the time to onboard new employees, an intelligent tutor customized to support that process with real-time feedback, personalization of content, and reinforcement of the "why" in their learning could be a really powerful tool to address known gaps.
The venture example we used is an interesting contrast to what we generally know as educators. In looking at the FAQ's on their website, the intent of a service like Synthesis Tutor is to have the capacity to "replace" traditional education in STEM for their target audience. While that may be the objective, a complete reliance on a tool that is only programmed to have a vested interest in the learning journey of its learners can be an uncomfortable reality to think about. Yes, cloud-based learning tools can certainly have the knowledge necessary to guide learners, but it lacks the human element of creativity, innovation, and thinking beyond pre-existing limitations. As it still stands, cloud-based learning tools are here to support educators rather than be opportunities for replacement.