AI , AI, Everywhere…
Listen to a podcast, read the latest tech news, open a newspaper – and two letters show up with regular frequency – AI. In its expanded form Artificial Intelligence – or AI – sounds alternately overwhelming and unbelievable. All the tech leaders – from Google to Facebook to Microsoft have incorporated AI as a feature into their products, hoping that this will elevate them to the top of their respective ladders.
But what does AI mean for our young learners? Is it unnecessary? Is it useful? Should parents encourage their children to use it? Should teachers advocate for it? How would children use it and still be safe? Still learn?
All new inventions – in any field, be it technology, automotive, medicine or anything else – always come with pros and cons. As adults responsible for young learners, it can be challenging to decide when and how much to allow and hold back.
If you are an adult that is caring for young children but are not yourself working in or familiar with the tech world it can be overwhelming navigating the ever-changing waters of new tech. Let’s see if we can keep it simple and find a middle ground – one that doesn’t need to dive too deeply into the nitty gritty of the technology but is able to cull a few of the features that can actually accelerate learning.
Using AI driven apps & tools:
In today’s world one of the many first words that a child learns is the word “app”. Since screen-based entertainment is so dominant amongst all ages, it can be extremely difficult for any parent to ban or curtail the use of digital entertainment. Far better is to embrace it and incorporate its benefits so that children are able to learn correct usage. Here are some examples:
- Search for an app that can be used offline so that you could put the device in airplane mode and still allow your child to use it. DragonBox, BusyShapes2, The Very Hungry Caterpillar& Friends, Crazy Gears are a few of the more popular ones. Here is the link to the full list of curated apps by Common Sense Media
- Use Alexa to play 20 questions
- Doodle with Quick, Draw!. An app/site that tries to guess what you are drawing.
The proliferation of technology into every aspect of life and our ever increasing digital footprint are realities that we must accept. Using them to our advantage while still making sure that children are safe is always going to an ongoing challenge. Let us not be afraid of it – but embrace it and control it.