Anna+Sall

 Has anyone ever tried learning a new language from a recording, or went to bed at night listening to words on tape in order to learn and improve vocabulary? The days of passive memorization may soon be a thing of the past. There is a new phase emerging in educational instruction – robot teaching.

 Developed by the Frankenstein Foundation, the robots, known as RUBI, are proving fairly effective in teaching young children the English language according to the foundation. Children who were instructed by this high tech teacher learned “ten vocabulary words in just twelve days” (Baron 1). RUBI technology is also being explored in Korea. The Korean government hopes to eliminate the problem of finding a qualified instructor, by replacing foreign recruits with the robots.

 It is not a new fad to use advances in technology to enhance or replace instruction from a human teacher. Rosetta Stone, a language skills program, has been a popular option for several years. But the ability to learn and retain information from these methods for an academic purpose rather than a recreational purpose is questionable. Electronic gadgets are so often used just for entertainment, that it cannot be assumed they will be taken seriously. In a child’s mind, robots are seen as toys. For instance, in one test run, RUBI “had its arms torn off” (Baron 2) by a few over excited children.

 Based on this article, Dennis Baron was attempting to question the ethical truth behind robot teaching. He mostly employed the use of humorous pathos, to make the reader not only laugh, but also think. For example, when speaking from his own experience on learning from technology, educational radio, he comments that all he learned was “how to sleep in with (his) eyes open” (Baron 2).

 The targeted audience of this blog most likely would be teachers and parents concerned about the future of traditional educational delivery in classroom instruction. Baron goes on to explain that a hierarchy of school administrators and officials are considering this in an attempt to maximize higher student test score performance from a shrinking budget and staffing level.

 Although this blog is well written it does have a few weaknesses. First off, it does not directly challenge the other side of the issue – the true effectiveness of the robots. Baron emphasizes how bizarre it seems to have computers teach our children and yet there is not sufficient evidence to demonstrate why it is so strange. He just reiterates the ethical idea behind the fact that a robot, not a person, is in charge. Another flaw found within Baron’s argument is that he uses satire so often that the reader, it seems, gets caught up in trying to decide which side he is actually supporting. Such confusion can be seen in the last paragraph when Baron describes how people learn best and yet, he is still going to prepare for the “much-feared robot teacher invasion” (Baron 3). The pathos are just too many and too strong in this instance.

 This blog, though, is not a bad piece of literature. Baron light heartedly stabs at certain government ideas. For example, when describing the Korean government’s hope to “replace expensive and hard-to-recruit native speakers” with “an expensive and hard-to-maintain machine” (Baron 1) it is ironic that the government would think this is a better option. The humorous pathos used here emphasizes the truth behind Baron’s claims. Baron plays off this ironic notion to spur the reader into agreeing with his opinion. Strength of Baron’s blog can also be seen in the simple way that he portrays himself. The blog itself is clean, polished and professional looking. He uses these factors to create a more creditable argument.

 Baron employs these images and innuendoes to make his argument stronger. The facts describing the RUBI appeal to the logo side and the satire ridicule go with the patho side. Finally, the ethical side – deciding between actual human interactions or letting the world fall into the hands of a computer.

Work Cited: Baron, Dennis. // Robot Teachers!! Coming soon, to a classroom near you!!! //. The Web of Language, 11 Jun. 2010.Web 11 Sept. 2010.

//** Anna - Nice work! Clear and thorough. CHECK PLUS. ~Prof. Wendt **//