November 4th, 2020
Flexidemics Insights
By: Jennifer Nelson
https://www.Flexidemics.com
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“The thinking man must oppose all cruel customs, no matter how deeply rooted in tradition and surrounded a halo. When we have a choice, we must avoid bringing torment and injury into the life of another, even the lowliest creature.” – Dr. Albert Schweitzer
Dear Friends,
Artificial intelligence is a hot topic within the field of education. For example, there are many educational games that use AI. There are also AI-based software programs to help teachers evaluate their students. This can be seen as quite helpful.
I would like to note that people forget that there are disadvantages to mainstreaming artificial intelligence into the structure of education. This is easy to overlook because we tend to focus on the perceived advantages such as how, “ai systems can read students handwriting & grade their exams. This is achieved using a concept known as computer vision where computers are trained to read images, such systems will fight cheating & plagiarism, AI systems can predict the future performance of a student looking at their performance over time” (Soffar, 2019).
But on the other side of that, artificial intelligence can cause society to devalue human beings. A world full of humans who value machines over human life sounds like quite the nightmare.
Of course it doesn’t begin with that intent in mind, but it’s something to be aware of. For example, people often talk about AI replacing jobs and people respond flippantly and say that it will only replace low value jobs. However that response plants the seed to devalue humanity as a whole.
There is also the issue of trying to use these technologies to turn humans into machines who lack the ability to interact with one another without the use of artificial interventions. For instance, “new tools from companies like Behavioral Signals can read emotions based on a child’s voice and alert the teacher if the student is happy or frustrated and struggling. This technology provides direct insight into the emotional state of a large classroom of children. That alone can help them to respond timelier and accurately when there is a concern” (Behavioral Signals, n.d.).
One could use a machine for this. Or teachers could simply pay attention to their students and react at a normal human rate. Everything doesn’t need to be rushed because learning patience is a virtue.
This is my viewpoint because everything is connected. I feel it is important to look at the big picture in order to see how our choices lay the groundwork for the future.
Furthermore, if we don’t like the reality we are currently living in, then it’s good to evaluate what choices went into creating that so that the same things are not repeated in the future.
The intent of this newsletter is to increase awareness of available educational options in order to encourage environments where students can align to their true gifts and talents. When people are aligned to their true nature and in touch with their loving hearts, they are able to co-create a harmonious world.
May we all reach our highest path and potential.
With Love,
Jennifer
It’s Okay to Be an Autodidact
I am often surprised at how people sometimes think that education is only legitimate if it comes from certain institutions. There is certainly a place for organized educational experiences, but is the current mindset actually beneficial? Or do the beliefs that society promotes serve to make people feel as if they are inadequate and constantly in need of someone else to give them validation and fulfillment?
8 Reasons Why You Need to become to Self-Taught Master taps into this field saying, “Getting a college degree gives you bragging rights, and more often than not causes you to become unaccepting towards self-taught learning. This can easily be observed in the older and more traditional generations of people who believe that education you pay thousands of dollars for is the only legitimate “serious” form of education.”
AI Exams and Personal Consent
I found this discussion on AI exams to be quite interesting because it addresses the issue of consent.
The poster says, “The one program, you have to show your entire surroundings, understandable. It also tracks your location, IP address, it can detect the difference between your voice vs. other people’s voices, your face vs others, all computer processes, etc. It can even detect eye movements and movements that could be considered “cheating”. .. there is apparently “implied consent” with all of this… In practice, I don’t feel like I was completely informed before paying my non-refundable tuition.
As time progresses I hope that people will discover the power in asserting “I do not consent.”
What is Netball?
A student of mine introduced this sport to me. I initially thought she was referring to volleyball, but she made it clear that it was called netball.
This is like basketball without dribbling or hogging the ball. According to the site there is, “no running with the ball; 7 players; ball passed within 3 seconds; ball & basket slightly smaller; no backboard; players designated to certain areas.”
Experts Predict What 2020 Will Do to Children
This is a rather somber piece. Perhaps instead of all the doom and gloom, teachers will learn how to become facilitators as opposed to seeing themselves as the guardians of all knowledge. Furthermore, there is no reason to present the idea that sitting on Zoom for hours all day is the only way to educate children during these times.
Perhaps parents will come together and learn of alternative educational options. Or maybe parents will be challenged to come up with work arrangements that are more suited to their family lifestyle. An even better possibility is that maybe humanity will receive the attunement needed in order to create more harmonious experiences for all.
Remember to love yourself and to always follow your inner guidance. Therefore, take what resonates and discard the rest.
References
Behavioral Signals. The Impact of AI on Education (n.d.). https://behavioralsignals.com/the-impact-of-ai-on-education
Soffar, H. (2019 May 3). Artificial intelligence in education, AI tutors features, advantages & disadvantages https://www.online-sciences.com/robotics/artificial-intelligence-in-education-ai-tutorsadvantages-and-disadvantages/
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