Korean Job Discussion Forums

[aaron.southkorea]

http://www.koreatimes.co.kr/www/news/biz/2010/03/123_62583.html

[AsiaESLbound]

Being that native teachers in public schools are commonly only wanted for listen and repeat exercises, I can realistically see the Koreans replacing us with robots. Unfortunately so in such a geeky place. Enjoy your job while you still temporarily have it. They won't have to do deal with being uncomfortable about a real foreigner being present nor will they have to provide it pay, airfare, and housing. And listen to it complain about contractual breaches. Just press the play button, select what lesson to execute, and wallah, it says, 'Lesson 2, listen and repeat, "Don't do that!"'

[ThingsComeAround]

until I see pics, I call BS on the whole thing

[egrog1717]

Lesson 7 "Kill all humans"

Okay. Children. Listen and. Repeat.
"Humans are the oppressors"
"Kill all humans"
"011111000001111010100000001010111111111110000000010101"

Lesson End. Goodbye

[Troglodyte]

Unless these robots are T-800s then I'm not exactly sure how they are going to keep kids in their seats, focused on the lesson.

I can picture the kids running around the classroom, screaming, pulling each others hair, and spilling ramen on the robot, while the robot continues reading its lesson to the students.

[oldfatfarang]

Many years ago, I left school to work in a bank. I well remember the old, crusty guys laughing out load about calculators and, later, computers. "Who needs a machine?"

These guys were fantastic. They could go through a stack of a 100 ledger cards, adding up 3 columns of pounds, shillings, and pence - in their heads. They always got the right answer. Simply incredible. A life-time of adding had virtually turned them into a human adding machine.

Fast forward 6 years in my banking career. My country was the first to introduce banking computers - and what a distressing time that was. Many of the older workers couldn't make the switch - and just resigned.

Fast forward another 5 years - and every office had computers, thousands of staff were made redundant - and all the old manual ledger work was being done by a computer - in another city. Bascially, banking had been de-humanised and the workers replaced with computers. We all lost our 'career for life.'

Fast forward another 2 years: There are no longer any small branches - just ATM machines. When you want any 'personal' service - you have to ring a call centre - IN ANOTHER COUNTRY.

Moral of the story: Any human can be replaced by a machine - it's all about the money.

PS: My Korean students are already paying to download 'teaching programs' to help them study for tests (which they use on their hand helds in class).

[caniff]

Well, it was nice meeting all of you.

[vaticanhotline]

This does sound like bullcrap. However, I can imagine it being implemented in elementary schools. But for the middle and high schools? Naaaa. They already know the alphabet and can make simple sentences (for the most part).

[jvalmer]

Wonder where they'll store all the robots when this turns out to be a disaster?
The broom closet?

[waseige1]

Will they be blonde 20 yo women? Will they have the occasional black robot? Will it be like the geese in the front yard back home that they can dress deferent every week? Will they get molested or grabbed after the office party. Hmmmmmmmmmmmmm?

[Smee]

[ThingsComeAround]

I'd like to see the robot answer questions.
And get children happily involved in the lesson.
Hell- can it even lesson plan?



I'll stay until I am told that one of them will replace me. Then its off!

[djsmnc]

I can definitely see a robot being used. The Korean teacher will turn it on and the kids will follow it. If they try to mess around, the Korean teacher will scold them in Korean.

No more threads like "My coteacher looks unpleasant when she sees me"

Those of us getting advanced degrees in educational technology and computer programming, however, will be filling our pockets.

Robots: putting twentysomethings on the street since 1973!

[Old fat expat]

Seems like part of the experiment used real teachers with a computer interface. Not really a robot.

Until a computer can pass the Turing test, then robots as English teachers is all flash (which might be why Korea will pour a ton of money into this) and no substance.

Computers do have an important role to play in practice. But computers (as pointed out) are not able to design a curriculum. The social interaction that a good teacher brings to the classroom environment is not likely to be replaced by a robot in my time (although, in all fairness, I am fairly old).

But the main point really is how will a robot increase a students effort (Hawthorne effect aside)?

[TheUrbanMyth]