Meet Helen – Your New Online Teacher
Stanley Kubrik’s HAL 9000 may have been smart enough to run the spaceship
Discovery, but HAL lacked one thing today’s computers may soon havea face.
Computers, long plagued by the impersonality of a box with speakers and
programmer’s graphics, will soon have a face and attitude compatible with their
users.
A one-on-one teacher just for you
For simplicity’s sake, we’ll assign a name to our computer’s new face and call her
Helen (of course, you’ll be able to name him/her anything you like). Helen will smile
at you, move around, even make you laugh. She’ll have an angelic voice, calming
hand gestures and more expressions than Marcel Marceu. But most importantly,
she’ll encourage you to learneverything and anythingfrom French to forensics.
Helen will have “soul”
Researchers in the areas of instructional technology, human-computer interaction
and psychology have determined that computers can be more persuasive if they
have a visual identity and “soul.” Thus, they have designed what they call an
effective “pedagogical agent,” an animated, three- dimensional character that serves
as the “face” (and “interface”) of the computer, one that can mimic human emotional
expressions, nonverbal communication and interactions.
You’ll want to bring her an apple
Helen will be the perfect teacher. She’ll interact with you, adapt to your strengths
and weaknesses, even provide emotional and cognitive feedback. Far better than
Microsoft Word’s annoying and intrusive paperclip ‘Clippy,’ Helen will engage you
and help you focus on the task at hand. And unlike a human mentor, Helen’s age,
ethnicity, personality, mannerisms, and interactive style will be matched to your
preferences to encourage learning. In short, you’ll have that “favorite teacher” who
got you through math or chemistry.
She’ll do everything but send you to detention
Helen will evaluate your understanding throughout your “e-class,” just like a human
teacher, and she’ll adapt the lesson plan accordingly. She won’t move on to more
sophisticated concepts until it’s clear you’ve grasped the basics. If you don’t, she’ll
continue with the basics until you “get it.” And if that means prompting you to ask
questions, she’ll do that too, offering encouragement, memorable examples, even a
clever joke or two to keep you interested. You’ll get to know Helen much like you
would a really interesting teacher. She’ll have a colorful personality, reveal her life
history and specific areas of knowledge and skillsin short, she’ll be really cool.
Best of all, she’ll always be up to date on the subject at hand, tirelessly absorbing
the latest research or historic tomes on the subject being taught.
Helen won’t make you stand in the corner
Helen will let you learn at your own pace in a low-pressure learning environment.
She’ll project enthusiasm and support when you get the right answer; yet, unlike a
real classroom filled with peers, you won’t be embarrassed if you fail to grasp a
concept or answer incorrectly. Finally, teachers like Helen can be set up to act as
coaches or disciplined instructorsteaching everything from the history of art to
advanced calculus.
So prepare yourself for the brave new world of computer learning. Your favorite
teacher will make sure you get an A in class and an E for effort. And yes, you can
chew gum in class, as long as you give Helen your due attention.
About the Author
Alex Kecskes is a former ad agency Copy Chief who has created effective copy and
concepts for a wide range of ad agencies, Fortune 500 companies and startups. As
owner of ak creativeworks, Alex provides brand names, as well as strategic copy for
brochures, mailers, multimedia, articles, newsletters, PR and web content. He has
published articles in a variety of publications about health, business and
technology–this includes copy for over 130 different products and services. He has
won such national awards as the Andy, Belding and One Show. For more information
and samples, please visit:
http://www.akcreativeworks.com
