The Education Ministry of South Korea plans to have robotic teachers in every kindergarten class by 2013. Two cities, Masan and Daegu already have the teachers in their elementary schools. An English speaking robot named EngKey can have scripted conversations with the children in English. A robotic dog named Genibo teaches them dance moves and gymnastics. The robots are currently working as a support role for the human teachers, but they can be used for telepresence teacheing, allowing English speakers to communicate with the children in Korea. Eventually, the robots could fully replace the human teachers. In three to five years, the robots’ language skills could be so developed that they could replace native English speakers.
These robots are a very creative solution to helping kids learn new languages. The scripted conversations may not be as effective as learning from an actual English speaker, but as the robots are developed and the telepresence systems are utilized, the robots could be very effective teachers. The cute design of the robots allows the children to think of the robot as their friend and not as a big piece of metal. The robot teachers can also assist the human teachers in caring for the children and can teach the children about robotics and technology.
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