19 January 2024
The Consumer Electronics Show (CES) is an annual tradeshow showcasing the entire tech landscape. The industry’s biggest players gather to unveil their latest releases and boldest breakthroughs. Could any of these innovative new tools and gadgets, make their way into the classroom?
One of the most promising innovations that caught our attention was the pocket-sized AI assistant. rabbit’s R1 is described to help reduce the tedious tasks of running through apps or various sites. Instead, it operates simply on commands in natural language, essentially “a dedicated virtual assistant”. Priced at just under USD200, it costs less than a smartphone, laptop, or tablet. Imagine this as a personalised assistant to teachers, especially those taking care of large cohorts. Or a personalised tutor for students who may encounter a diverse range of challenges depending on their learning needs.
In an effort to rival Apple’s VisionPro which is set to hit markets in Spring 2024, a multitude of tech providers have advanced their extended reality (XR) offerings all mostly powered by AI. The NRMYW provides real-time translation, a teleprompter and video streaming services. The RayNeo leveraging on AI allows for object recognition, depth scanning, 3D navigation and avatar chats. Could we see a resurgence in immersive learning with more sophisticated devices enabling more ‘hands-on’ and ‘realistic’ learning and training experiences?
In the past year, one of the biggest breakthroughs with AI was the ability to have personal tutors answer learner’s questions. Thus far, AI tutors have taken the form of ‘chatbots’ and personalised prompts and responses. Wehead has taken AI companionship a step further. “A human-like face on a screen” is the form that its AI partner takes. Aiming to add a ‘human-like’ touch to automated responses, this could be a new way personalised tutors take form in the future.
Given the increased digital footprint of young learners and children in this day and age, it is also imperative to keep them protected. MMGuardian is launching a new kid-safe phone, produced in collaboration with Samsung. The phone possesses the standard monitoring, control, and anti-tampering technology. Where it stands out is the use of deep learning models to scan texts and images on the child’s phone, prioritising privacy. It can detect inappropriate selfies and alert both parents and children to potential risks. Furthermore, it has an added layer of protection against issues like sexting, sextortion, and cyberbullying, a unique feature in the market of child-friendly devices.
It is indeed an exciting time in technology with the incidence of AI and the exploration of its potential to elevate existing tools. These tools can make learning more engaging, effective, and inclusive for students. Questions do remain on the cost of such sophisticated solutions, their scalability to entire institution populations, and the ability to integrate them into existing digital plans effectively. The future of EdTech looks promising, and we can’t wait to see how these tools will shape the classroom of tomorrow.
