Regarding Robert’s last report on English teachers and their antics, according to one source:
. . . South Korean robotics experts have already begun predicting that the bots could replace more than 30,000 native English teachers in Korea’s language institutes within the not-so distant future . . .
This might prevent any peccadilloes from English teachers but I think that someone needs to put pants on this robot or start calling it “sir”.
{ 20 comments… read them below or add one }
Because everyone knows that robots are always possessed of the highest morality, never susceptible to bad programming, and will guarantee the students learn faster, eh?
Might work out for all concerned. That roboty monotone speech actually is smoother flowing and easier on the ear.
But why have the robots just teach? Wouldn’t everyone be happier if robots represented Korea in all international endeavours?
Well, considering that most students are only aiming to regurgitate pat answers to nonsensical questions on useless standardized tests to earn meaningless TOEIC OR TOEFL scores…who knows, maybe a robot would be a better choice.
#1,
That was my concern, too, particularly if the robots are not domestically made – will they have the default fondling feature disengaged?
And shoot the designer of that, please! Everyone knows that robots just aren’t hung that low.
Bur, like, ya’ know, how will today’s, ya’know,well, like Korean like students know about real culture? How will ya’know like like like like they learn ya’know slang?
If this bothers you, it’s only a small piece of the frustration I felt yesterday from a group of Korean students taking entry tests yesterday, all with the same verbal ticks. I swear I counted 7 “like’s” in a row at one point.
I would love to see a robot co-teaching with a Korean co-teacher.
Robot: Excuse me Miss Co-teacher, you consistently keep using “Konglish” Repeat after me “Open your English book to page twelve”
Korean co-teacher: “Open your Englishee book to pageee twelfe”
Robot then takes over the class trying to correct the Korean co-teachers English pronunciation whilst the students watch on amused, until the Korean teacher just pulls the plug on the robot
Does anyone else find this offensive? Just me? I mean the fact that these robots are intended to replace foreign teachers, not Korean teachers. I’m reading the subtext here as Koreans are “real” teachers, and foreigners are, well, no better than a walking CD player.
I’m not surprised, just offended. Anyone else?
The “anatomy’ is there so the the robots, which will also hunt down defile innocent Korean women, can fulfill the other functions of NETs.
so that the robots
hunt down and defile
“morning, morning, morning, morning”
“HI teacher”
“Open your books”
“Don’t touch me”
“”Yes, what is it student”
“That is correct”
“You sound like a robot”
“study hard”
actually that is a great idea. have the robots take over the Korean teacher’s jobs. Parents would rather have robots and white foreigners in the class room I’m sure. “Modelling Korea!!”
The idea of replacing human teachers with robots has FAIL stamped on it. I see more comedy than education in this situation.
I suppose this is more so strategy on the part of IT Korea to develop a knowledge base for a native robotics industry.
@#8:
No. All of the creative energy and personality was drained from my body years ago by lordly managers, contract regulations, and students who are little more than computers with short-term memory banks. I applaud the move. The robots won’t feel cheated or inconvenienced. They’ll be so lucky.
OTOH, a robot won’t be able to smack, berate, or abuse a child with love in its heart, like the exemplary Korean teacher. Student discipline and success will surely suffer in the next generation. Pity the nation!
Australian robotics experts have already begun predicting that the bots could replace more than 30,000 prostitutes from a certain part of Asia abusing 417 working holiday visas in Australian brothels within the not-so distant future.
There, I fixed it for you.
Craash @7: nice effort; let me see if I can top it.
Koreans certainly will program the robots, because native English teachers are not licensed (by Korea) educators; nor can they understand Korean culture. Then, just as with Korean TV, the cheapest, most compliant foreign actors will be hired to record the speaking lines. In a word, Russians.
With that in mind, ladies and gentlemen, I give you Mr. Robot Teacher:
DAY 1
Korean Teacher: [speaks in Korean]
Korean Teacher: [continues lecturing in Korean]
. . .
[30 minutes later]
. . .
Robot Teacher [w/Russian accent]: “Good morning. Today how you are?
Students: [uprorious laughter]
[Korean teacher runs around room hitting random students with a stick]
Korean Teacher: [speaks in Korean]
Korean Teacher: [continues lecturing in Korean]
. . .
[20 minutes later]
Robot: [with heavy Russian accent]: “Good bye, students. Have nice day.”
Students: [uprorious laughter]
DAY 2
[Mr. Robot Teacher "takes a rest" in a corner in the back of the classroom, unplugged and never to be used again.]
Are you saying that Aussies like prostitutes with the anatomy featured on the robot above?
#8,
They are just too cheap to pay for experienced English teachers.
In my expert opinion, it’s destined to fail. These are glorified CD players, and as such they’ll only be as effective as the teachers using them…and that’s only if they are used in a manner the promotes language acquisition.
my 17 was for aaronm’s 15, if that’s not obvious.
@#18:
I wonder if the real story here is the demise of the TTPs – the Teacher Training Programs. I haven’t heard about them in a while, and I never had the “privilege” of participating. But, from what co-workers have said, neither they nor the public school teachers, forced to live in barracks and go to the US for free, enjoyed the experience very much. Most of the Korean teachers were indignant about learning from foreigners, and the curriculum-writing requirements were onerous. Foreign instructors also had to field far more criticism than any younger student dished out. Some co-workers told me too that the teachers’ behavior was exponentially more immature than any students’, too. TTP seemed the perfect scam for all involved, but I guess Korean teachers wanted a scam all their own. Robots, I guess, will do the trick.
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