Children prefer to robots

According to a study by Latitude an Australian technology research children prefer the robots at times and educational game about teachers or parents. According to the study of robots can cover the gap between play and learning, understanding emotions of young people and better suit your needs.

The research was funded by Lego Learning Institute , the department of studies on creativity, learning and development on the premises of educational fun. He also participated Synthesis Project a consultant on the Australian exchange inspirational ideas from the community.

The work was conducted with a sample of 348 children ages 8 to 12 years, schools from around the world. They were asked how their lives would imagine if there were robots in homes and schools participating. The sessions with the boys started with a series of demographic questions about their habits and technology, then they were asked to create a short story from a few triggers that researchers prepared. The results were obtained from an analysis of narrative and images, analyzing the shapes of the robots and special attention to the relationship with humans and have the activities to be undertaken with them.

For children the robots are more like humans than for adults, far from super robot-ray lasers, turbines and other technologies, almost two thirds of respondents to imagine a humanoid robot. These robots would not difficulty communicating with them and their intelligence would not be different from an adult, would not have them programmed intelligence traits. For boys this would enable the robots are good friends and colleagues, but this friend would come loaded with extensive knowledge in all subjects. So is that for boys, the source of information would become a pair that can be related and not an authority figure (and teachers).

We played football in the playground with my friends. In class [the robot] wrote for me and helped me think. [...] When we got home I prepared the meal and helped me with homework. Creating books for me and play with me. Keep my secret, I can tell anything and know advise me.

In this imagined world, humans interact with the robots as if they were people, not left in a secondary role. For this reason many kids put their creations in an aspirational, intelligent, fun, good friends and try / are treated with respect, somehow come to replace it in the imagination that once was the teacher-friend, someone with whom they could have fun and learn without losing respect. These responses reflect not only the powers given to the robots surely be evidence of absence of father figures in the formative moments.

These friends futurists can easily assume the role of teacher in education . According to the vision of children to be aware of the feelings of humans, robots can see when a child is suffering the anguish for not learning something when this happens, they can create fun alternatives so that knowledge can be absorbed as a set. The robot may help children with homework and would not be cheating, because surely prepare a way of learning in the process. There is no rigid methodology as in schools, the robots can streamline the learning process while maximizing creativity.

Contrary to what one might have imagined before seeing the results, when reviewing the reasons why children would want to have a robot, the views were partners. The number of children who want a robot to play is virtually the same as those I want to learn.

According to research conducted by Latitude, the technology could reach the youngest of three fundamental aspects:

• Rate personalized learning for each student: The boys are willing to learn but the gap between students often results in lost enthusiasm. Technology can generate classes tailored to each student.
• Creativity for boring exercises address: Children recognize what are the exercises that do not have to think better (calligraphic exercises or memorization) and tend to block or make half-hearted, with a fun approach can stop this from happening.
• The technology has infinite patience: As the youngest, humans have personalities and it is fatigue, limited patience and discomfort. Not always in a good mood, they can hear or are watching what happens. The technology change is relentless and not afraid of this generation, a program is always ready in the best way to understand their feelings and needs.

Children recognize the robots a human essence, the attributes they value you are awarded as a patient personality characteristics, funny, intelligent, and so on. But crossing them with technological performance, enhancing the features for the possibilities of the machine such infinite patience. So is that their creations are at an advantage when competing for the role of beating fellow friends, parents or teachers. Kids can be displayed as they are in front of a machine is intelligent but without the fear of challenges, weary or be judged.

The research study seems essentially a fun, yet useful to understand how children interact with technology. Lets look at how that has changed the educational process rethinking the place that will give the robots, applications for tablets or computers in general.

Photos: Latitude , GiselaGiardino