Before reading the article:
Last week, The Times reported that a teenage girl in China had found a loophole for her homework: She bought a robot that mimicked her handwriting. Instead of having to manually copy phrases or selections from a textbook dozens of times, a repetitive task common in learning Chinese, she could just teach the robot to do it for her.
What do you think: Did she cheat, or should she be applauded for her initiative? Why?
Now, read the article, “Chinese Girl Finds a Way Out of Tedious Homework: Make a Robot Do It,” and answer the following questions:
1. How did most commenters on Weibo, a popular social media platform in China, seem to feel in response to the question we pose above? With which comment do you most agree?
2. What does proficiently reading and writing in Chinese require, and why is that an argument for doing homework like this oneself?
3. What did the girl’s mother do when she discovered the robot? Why do you think she reacted that way?
4. According to the article, “The robots are a modern update to a technology that has long existed.” What examples does it give to show that?
5. What is your reaction to the last two sentences of the article? Do you think finding ways to “cut corners” on assignments is something students everywhere have always done and will always do? What examples can you give from your own experience, whether it was a shortcut you used yourself or a technique you simply observed?
Finally, tell us more about what you think:
• Feb. 28 is Digital Learning Day, which celebrates “any instructional practice that effectively uses technology to strengthen a student’s learning experience.”
What would you put in that category? In other words, when in your history as a student has a teacher used technology well to help you learn? When, on the other hand, have you been in a classroom situation where technology was not used well, and either hindered or had no real impact on your learning? Make two lists and share your ideas with your classmates. What conclusions can you draw? What recommendations about technology in school might you give your teachers?
• If you would like further fodder for thinking, in 2012 we made a list of 40 Years of Times EdTech Reporting with links to articles from 1970 to 2002, all about technology in classrooms.
In it you will find ideas for teaching and learning with the list such as choosing a piece to share with others and having them guess in what year it was written. But you could also simply choose one of the pieces to read and annotate: Put a check mark next to things that are still true today, and an X next to the things that have changed. What do your annotations reveal? Why?
