Cognitive AI is evolving. Rather than relying upon large platforms built upon massive datasets to do small tasks, our next generation cognitive AI bridges artificial intelligence and human intelligence to create tailored and meaningful learning experiences for toddlers and preschoolers.
Suspicions, however, do abound on the topic of AI in the classroom, and these suspicions tend to revolve around the belief that technology will replace humanity. When it comes to teaching children, humanity is paramount. No technology can replace the collaborative spirit that charges a student’s engagement with a highly skilled teacher, but educational technology designed to work in conjunction with adult interaction is a different matter altogether.
“In many ways, I think that the voices of the parents have not been properly heard in the development of large scale educational technology products. Their opinion matters.”
Professor Li Cai
Professor of Education and Psychology in the Advanced Quantitative Methodology program, UCLA Graduate School of Education and Information Studies
Parents and caregivers are instrumental in establishing the habits of mind and of heart necessary to promote a lifetime of joyful learning. “In many ways,” Li Cai, a professor of education and information studies at UCLA, notes, “I think that the voices of the parents have not been properly heard in the development of large scale educational technology products. Their opinion matters.” Not only do their opinions matter, but parents and caregivers matter, especially when considering the question of toddlers and screen time.
In 2016, Jenny Radesky, MD and Fellow of the American Academy of Pediatrics, authored the American Academy of Pediatrics digital media guidelines for children, and her insights are crucial in helping us make informed decisions about media and early childhood development today. As Dr. Radesky stated, “Families should proactively think about their children’s media use and talk with children about it, because too much media use can mean that children don’t have enough time during the day to play, study, talk, or sleep. What’s most important is that parents be their child’s ‘media mentor.’ That means teaching them how to use it as a tool to create, connect and learn.”
But, at times, the very opposite happens when it comes to media and young people. We see it all too often: a parent, perhaps needing a bit of a break, perhaps a bit too tired to engage fully with his or her child, hands over a smartphone or a tablet to soothe a child instead.
There are better options.
Dr. Radesky’s idea of parents and caregivers being “media mentors” resonates with us deeply. Our goal is to provide young learners with tools that will help them thrive in their studies and in their interactions with others. With their parents and caregivers alongside them, children can come to see how our original series Animal Island Learning Adventure (AILA) can help them “create, connect and learn.” AILA is designed for young learners the moment they can sit and play. A hands-free, worry-free all-in-one intelligent monitor and edutainment system, AILA Sit & Play features a robust preschool curriculum that adapts to the needs of each child. Early childhood offers an important window for parents and caregivers to develop literacy, 21st Century, social-emotional, and STEAM skills for their little ones. AILA Sit & Play offers families with toddlers and preschoolers an intuitive and intelligent learning companion.
But aren’t screens bad for little ones?
Not necessarily.
The American Academy of Pediatrics underscored the importance of quality content when young children view screens. Media for young learners, beginning around 18 months, should feature content of “educational value” and should constitute “high-quality programming.” In other words, when it comes to screens, early childhood is too valuable a time to be frittered away with unfiltered tablet “junk food.” With AILA, parents and caregivers will be equipped with high-quality content powered by a unique algorithm that delivers an enriched and enriching curriculum at a pace tailored for each learner. With AILA, toddlers and preschoolers will encounter a world replete with animations, songs, stories, games, and character-driven interactions and dialogues. All along the way, young learners will learn literacy, STEAM, 21st century, and the social and emotional skills that combine to make joyful innovators and problem solvers.
At DMAI, our goal is to enhance, not replace, humanity by providing tools designed to help us become our best selves.
No other content company features next generation cognitive AI technology committed to lift humanity. The evolution in learning is here.
Preorders begin December 19, 2019
Dr. Delano Copprue
Editor-in-Chief
DMAI, Inc.
