Inquiry Unit Project

Mae Reill, Oct 18, 2020

SUBJECT AREA OF INTEREST

My main interests to dive into these topics are photography, teaching, and video games.
These have used these technologies in the past and have a lot of room for growth in the
future. All of these are important subjects to me and I look forward to what the future
may hold for them all.

Artificial Intelligence (AI)

1. How do you think this technology will (or will not) change the way people learn
within your subject area?

Learning could be totally different in the future through technology such as AI. In
fact, teachers could become irrelevant for some studies in the future. Studies and
programs available currently enable students to learn from an AI teacher.
Students not only learn quicker, but in some cases can even improve their test
scores under an AI teacher.

Hao, K. (2020, April 02). China has started a grand experiment in AI education. It
could reshape how the world learns. Retrieved October 17, 2020, from
https://www.technologyreview.com/2019/08/02/131198/china-squirrel-has-started-
a-grand-experiment-in-ai-education-it-could-reshape-how-the/

2. What are some of the shortfalls of this technology currently? What

advancements (technologic or otherwise) are needed for this technology to reach
its potential to transform the way we learn?

There are a lot of shortfalls in AI, particularly in language and communication. Both
in normal conversation and also through showing emotions. Thomas Visel (My
grandfather) and I talked about this subject back in July, as he works with AI and
holds several patents related to the subject. AIs when they attempt to speak like
humans, grammar and certain ideas are very hard for an AI to understand and
express. Changing how AI parses information may help this in the future. Many AIs
learn through a neural network, changing that to resemble a more human way of
thinking through a neuron table may assist AI to create more complex and even
original thoughts. (Note: All of the technologies described above have been
recently patented, after my initial conversation with Mr. Visel, I’m glad I’m finally
able to share some of this information to the public).
 Visel, T. (2019, July). AI In the Modern World [Personal interview].

3. Describe how this technology might be utilized (for good or bad) outside of its
original intended purpose? Do you foresee anything we should be wary of?

“There is always a constant fear of accidentally creating a singularity” That was

something my Grandfather told me over a cup of frozen yogurt. As soon as an AI
can truly form complex thoughts and learn on their own through inquiry based
learning and assumption, the world will change drastically and quickly. There are
practically an infinite number of things that could go wrong with this. Datacentres
could quickly become corrupt and unreadable, thousands of petabytes of
information released to the public without care.

Visel, T. (2019, July). AI In the Modern World [Personal interview].1 ~

Extended Reality (XR)

1. How do you think this technology will (or will not) change the way people learn
within your subject area?

The ways people learn on the daily are changing to be more involved in XR,
especially because of the COVID-19 pandemic. This enables students to gain
“on hand” experiences without having to be in person. Personally I find XR to be
really interesting in the realm of art, particularly with virtual museums and
experiences, changing the way people interact with art.

Rode, R., & Pomerantz, J. (n.d.). Exploring the Future of Extended Reality in
Higher Education. Retrieved October 17, 2020, from
https://er.educause.edu/articles/2020/6/exploring-the-future-of-extended-reality-in-
higher-education

The Crows Crows Crows Community Museum by Crows Crows Crows. (n.d.).
Retrieved October 17, 2020, from https://crowscrowscrows.itch.io/museum

2. What are some of the shortfalls of this technology currently? What

advancements (technologic or otherwise) are needed for this technology to reach
its potential to transform the way we learn?

A huge issue with XR right now is how accessible it is. Much of the time it
requires extra technology that an individual may not have access to. Especially
when it comes to hardware and internet connectivity. I would suspect in five to
ten years that XR based learning and experiences are going to be much more
relevant and widespread as the surrounding technologies are developed.

3. Describe how this technology might be utilized (for good or bad) outside of its
original intended purpose? Do you foresee anything we should be wary of?
 I don’t really think there is truly an “intended purpose” of XR. This technology
already has massive roots in medical, gaming, art, teaching, and architecture
fields. Once the availability of XR is widely available, there comes the issue of
hacking. Once people have an opportunity to have more “smart” devices in their
hands, the more information they could lose to a potential hacker. New
technologies always create new doors for hackers and other unsavories to ruin
others lives.

Internet of Things (IoT)

1. How do you think this technology will (or will not) change the way people learn
within your subject area?

As IoT progresses all learning will be impacted. As we push for a more internet
based learning environment, IoT becomes more and more involved. Canvas and
Blackboard and Zoom and great examples of this. As the pandemic progresses,
dependence on these technologies grows. Alternate forms of communication and
learning are becoming more and more important so these technologies are
becoming more important. Prompting companies to create tools and toys that are
connected to the internet while providing a streamlined learning or play
experience.

Thomas, M. (2019, April 23). The connected classroom: 9 examples of IoT in

education. Retrieved October 17, 2020, from https://builtin.com/internet-things/iot-
education-examples

2. What are some of the shortfalls of this technology currently? What

advancements (technologic or otherwise) are needed for this technology to reach
its potential to transform the way we learn?

As we become more dependent on technology like this, we become a slave to

ourselves, IoT knowing the ins and outs of our lives. Making plans for us and our
lives a lot easier, but much more accessible to everyone. Nowadays a data
breach could compromise someone’s entire life, academically, through work, in
personal life, clerically, everything. Heightened and more refined security
measures need to be developed before we become dependent on these
technologies. Perhaps even a change in federal law and rights should be done to
protect individuals from these issues is warranted.

Garg, R. (2020, August 07). 3 Major Disadvantages of IoT You Must Beware!
Retrieved October 17, 2020, from https://cyfuture.com/blog/3-major-
disadvantages-of-iot-you-must-beware-of/

3. Describe how this technology might be utilized (for good or bad) outside of its
original intended purpose? Do you foresee anything we should be wary of?
 I think a really interesting thing to be looking at is biohacking, even though IoT
wasn’t initially intending for something like that, it is still a fact to be aware of. The
step beyond wearable technology is just going to become fully integrated into a
user’s body. This is both interesting and terrifying. Imagine having a software
error, or someone hacking a stroke into your body.

Research Conclusions

Replace this text with 1-2 paragraphs of a summary of your findings and what you think
the future of these technologies holds for changing (for good or bad) the way we interact
with technology to learn in the subject area you identified.

In consideration of all of these findings we as people can be certain of a few things.

New art and video game experiences are becoming a lot more common to find. Also
these technologies are growing at a rapid pace, and we as a society are becoming more
and more dependent on these technologies. This will make learning and job spaces
easier to use and can make people more efficient, but at what cost?

For certain as these technologies continue to be developed, new security measures

must be created and used. Otherwise our lives will be endangered by new and
unexpected angles. We must take care to pace ourselves, and not become overly
dependent. Go outside, your phone and computer won’t be going anywhere. We can’t
say the same about our forests and parks.

Personal Learning experience

Replace this text with 1-2 paragraphs describing your own experience exploring the
three emerging technology areas. How would you describe your own learning with /
through / about those technologies? Do you feel you learn better / worse / the same
through these technologies?

Personally I learn a lot better with true on hand experience. In person classes are such
a requirement for my ADHD brain. I struggle to learn with these tools, but I really enjoy
learning about them. I love reading new articles about technology and related subjects,
and I will even attend talks and strike conversations with others about these subjects on
the regular. It is really fascinating, but sometimes I worry about the future. If an/ AI can
teach someone better than a teacher, what will happen to the teacher?

Additional Comments

I would highly recommend that you take the time to look at Thomas Visel’s patents
online if you are interested in learning more about AI and AI research.

I would also recommend visiting the The Official Crows Crows Crows Community
Discord Museum (working title) (TOCCCCDM(wt)) if you are interested in virtual art. It is
less than a Gig to download last I checked.
Citations

The Crows Crows Crows Community Museum by Crows Crows Crows. (n.d.).
Retrieved October 17, 2020, from https://crowscrowscrows.itch.io/museum

Garg, R. (2020, August 07). 3 Major Disadvantages of IoT You Must Beware!
Retrieved October 17, 2020, from https://cyfuture.com/blog/3-major-
disadvantages-of-iot-you-must-beware-of/

Hao, K. (2020, April 02). China has started a grand experiment in AI education. It
could reshape how the world learns. Retrieved October 17, 2020, from
https://www.technologyreview.com/2019/08/02/131198/china-squirrel-has-started-
a-grand-experiment-in-ai-education-it-could-reshape-how-the/

Rode, R., & Pomerantz, J. (n.d.). Exploring the Future of Extended Reality in
Higher Education. Retrieved October 17, 2020, from
https://er.educause.edu/articles/2020/6/exploring-the-future-of-extended-reality-in-
higher-education

Thomas, M. (2019, April 23). The connected classroom: 9 examples of IoT in

education. Retrieved October 17, 2020, from https://builtin.com/internet-things/iot-
education-examples

Visel, T. (2019, July). AI In the Modern World [Personal interview].