Yabancı Dil Öğretiminde Robot Öğretmenler

After robots were used in many fields successfully, it was thought that these systems could be used in education sciences and especially for foreign language education and it could meet necessities of this field and then they started to design robot teachers with this purpose. Today, the countries such as USA, Japan, and South Korea are making important studies in this area. Even if the point reached at the desired level, it is undeniable that these studies opened a new horizon for the field. Today technological innovations are quickly advancing and scientists seeking different ways of information are trying to design machines and tools that can present information especially in a faster, more efficient and excited way. Robots equipped with artificial intelligence systems are the main examples of machines designed with this purpose. Scientists who want to make contributions to children‘s development by using correct technologies are utilizing robots they programmed with this purpose in many fields, mainly in foreign language education. Today many science branches are meeting their requirements with robots and obtaining extremely successful results. Robots are used in many fields from industrial production to health, space research to agriculture, defence industry to cinema. After robots were successfully used in many fields, it was thought that these systems could be used in education sciences and especially for foreign language education field and it could meet the requirements of this field. Robot teachers can take role of teachers in class and make necessary repetitions students need during educations which are necessary to realize education process, can give suitable feedbacks and reinforces, and develop correct reactions according to results of student behaviours. Also they can realize an education activity suitable for educational purpose by considering student properties such as motivation, tendency, learning strategies, learning types, age and intelligence. First of all robot teachers include computer softwares and interact with students thanks to their softwares. Most important one of these softwares is the Face Recognition system. These systems analyzes eyebrows, eyes, chins, lips and such facial properties and saves to database with a biometric coding method. Robot follows students via a video camera mounted on face section, analyzes their mimics immediately and provides necessary feedbacks. Another software is Speech Recognition system. This system analyzes auditory signals with purpose of identifying said words and saves to database with a biometric coding method like the other one. System perceives the voice, understands what the student says and gives necessary feedbacks. Robot teachers can create high level interactive environments by improving skills of writing, reading, understanding what you hear and skill of understanding what you read which are targets of foreign language education field to improve, with many other technological contents they have, and can enrich education life. High level interactive environments should be created for students attend classes more effective and more willing. Taking interest and drawing attention, robot teachers can help students to attend classes more effectively and more willing. Robot teachers can give students linguistic skills needed by them imitating the real-life situations. In the traditional classroom environment, during the learning, teacher uses a number of methods such as representation, oral instruction, clues and gestures then provides feedback that contains the necessary corrections, allows learning to take place making additional impressions if it need.In addition, in foreign language teaching, it is a fact accepted by educationalist that education by teachers who speak the target language as a mother tongue is one of the most effective methods. But to find the native speaking teachers is difficult and costly. Therefore, the possibilities offered by computers and the Internet are often referred to. Video, teleconferencing, online applications and computer software are some of them. Together with these, it is recognized that it will be obtained positive results from education made using robots. In particular, it is believed that more accurately taught basic communicative features such as correct pronunciation, correct intonation and the representation of gestures and facial expressions accompanying conversation. In this study firstly systems owned by robots are mentioned and then the properties a machine must have in order to be regarded as a robot are explained. Then three robot examples are selected among robot teachers designed with foreign language education purpose, they are introduced by explaining their properties and their interactivity with the students. Also the ways and angles how robot teachers support the skills, which are planned to be improved by foreign language education field, are tried to be explained. Literature review and sampling method is used in the study. Acquired data was interpreted once again by making comparison with sources to obtain interesting, informative and useful results from obtained data and conclusion sentences were obtained. Also data was supported with references that put forward its methodology or that criticize the study depending on development and importance of study in the field.