'Alexa' turns teacher for school kids in rural areas

Mannequins fitted with voice assistants are becoming a cheap, innovative and interactive teaching aid

The bell rings at Amravati Municipal Corporation’s (AMC) Warud school and everybody gets ready to pack up and go home, except the newest teacher. In fact, she hasn’t even left the classroom since ‘joining’ in early 2018, and has become quite a favourite with students who love the fact that she answers all their questions, belts out nursery rhymes on demand and never scolds anyone.
Alexa, Amazon’s voice assistant, isn’t just a bot in a box in the small Marathi medium primary school, about 170 km from Nagpur. Here, the device is neatly fitted inside a mannequin dressed in smart clothes and rimmed glasses. Her voice comes through speakers connected via Bluetooth, and has changed the way students in this Marathi medium school are learning. Giving the device shape and form was the idea of Amol Bhoyar, one of the only two teachers at the school that has 36 students on the roll. The entire contraption — fashionable clothes, eyewear and speakers — set him back by Rs 16,000, with Amazon Echo Dot retailing at Rs 4,500. Cheap internet connectivity, via Jio, ensures she is always online during school hours.
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