Rate the following essay on its writing, argument, and language skills:
How accurate is a computer? Answer? As accurate as it is programmed. When it comes to facial expression the technology used is programmed by one psychologist Dr. Paul Eckman. How can one man be responsible for knowing and understanding every human emotion? How could recognizing the face of a student in school help them to learn better? Using the technology from "Making Mona Lisa Smile" for emtional scanning in school may not be as valuable as it seems.

In my OTHER_PII experience you can never actually tell how a person is feeling just by looking at them. I am a pretty good example myself. I have some pretty bad "dead" face. People ask me all the time if I'm ok and I always say, "Yea I'm just tired", because I am just tired. I'm fine but others don't seem to think so because of the way my face is. Other kids and teenagers probably have this problem too. Having a computer try to cheer them up if they're ok isn't going to help. In the text they describe the situation as such, "A classroom computer could recognize when a student is becoming confused or bored," Dr. Huang predicts. "Then it could modify the lesson, like an effective human instructor." I find that line amazing. "Effective human instructor". That could mean many things. But how exactly could it modify the lesson to be more interesting and who is to say what an effective human instructor is?

How exactly is the modified lesson even going to help interest the student? Pop up a short game for a break or show a funny piture and tell the student to cheer up? Each child learns differently so how can a computer detect that? If computers started becoming "effective human instructors" what would happen to future teaching jobs? All of these questions are left unasnwered. As respectful as Dr. Huang puts it in paragraph 6, "Most human communication is nonverbal, including emotional communication," notes Dr. Huang. "So computers need to understand that, too.", I can agree with the computers learning about us but who would teach or program them?

What about flaws in the computer system? What if it reads certain faces wrong such as those with disabilities or who have been in accidents where the face is not recognizable by the system? Those children would not get the full effective education as those around them and it also derives a sense of difference from other students and leaves them subject to outcasting and even bullying. There are times in a school system where the teachers and administrators need to think about the good of the students before their education sometimes. The cost to implement this new technology could also be an issue. To install the technology they would either have to go through every computer in the school system or get rid of them and buy whole new sets of computers to be able to use them effectively. How much would a school system be willing to pay to boost the education of a student and give them the best opportunity to thrive in school.

As I have previously stated there are too many questions left unanswered. I see the potential it might have in the future. And how it could be used for the better but unless solutions to the questions I have asked are not answered then how can the system that recognizes facial emotions truly be trusted in schools?

Score: 4