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Amazon Alexa to reward kids who say 'Please'
PRINT ALL READINGS (PDF)Saying 'Please' - Level 0
Amazon has a new virtual assistant called "FreeTime". It has a "Magic Word" function that says "please" and "thank you". Amazon wants children to copy these two words when they ask the assistant questions. FreeTime will answer and then say: "Thank you for asking so nicely."
Many people think technology teaches children to be rude. Children forget to say "please" or "thank you". Not everyone is happy with this new technology. Some people think technology stops face-to-face conversation. They think parents should spend more time with children and teach them to say "please" and "thank you".
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11 online activities | 8-page printable (PDF)
Saying 'Please' - Level 1
Technology will help children to be polite. Amazon has a new children's virtual assistant, called "FreeTime". This has a "Magic Word" feature. Actually, there are two magic words: "Please," and: "Thank you." It encourages children to say these two words when they ask questions. After a child asks FreeTime a question, it will answer and then say: "Thank you for asking so nicely." Amazon hopes children will copy this and be more polite.
Magic Word is for people who think technology teaches children to be rude. Parents say children copy devices and forget to say "please" or "thank you". Not everyone is happy with this new technology. A campaign group said: "AI devices [get in the way of] face-to-face interactions and...play that children need to grow." It said parents should spend time with children and teach them to be polite.
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11 online activities | 8-page printable (PDF)
Saying 'Please' - Level 2
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Technology is helping children to be polite. Amazon has a new children's version of its virtual assistant Alexa. It is called "FreeTime". The child-friendly device will include a "Magic Word" feature. Actually, there are two magic words: "Please," and: "Thank you." The software is programmed to encourage children to say these two words when they ask the device questions. If a child asks FreeTime: "What is the capital city of Australia?" Alexa will answer and end its response with: "Thank you for asking so nicely." Amazon hopes children will copy the device and be more polite.
The Magic Word feature is for people who think technology teaches children to be rude. Many smart devices say sentences without using any polite words. Parents say children copy this and forget to say "please" or "thank you". Children also ask smart devices questions without being polite. Not everyone is happy with this new technology. The Campaign for a Commercial-Free Childhood said: "AI devices [get in the way of] face-to-face interactions and child-driven play that children need to grow." It said parents should spend time with children and teach them politeness.
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11 online activities | 8-page printable (PDF)
Saying 'Please' - Level 3
Technology is now helping to teach children to be polite. Amazon will soon start selling a children's version of its virtual assistant Alexa. The new digital assistant will be called "FreeTime". The child-friendly device will include what Amazon calls a "Magic Word" feature. Of course, there are two magic words: "Please," and: "Thank you." The smart software is programmed to encourage children to say "please" and "thank you" when they ask the device questions. An example of this is if a child asks FreeTime: "What is the capital city of Australia?" Alexa will answer and end its response with: "Thank you for asking so nicely." Amazon hopes this will encourage children to copy the device and be more polite.
Amazon says the new Magic Word feature is to answer the many customers who said technology was teaching children to be rude. Many smart devices simply give out sentences without using any polite words. Parents said children copy this way of speaking and forget to say "please" or "thank you". Children also got used to asking smart devices questions without being polite. Not everyone is happy with this new technology. Josh Golin, executive director of Campaign for a Commercial-Free Childhood, said: "AI devices...interfere with the face-to-face interactions and child-driven play that children need to grow." He believes parents should spend more time with children and teach them politeness.
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25 online activities | 27-page printable | 2-page mini-lesson
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