Welcome to Manika's Blogs

  AI and Children—Is There Something in Common? One of the most fundamental questions of our time is:  As AI becomes more intelligent, what will happen to humanity?  Will it surpass us? Will it take over jobs meant for our children. These questions can stir anxiety, but understanding a deeper connection between AI and human development—especially in children—might offer clarity and even comfort. Data: The Common Thread When a child is born, the first six years of life are almost entirely devoted to data collection . Yes— DATA is the key word here. This data includes both cognitive and emotional inputs. It forms the blueprint for how a child will think, feel, behave, and interact with the world.  For example, if a child sees violence being justified in movies or experiences aggression at home due to parental stress, those become data points in their brain. The child learns: "This is how the world works." Similarly, AI systems are shaped by the data they are...

As I am putting together my years of research in early education into structured format on The7cs and I am revisiting my notes. One question dawned upon me. Approaching early years with an experiential learning has to be the only way then why most of us are ok with traditional way? As I started thinking more it dawned upon me that educators who curated book and desk model of education did not realize that early years of child's development are not same as later years. There is so  much more that needs to done for optimal brain development and we cannot achieve that with book and desk model. Here are few thoughts of mine on this subject.  When we think of education, we often imagine books, desks, and structured lessons. But apply that image to a toddler—and it quickly falls apart. The early years of a child’s life are fundamentally different from the school years. During this time, the brain is developing at an extraordinary pace. Often called the “sponge years,” ages 0 to 6 a...