XoT (Xducation of Things): Harnessing AI and edge computing to educate all things

Most English foreign language (EFL) studies focus solely on human beings. This research explores how edge computing can facilitate learning for all things. The XoT (Xducation of Things) framework was proposed to educate both human and all things. All things encompass two terms: AI-Agent and smartthings (covering physical and digital smart objects). At the core of this framework is Smart Question Answer Forwarding Mechanism (SQA-Forwarding), specifically designed to assist all things in building knowledge. To demonstrate this, the smartXoT environment was developed based on XoT framework, and its impacts on EFL learners was assessed. A quasi-experimental study involving 26 EFL learners, divided into an experimental group (EG) and a control group (CG), examined the differences in learning achievement of smartthings and EFL learners when using the smartXoT environment with/without SQA-Forwarding. Findings, on one hand, indicated that smartthings in the EG developed knowledge bases greater than those in the CG. On the other hand, the interaction between EFL learners and smartthings with SQA-Forwarding significantly improved learners' writing skills, with revisions playing a crucial role in enhancing writing quality. Thus, the XoT framework offers a novel and promising approach to educating both humans and all things.