Tonight I attended a Learning Conference at my school, where teachers and leaders from three of the four international schools on the island came together for an evening of PD followed by a social event with live music, food, conversation, and laughter. It was the first time we’ve been able to have such an event since I arrived in July 2020 (due to Covid restrictions, of course). I took part in many interesting and thought-provoking conversations, both in the sessions I attended and in the one I facilitated. However, one particular session left me with more questions than answers.
As I’m sure you know, Chat GPT is a hot topic, especially in education. The possibilities are endless and using this new technology will definitely make teachers’ lives easier in so many ways. But the ethical questions surrounding the use of AI are numerous. The most obvious one for me is students’ use of Chat GPT to write their papers and complete their assignments for them. This, in my opinion, takes plagiarism to a whole new level. Schools are scrambling to write policy about this at the moment, but without a solid understanding of the technology and the implications of its use, how will they know what the ‘right’ decisions are?
Prior to attending the session, I hadn’t really played around with Chat GPT yet, as I’ve been incredibly busy these past few months and couldn’t add one more thing on my plate. The presenter showed us a few ways in which he has experimented with it, and we were given some time to inquire, play around with it, and discuss our thoughts with colleagues. He’s had Chat GPT write lesson plans for him, create unit plans and assessments, and even write student reports. While I think using it to create lesson plans is a good idea, as it can save us time by giving us a starting point from which to work, allowing us to then tweak the lesson to meet our students’ needs, I’m not sure how I feel about using AI to write student reports. In a way I think it takes away the teacher voice and personalization, but on the other hand, writing reports are the bane of all teachers’ lives and take up an incredible amount of time. Should teachers use Chat GPT to write students’ reports? I’m still not sure.
Another thing I’m pondering at the moment is whether Chat GPT will make us lazier and less intelligent. Why spend all that time researching and writing that essay for your Master’s class when you can just have Chat GPT do it for you? Will you actually learn anything in the process or will you just get a good grade? What will happen to creativity and the epiphanies that result from lots of researching, learning, discussion, and reflection? I have so much to think about and much more research, investigation, experimentation, and discussions to have in order to form an educated answer to my questions.
As an experiment after I finished my slice above, I asked Chat GPT to write a blog post about my opinion on the use of Chat GPT in education. Here’s what it came up with:
As an AI language model myself, I believe that Chat GPT can play a significant role in education. The use of AI in education is a relatively new concept, but it is growing rapidly, and the possibilities are endless.
One of the primary benefits of using Chat GPT in education is that it can help personalize learning. Every student learns at their own pace and has unique interests and preferences. With the help of Chat GPT, teachers can create tailored learning experiences for each student, based on their individual needs. Chat GPT can also provide feedback to students, which can help them improve their learning outcomes.
Another benefit of using Chat GPT in education is that it can help students develop better communication skills. Chat GPT can simulate conversations, which can help students learn how to communicate effectively in different situations. It can also help them learn how to express their thoughts and ideas in a clear and concise manner.
Chat GPT can also assist teachers in grading and evaluating student work. It can analyze student essays and provide feedback on grammar, syntax, and organization. This can save teachers time and ensure that students receive prompt feedback on their work.
However, there are also some potential drawbacks to using Chat GPT in education. One concern is that it may replace human interaction and communication. While Chat GPT can provide personalized learning experiences, it cannot replace the value of face-to-face interaction with a teacher or peer. It is important to strike a balance between the use of AI and human interaction in education.
Another concern is the potential for bias in Chat GPT. AI language models are trained on large datasets, and if those datasets contain biased information, it can result in biased responses from the AI. It is important to ensure that Chat GPT is trained on unbiased datasets and that its responses are regularly monitored and evaluated.
In conclusion, the use of Chat GPT in education has the potential to revolutionize the way we learn and teach. It can provide personalized learning experiences, improve communication skills, and assist with grading and evaluation. However, it is important to strike a balance between the use of AI and human interaction in education and to address potential issues such as bias.
What are your thoughts on the use of Chat GPT? Have you used it much? If so, what’s been your experience? Are you having these discussions in your school?
my heart is happiest when i travel. read. write. connect. 
Chat GPT to write reports, sounds not such a bad idea.
We can give it a try!
It definitely is something worth looking into!
Well done on this post! I like your format of presenting your thoughts and then including the Chat GBT response. So much to think about, you are correct. I think a lot of it will come down to time spent learning! There is so much to learn (about the world, about how to do things, about others, for example) that we do have to begin picking and choosing where we spend our time. Both students and teachers, both groups being learners, can benefit from the use of this new technology, but how to make it work? Thanks for making me think!
You are so right! We are all learners and have so much more to consider with this new technology.
Wow. I really enjoyed this piece. The comparison between your writing and the computer was fascinating. The computer piece was clearly biased and while the grammar and word choice was surprisingly good, the content was bland.
Your writing on the other has, was engaging and most importantly, I could hear YOUR voice. Thanks for this. It feels very important.
I don’t think we have seen even a blink of what Chat GTP has to offer. I have followed the discussions but not used it myself. I am curious though.
I think we need to be wise about what’s happening, and playing with the tool as a teacher (and in the role of a student) is a critical first step. Then, we can begin to figure out, how might it help our writers and learners? It will likely mean many of us in the field of education will have to rethink many of our assignments because if Chat can spit out a suitable essay in seconds, then maybe we’re not doing enough as teachers to get our students thinking critically and creatively enough. But, it’s early days with this technology (OK – that could be good or that could be bad).
Kevin
Hmm. Now I wonder how ChatGPT would handle a prompt like, “Write a slice-of-life story that could be a blog entry.” Crafting effective prompts for AI-generated writing may become a front-runner at the next skill frontier.
I agree…I hear it’s all about giving it high quality prompts.
Wow this post was really enlightening. I know so very little about Chat GPT but it is definitely a hot topic these days. You had my attention when you said it could grade student writing!
Haha…I wonder how the grading will turn out!
The AI written blog post sounds like a high schooler’s argument essay, which is both interesting and unnerving. We are just beginning to talk about Chat GPT and its implications in the hallways at school, but nothing formal yet. At home, though, we have spent a lot of time discussing the questions you asked about creativity, learning, intelligence, etc. We are wondering the very same things. I found a challenge done by The New York Times, asking educators to identify which pieces were written by ChatGPT and which by actual students. It was fascinating. I’m not sure if the link will work overseas, but if you are interested, you can give it a look: https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2022/12/26/upshot/chatgpt-child-essays.html?smid=url-share.
What a timely post for me to read! I just experimented with ChatGPT for the first time this morning. A few of my colleagues have been using it to write lesson plans and design projects, and it’s actually done a great job with those. This morning, I fed the upcoming assessment essay prompt I’m required to administer to much less impressive results! Thanks for sharing your learning and results with us–fascinating!
I think the possibilities are endless…we need to keep exploring!