Monday, July 10, 2023

Utilizing ChatGPT in the Classroom

When ChatGPT was first introduced, teachers everywhere panicked. We can't blame them, considering the generative AI service is capable of constructing eloquent and (mostly) accurate essays in under 30 seconds, among many other things. However, we cannot stop our students from using ChatGPT, so why not take advantage of it ourselves? To demonstrate, I asked ChatGPT some important questions about itself.

To start, "Why is ChatGPT scary for teachers?"

ChatGPT: 1. Job security: Teachers may worry about the potential automation of teaching tasks, impacting their job security or loss of student skills.

2. Lack of personal connection: ChatGPT lacks emotional intelligence, raising concerns about reduced personal connection with students.

3. Inaccuracies and biases: ChatGPT may provide incorrect or biased information without proper guidance and critical thinking skills.

4. Diminished control: Increased use of ChatGPT may reduce teachers' control and oversight over classroom dynamics and discussions.

5. Technical challenges: Implementing AI systems like ChatGPT may present technical glitches, system failures, and reliability concerns.

As we can see, there are many reasons to be concerned about this. But I also asked this follow-up question: "What are some ways ChatGPT can be useful in a classroom?"

ChatGPT: 1. Instant information and answers: ChatGPT can provide students with immediate access to information, answering their questions and providing explanations on various subjects.

2. Personalized learning support: ChatGPT can adapt to individual student needs, offering tailored explanations, examples, and resources based on their specific requirements and learning pace.

3. Enhanced critical thinking and problem-solving: Engaging with ChatGPT encourages students to think critically, analyze information, evaluate perspectives, and engage in thought-provoking discussions.

4. Creative Writing Prompts: ChatGPT can provide students with creative writing prompts, inspiring them to explore different ideas, characters, and storylines. 

5. Exploring Different Perspectives: ChatGPT can provide alternative viewpoints on a given topic, helping students explore different perspectives and challenge their own assumptions.

6. Additional teaching resource: ChatGPT can serve as an additional resource for teachers, providing supplementary explanations, examples, and support materials to enhance their teaching and provide extra assistance to students.

There's plenty of reason to be suspicious of this new technology. However, it all depends on how we use it. If we can teach our students to use it as a study buddy, rather than a copy-and-paste machine, it could serve as one of their most beneficial resources. We can also use its limitations to our advantage. For example, we can assign students projects involving ChatGPT responses and then ask them to be critical of its responses by doing backup research and cross-referencing its statements. Take note that in response to my first question, ChatGPT itself admitted that it may give biased and inaccurate answers. 

As teachers, we can also use this as a valuable resource to save us time. ChatGPT can write full lesson plans, construct emails, and even give us advice on how to improve our own writing. It may seem intimidating, but I guarantee that if you experiment with it a little while, you'll find some exciting applications of your own! 



2 comments:

  1. At the end of the day.....ChatGPT can not know every student, can not hug them, laugh with them, cry with them, encourage them. Computers will not replace humans because we are social beings looking for connection. What if they help us be more connected with our students by taking the stuff that doesn't connect us off our plate? What if we get to know our students better, get to spend more time with them because of technology. That has been our goal from the very beginning. We want technology to be used to bring us together, to allow us to be more social. ChatGPT can write our lesson plan...it cannot deliver it. That is the skill and art that cannot nor should not be replaced. You can see ChatGPT as scary or as an exciting opportunity. That choice is up to the teacher and their mindset.

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  2. Emily, I think it is so fascinating that you asked ChatGPT to describe its own strengths and weaknesses, and that it was able to give you a reflective response for each. As I am just becoming aware of the reality of this tool, I relate to ChatGPT's response to your first question. Specifically, I relate to the uneasy feeling regarding its inaccuracies and biases, as well as the diminished control that may result from its implementation in our students' experience. However, I believe that these issues are ones that can be directly referenced in our classes in order to promote further research and analytical skills as our students learn to determine what is credible, reliable, and valid.

    And, on the flipside, I am eager to learn what the positive effects of ChatGPT will be in our classrooms! Specifically, I value the idea of promoting more equity due to its ability to cater its output to the user's own language, reading level, developmental stage, etc. I also think it will be so incredibly helpful and efficient as we, teachers, begin to create lesson plans, resources, and prompts for our students. I look forward to seeing the ways that this will positively influence the classroom environment. And I hope the positives far outweigh the negatives that may come with it!

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