ICT Article

Tech in the news

There is a lot of talk about ChatGPT recently on the news.  ChatGPT is a chatbot that uses Artificial Intelligence (AI) to write about a topic of the user's choice.  It is a big topic in education because students can now turn in essays that are written by AI and would be able to bypass plagiarism checking systems. “New York City public schools, for example, recently blocked ChatGPT access on school computers and networks, citing “concerns about negative impacts on student learning, and concerns regarding the safety and accuracy of content.” (“Don’t Ban ChatGPT in Schools. Teach with It.,” 2023). While the technology is still new and its not perfected, it will only get better as time goes on. 

Here is an example of what it looks like:
 
I used the keywords:  danger of AI in education

This is what it wrote:

There are several potential dangers of using AI in education. One is the possibility of creating biased or unfair educational experiences, as AI systems may inadvertently perpetuate existing societal biases. Additionally, there is concern that AI systems may replace human teachers and lead to a loss of personalization and human connection in the educational experience. Another concern is that AI systems may lead to a reduction in critical thinking skills, as students may rely too heavily on the technology to solve problems and complete tasks. Finally, there is a potential for misuse of AI in education, such as using the technology for surveillance or to manipulate student behavior.

Photo evidence: 

This is an issue that we have looked at to see how to approach it as a school. While the AI production of text is impressive, as a teacher, we know our students' writing styles and so we would be able to notice a change in their work.  We cannot ban ChatGPT at school because students can access it when they leave the school. What we can do is discuss with the students about this technology and teach them how to use it appropriately as a tool and not an end result. It is similar to when we teach students about research, we tell them that Wikipedia cannot be used as a main source of information but as a starting point. This is because Wikipedia can be changed by anyone, text is not always accurate.  So ChatGPT is another tool that students can use but should never be the end result. 

References
Don’t Ban ChatGPT in Schools. Teach With It. (2023). The New York Times. https://www.nytimes.com/2023/01/12/technology/chatgpt-schools-teachers.html