Learn more about the Class of 2024 here.
Educational technology to support learning and teaching is not new. But artificial intelligence is the latest incarnation, from chatbots for tutoring to planning lessons and providing feedback.
Chalkbeat New York reporter Michael Elsen-Rooney says teachers are increasingly thinking about leveraging AI in the classroom.
“Now that this technology has been widely available for more than a year, the question is, ‘It’s here. It’s here to stay.’ How do we bring it into the classroom in a responsible way? Can we incorporate it?’” Elsen-Rooney says.
Teachers aren’t the only ones using AI. High school seniors Paige Lowell of Westlake High School in South Fulton, Georgia, and Aaron Tong of Mariner High School in Everett, Washington, are also using artificial intelligence. They say they use it to understand challenges and organize their thoughts.
However, Tong said he has seen competition among students increase with the rise of AI.
“I’m concerned that that could and is already arising from the opportunity for AI to be introduced into our learning. But it’s not something we can completely control. That’s scary in some ways. ,” says Tong.
3 questions about AI in schools
How do teachers feel about the rise of AI in the classroom?
Michael Elsen-Rooney: “I think there’s still a lot of anxiety and fear. For a lot of teachers, when this technology first came out, there were so many concerns about how it could change the situation in the classroom. A lot of teachers were very wary of that and weren’t really thinking about how to introduce it, but how to prevent potential negative effects.
“There are still significant concerns and questions about students overusing and misusing this technology, for example when writing essays. Teachers are still grappling with that.
“There are a lot of tools that can help you theoretically determine whether something was written by an AI, but they all have their own flaws. I think teachers are still trying to figure it all out. Masu.”
How are students using AI?
Paige Lowell: “I have used AI as a useful resource. Sometimes I am given a topic that is least interesting to me. I use AI to start me on the right track. From there, I You can pick it up and complete your thought process.”
Aaron Tong: “I use AI a lot to enhance my writing in terms of how I get ideas out on screen and on paper. I use Grammarly a lot, and it has a feature called Grammarly Go. I won’t write for you, but I will read your writing and tell you what I can strengthen, what topics I can dig deeper into, etc. All for free, and it will help me enhance my writing. It really helps.”
How can students and teachers agree on the use of AI?
Elsen-Rooney: “I think it’s a pretty safe assumption that students could come into contact. [(AI]). Many of the students we spoke with said that even if they don’t use it themselves, they know of classmates who do. It’s really there.
“That doesn’t mean students are using it to cheat or write essays, and many students don’t want their teachers to make that assumption. Don’t jump to conclusions. Just finding a way to have a discussion without asking is a really helpful starting point for teachers.”
Hafsa Quraishi produced and edited this interview for broadcast with Katherine Welch. Quraishi adapted it for the web.
This article was originally published on January 31, 2024.
This segment was broadcast on January 31, 2024.
