Who am I?
First, I’m no tech expert. I am comfortable in using it but definitely no expert. So let me preface this blog with that before I start talking about ways I will be using AI Chat as a teacher.
I’m really excited to use Chat GPT, at least the free version, as a tool to teach my students about next year.
I am a Grade 7 teacher in a public school in Canada. We use inquiry-based learning, and I think this could be yet another tool to build student agency.
First, I’m going to let Chat GPT introduce itself, and then I’ll be writing the rest of this post myself. I’m making this clear so that you, reader, know who will be doing the writing today. This is something I want to be able to do with my students, as well, for several reasons, including:
Yes, student, I know when you’re using AI to write your work.
No, student, it is not a search engine.
Yes, student, it can be used as a tool in class, and we’re going to figure out how to do that together.
What is Chat GPT? Just in case you don’t know, which is fine, I’ll copy and paste my question and answer from the AI into this post. After all, far be it from me to speak for anyone, including an artificial someone! I used this link to access: ChatGPT (openai.com)
We need to use it, not be afraid of it
So, there it is. I get that there are concerns about how it can be misused. There are a lot of really smart people who have warnings about the potential for this technology to radically change our society in macrocosm, but also to change our simple daily lives as teachers. I think, though, and this is just my opinion, that like any tool, now that it’s loose, we can’t avoid it and pretend that it doesn’t exist.
It’s here to stay. But then, so are calculators and Google.
And social media.
Why do I link these?
Because all of these are tools that have massively changed how we conduct our lives. And they have changed the ways in which we learn, get information, and raise our children. Even calculators.
Ultimately, all this is why teachers are more necessary than every before. Or perhaps not more necessary, but as necessary as they have ever been. After all, the necessity for kids to have the guidance they need in navigating a rapidly changing world, full of new ideas and tools has not changed for as long as there have been people. Children need to develop skills to be successful, and always have, but the rate of change has definitely increased. Sometimes we, as teachers, don’t change fast enough to meet their needs but, shall we say, that’s an us problem, not a them problem.
Just another calculator?
So, where am I going with this? Just as with the lowly calculator, kids needed to be taught how to use them, not pretend that they are an invention for cheating. Google? Kids need to learn how to use it, understand what they find, and critically analyze it’s usefulness, bias, and truth. Social media? How on Earth are teenagers and young people supposed to know how to see a world for it’s reality when it’s constantly cut and curated by those they follow?
So, all this is why I want to use AI in my classroom next year. Up until now, I haven’t used it much. I’ve used it to check if students had used it themselves to do their homework (yes, a few had) and then see if there were ways I could identify work done by the AI versus the student. I’ve used it to direct my own research when designing assignments that required specialized knowledge. That’s been pretty much it.
Some Ideas I Would Like to Try
Here is what I am hoping to use it for with my upcoming class
- Teach them how to use it for research. So far, I’ve seen kids use it as a glorified Google, and that’s about it. They need to know that it’s not always accurate and that sources need to be checked first hand.
- I’m sure that I could use it to teach writing. This isn’t scientific, but one thing I noticed about the essays written by the AI are that they sound wooden and formulaic. I plan to have the students write essays, then have the AI write an essay on the same topic, then compare and contrast. They could also have to find the real essay among several written by the AI. I think there’s a lot I could do with this.
- Asking the AI questions and then having them check the answers seems like a good way to hone those skills that they will need on a daily basis as they get older. They have total access to information and content, but that content is not always accurate. Teaching them that they need to be able to identify and confirm truth and falsehood, as well as bias, is a necessity for them. Getting them to fact check an AI seems like a really good way to practice this skill.
- I’m going to teach them to input their own writing into the AI and then have the AI proofread it form them. After, they can reflect on the edits that were made and if they agree or disagree, and why.
These are a few ways that I am hoping to use Chat GPT this school year with my Grade 7s. If you think you would like to get copies of assignments as I make them, related to these, let me know in the comments and I will make them available.
Also, post below if you think there are any other ways that AI could be used with middle schoolers to help them as they move into this crazy new world before us.
