Los Angeles and Baltimore school districts have joined New York City in blocking access to ChatGPT, a new artificial intelligence-powered chatbot. Other school districts are evaluating the benefits and risks associated with new technology.
The program has sparked lively discussions among educators in recent weeks. They watched with both fear and excitement about the potential impact of new technology on schools.
For some, the ability of chatbots to generate complex and measured responses to academic prompts makes them terrifyingly powerful agents of fraud and plagiarism. Banned all devices and networks in the nation’s largest school district.
A New York City school cited “concerns about the negative impact on student learning and the safety and accuracy of the content,” adding, “This tool could provide quick and easy answers to questions. [but] It does not build the critical thinking and problem-solving skills that are essential for academic and lifelong success. ”
Districts of Chicago and Philadelphia are not moving to block the program, a spokeswoman said.
Created by OpenAI, this program allows users to enter prompts and use machine learning to generate responses. There are concerns that this may provide students with a quick out when faced with high school English essay prompts, for example.
Still, others rocked the initial protesters, turning to chatbots as an attractive new tool for teachers and schools.
“Like most technology tools, ChatGPT can support student learning when used effectively,” said a local school district spokeswoman. “In the hands of Cobb County’s talented teachers, it can be a valuable tool to supplement students’ understanding of academic content and help them develop critical thinking skills.”
As schools across the country begin evaluating ChatGPT, some of the largest school districts in the country are:
Los Angeles Unified School District, California
Last month, the school district preemptively blocked access to ChatGPT on all networks and devices to “protect academic integrity while risk-benefit assessments are conducted.”
“In the meantime, we will continue to provide strong and relevant training and guidance in digital citizenship and computer science education to all school communities,” said a school district spokesperson.
Chicago Public Schools in Illinois
ChatGPT is not blocked on the school’s network and is under review by the school district for potential risks to students.
In a statement, a spokeswoman said Chicago Public Schools is “committed to providing students with a rigorous and engaging educational experience that incorporates technological advances. This includes helping students explore budding career paths. Includes tools to help you explore
Philadelphia School District, Pennsylvania
ChatGPT isn’t blocked by school districts, according to a spokeswoman.
Baltimore County Public Schools, Maryland
In a statement, a spokesperson said, “Baltimore County Public Schools has not created or changed any policies as a result of ChatGPT, but blocked the site on student devices and browsers earlier in the school year.” says.
Public schools in Prince George County, Maryland
A school district spokeswoman said ChatGPT is not currently blocked, but added it was under review.
Jefferson County Public Schools, Kentucky
Access to ChatGPT is not restricted in Jefferson County public schools, but the school district “constantly reviews all websites, chatbots, and other technologies to determine their value to student learning.” said.
“We make every effort to stay up-to-date on new technologies and their potential positive or negative impact on student learning,” a spokesperson said. “To date, no concerns have been expressed about ChatGPT.”
Orange County Public Schools in Florida
While the district has not made any policy changes regarding ChatGPT, staff say they “regularly monitor district devices for unauthorized programs and use and respond accordingly.”
Northside Independent School District, Texas
While the school district has not taken steps to block ChatGPT, it “continues to evaluate a large number of websites for their educational merits and finds that they contain content deemed harmful or disruptive to the educational process.” We are introducing web filters and other tools to help deal with
Julian Shen-Berro is a national affairs reporter. Please contact jshen-berro@chalkbeat.org.
