Cathy Shafran (Introduction): A new free downloadable application called Chat GPT gives students a new homework tool. In addition to artificially teaching mathematics and history, I am now able to write essays. Dr. Heather Kellstrom, IT Director at Ann Arbor Public Schools, spoke to WEMU’s Cathy Shafran about how the software is being received in the region and how it works.
Cathy Shafran: If I was a student and had access to it, I could have done my homework.
Ann Arbor Public Schools
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Dr. Heather Kelstrom: you could. But that’s what we call this tool in education a thing. This is Chat GPT like a technology disruptor. As you know, this is a tool that has been around in the business world for quite some time. we already know that. It’s Siri, it’s Alexa, it’s wearable technology, it’s how Nest and other products in your home make home devices possible. So it already exists, and we’ve taken advantage of the fact that the first thing these technology disruptors do is force new thinking and new approaches. At school, take a look at our policies, practices, assumptions, etc. Now is the perfect time to make sure you have technology that isn’t ubiquitous, but test it with education and see how it works. It works and plays with some educational use cases that work well in supporting students and teachers in the teaching and learning process.
Cathy Shafran: Oh, so you think teachers should use this as a tool instead of fear in terms of plagiarism and having someone else do their students’ homework? Is that what you’re saying? ?
Dr. Heather Kelstrom: Well, it’s funny. We have a lot of past practice with other technology education disruptors. When calculators came along, the way math classes were tested changed a lot. In 2009 there was another product called Wolfram Alpha, a search engine, that could compute anything mathematically. And it caused a bit of a ruckus. The field of mathematics seeks not only fact-based answers, but also encourages students to apply their discoveries in more meaningful ways, how they found them, or to talk more about them. I asked.
Cathy Shafran: But in this case, you could theoretically write an essay for a student who doesn’t consider himself a good writer. Is that something parents should care about?
Dr. Heather Kelstrom: I see, that’s interesting. Our tech team actually plays with it a little bit every day. So I commissioned some essays, I commissioned some summaries, various books, and then I wrote the essays. And the conversation is as flat as ever. I can tell every single person who reads it. I think it would be easy. In the K-12 environment, we tend to write personal stories and essays, which require passion and a certain amount of creativity. So those parts aren’t in that chat, but the reverse chatbot goes out and says, “This paragraph has been retrieved, this paragraph has been retrieved because it is the actual data It’s been acquired.” So that would be interesting. It might make us think, we grade kids based on writing rubrics, so rate, rate, or turn to help them get started using chatbots You may change your method. I personally think it’s a struggle, but I feel like a struggling writer who can really pull out the first thought. chatbot. It could be a great way to help them take those random thoughts and start the writing process. You may be responsible for editing, correcting errors, validating proofs, and improving your story.
Cathy Shafran: I hear you’re looking at all this in a positive light, do you think this will actually be a challenge for some teachers at first?
Dr. Heather Kelstrom: I think it will. We help students expedite their learning and how they can be sure they already know they can get it in the first place before coming to class, or that it is factual information that has been vetted. So I think the grouping of teachers is really reluctant. But I hear others say the same thing. I didn’t want to be Ask Jeeves, they will come.
Cathy Shafran: No concern that this could develop into a problem as many students start using it when they become aware of it and instead of doing their own homework.
Dr. Heather Kelstrom So I think every new change creates this chasm of concern and tension and issues with that. As educators, we cannot assume that all students will try. Cheating, you know. You know, it’s always been a widely debated thing in education. So what’s there and it’s not going to be a place for every student. What we can do is teach them how to use that chatbot in a more proactive way, teach them how to search, teach them how to verify information, teach them how to deal with misinformation, and deal with fraud. Show them how to do it. And plagiarism along the way. So I think we’re probably just reconfiguring this tool to model best practice usage. We live in this information economy, but this artificial intelligence robs us of its importance. So how do we prepare students to think critically, to create, and to take on the world? These are the same bots you’ll use in your future studies. So how do we incorporate that in a positive way? I think there are moments of problems and concerns and tensions. it just works through them. It’s a great time for teachers to initiate these conversations and test themselves.
Cathy Shafran (Conclusion): Dr. Kellstrom says there are no reported cases of students in the Ann Arbor school system using Chat GPT. But that doesn’t mean someone hasn’t tried it. But that’s not planned at the Ann Arbor school. Either way, given that it’s an app that students can acquire outside of school, she says it’s better to see it as a tool that everyone can use together: students, teachers, and parents. In the coming weeks, we hope to share information and discuss Chat GBT with Ann Arbor Public Schools faculty and staff.
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