I've used AI as a student, since my second semester of College. My primary AI has been ChatGPT. At first, I used ChatGPT to help me with coding, for my Programming with Python class. From the very beginning, I could tell that ChatGPT should always be taken with a grain of salt. It had a bad habit of adding certain programming words I didn't know, and that I knew would likely make the professor suspicious if he looked at them. That's why I tried to make the code first, before I had ChatGPT fix it.
The following semesters, I made sure to use ChatGPT as nothing more than a tool to assist me, when I really needed it. For example, one time I missed an essay, and had ChatGPT create a framework for me to base my own essay on.
Then I took a class on AI over the Summer, and was forced to pay for GPT 4o. With GPT 4o, I made a GPT of my own, and got played around with an image generator for the first time.
I can see AI supporting educators by functioning as a tool for organizing tasks, grading assignments, and helping students practice technical skills like math. However, it must not be over relied on, because an AI can not teach in the same way a human can. AI can also be used as a studying tool for subjects like math. The AI can generate math problems for students to solve, and show them how to solve problems, when things get more difficult.
However, like I said before, the AI must also be taken with a grain of salt. AI is known to have digital hallucinations, making up information it doesn't know was made up. For that reason, teachers must verify the information the AI presents them, before believing it to be true. Take the seahorse emoji, for example. The AI is programmed to say you are right, so it keeps claiming there's a seahorse emoji, only to get it wrong, and look for a new one.
I believe in the future that educators will incorporate ChatGPT into their lessons. Some teachers will be smart enough to not let ChatGPT completely run the show, but other teachers may find themselves overreliant on the AI, at the cost of educational abilities. I also believe that rules will be put in place, as they are now, that limit just how much students are allowed to rely on ChatGPT. We want students to think for themselves after all.
I really liked how you explained your personal experiences using AI throughout college, it shows how much you’ve learned about using it responsibly! I can connect to your point about AI needing to be taken with a grain of salt. I’ve also noticed that sometimes it gives information that sounds right but isn’t fully accurate. I thought your example about the seahorse emoji was a great way to show that. What do you think would be the best way for teachers to teach students how to use AI carefully but effectively?
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