As AI becomes more prevalent, it’s not surprising to see it popping up throughout every aspect of education.
From new AI-powered educational tools to AI-generated essays, the impacts of this technology can be seen everywhere.
It seems that there are as many different approaches by educators to using AI as there are applications for it.
Regardless of how AI is adopted (or rejected) in the classroom, students are already experimenting with the technology.
Therefore, it’s important for educators to understand the different AI tools available for their students and discuss the pros and cons of using AI with their classes.
Before the age of smartphones, teachers warned students that they would not always have a calculator in their pocket, and therefore it was necessary for them to memorize a variety of times tables and be able to perform mental math.
Today, of course, if you have a smartphone, you have a calculator on hand.
However, while many literally have a calculator (smartphone) in their pocket, they might not be familiar with the functions of the majority of the scientific buttons included on devices. This means that the limitation isn’t with the access to the tool, but rather an understanding of the tool's abilities.
AI is similar.
Students may be inclined to use it for every aspect of their educational experience because it will always be available to them.
Without instruction, however, most students won’t be able to successfully use these AI tools to their full extent. They also may lack the awareness of when the tools should be employed, and when independent thought or original work better serves their purpose.
Teachers have the opportunity to embrace AI in the classroom and foster a healthy, productive relationship between their students and AI tools.
By encouraging students to use AI effectively and to think critically about its usage, impact, and accuracy, they can empower students to make smart, informed decisions about how and when to incorporate these tools into their workflow.
Many AI tools include features such as text-to-speech, speech-to-text, and translation that function at a more accurate level than ever before. These tools can help reduce barriers and increase accessibility in the classroom.
For instance, if teachers notice increased learning support needs from their students, but don’t have the resources available to meet those needs, these AI tools can help to bridge that gap and enhance inclusion of students with additional learning needs in standard assignments or class activities.
Many new educational tools and platforms are emerging with AI-powered support.
These platforms incorporate AI to generate more personalized feedback and assist students with their learning 24/7.
Because these tools use AI to provide feedback, they enable guided study sessions where students can complete their coursework or homework on their own time, but still get support or assistance as they go.
An example of this in practice is a student using an AI chatbot (like ChatGPT Study Mode) to guide them through solving a complex math problem rather than searching for the answer. By using AI, the student could get a more thorough understanding of how to solve this problem in the future, rather than jumping straight to the answer.
Second language students may also find AI tools useful for their self-study, as these chatbots can be used for personalized conversation practice that more closely mimics real life, as they can adapt to different responses that vary from a single script.
The most well-recognized con of using AI in school is encouraging an overreliance on the technology by students.
Whether AI is used to generate completed essays, solve math problems, or complete homework, relying on AI to complete the work (rather than provide assistance) means that students are losing valuable learning time and experience.
If students use AI instead of completing the work themselves, it prevents them from becoming proficient at the task on their own.
This can cause problems in their future studies or jobs. Each school, professor, and employer may have a differing opinion on AI, making it necessary to have an understanding of personal areas of expertise independent of AI.
Additionally, using AI to complete schoolwork means the brain misses out on developing vital critical thinking and problem-solving skills.
There is an important opportunity here for educators to set students up for success by teaching them strategies to use AI effectively without overrelying on it.
Teachers don’t have the ability to ensure all their students have equal access to technology at home. Differing access to digital devices and paid subscription plans for AI tools means that some students may have access to more advanced technology or AI support than others.
As teachers cannot regulate what access students have to AI at home, it can be difficult to allow AI usage on assignments while maintaining an equal playing field for all students.
To encourage equal access to AI technology, it may be easier to disallow AI on homework assignments and focus on teaching about and using AI in person on school devices.
The ethics and privacy concerns of using AI are not to be forgotten. Many AI tools collect user data to train their AI models and continue improving the platform.
Additionally, Generative AI (GenAI) continues to face criticism for copying existing work (read about OpenAI and ChatGPT lawsuits).
It’s important to be aware of these ethical and privacy concerns and review AI tools and their policies carefully. Learn about how Originality.ai treats your content.
For the use of AI to be ethical and positive in the classroom, transparency is key.
Students need to have a clear understanding of the expectations of using or avoiding AI in their coursework and understand why it matters.
AI detectors can be a great tool to integrate into the classroom. They are designed to differentiate between human-written and AI-generated content, allowing educators to easily identify any AI-generated assignments.
However, it is possible to get false positives with AI detection, where human-written content is mistakenly flagged as AI. It’s crucial to use a detector with a high accuracy rate.
To reduce the risk of false positives, students and educators can also use the Originality.ai Chrome Extension to show the entire writing process.
An AI detection score highlights the probability that a content piece is Likely AI. At Originality.ai, we emphasize that AI scores reflect just that — probability — not guilt.
As educators, it’s important to find the right balance with AI tools in the classroom. This can be done through thoughtful integration and continuous education.
Keep learning about the tools available and experiment with them. Encourage conversation or debates about AI usage in the classroom, and encourage students to begin thinking critically about using AI.
Continue to learn more about AI tools as they continue to evolve, get more sophisticated, and become more tailored towards education. Encourage students to think carefully about how and where they get their information. And show them the possibilities or strengths that AI tools have to offer them.
Maintain transparency with Originality.ai for Education and our Moodle Plugin.
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