Image from Bing Image Creator
The new plague, or partner, of educational systems is ChatGPT. The media struggles to collect the views of teachers on whether this phenomenon should be embraced or discarded due to how much it could change the educational landscape. How do students take advantage of this tool for their studies? How are teachers supposed to react to ChatGPT in education?
Part of the beauty is that most people can learn to use ChatGPT with some simple experimentation or a YouTube tutorial, unless someone is looking for more in-depth ways to take advantage of its resources. That is its first blessing, but several others could make it a valuable educational tool.
there is more inclusion
Non-traditional students might get more out of tools like ChatGPT than conventional methods. It could be an audiovisual assistant where students are free to ask as many clarifying questions as necessary without judging. Teachers who juggle countless individualized education plans could also take advantage of ChatGPT by asking how to select lesson plans for students with disabilities or other learning requirements.
Students prepare for the workforce
Almost every industry adopts some form of AI, and many students will grow to work alongside co-workers or AI assets. Because the transition is inevitable, schools must embrace AI adequately prepare children for the real world. It will empower students entering the workforce if they know how to use chatbots responsibly. Additionally, students entering technology-dependent industries need these skills if they are to qualify for jobs.
Students get a free tutor
ChatGPT in education might resemble students asking for examples of covalent bonds or metaphors in the literature. You could simplify complex concepts by providing step-by-step instructions when a classroom doesn’t have the attention or time to spend reiterating each idea in detail.
Students can take advantage of ChatGPT as a tutor or homework supplement, especially if they need to catch up. ChatGPT’s ability to create selected responses is unparalleled, so if a student needs a scientific explanation for a 6th grade reading level, ChatGPT can accommodate.
These benefits come with fighting drawbacks. Teachers are not clamoring to ban ChatGPT for no reason. These are some of the most widespread.
students are cheating
ChatGPT could write essays or code with relative accuracy, whether for individual assignments or entire classes. It could encourage lazy or disinterested students to effortlessly pass courses, just like foreign language students exploit Google Translate when it first came out.
Data privacy is in the air
This AI is arousing the curiosity of cybersecurity analysts. ChatGPT’s security isn’t the toughest, but students and teachers input countless data into its database on a daily basis. Are education systems responsible if threat actors compromise that information? Is it the responsibility of educators to teach their subjects and furthermore, cybersecurity hygiene, especially if they encourage the use of AI in the classroom? Public and cloud-based systems like this could have enhanced cybersecurity and compliancebut how sure can teachers be?
Critical thinking is in danger
Students could use ChatGPT to unleash their creative potential, but it is just as likely to impair critical thinking skills in the long run. Why would students need to exercise problem solving skills if they can ask ChatGPT to decide for them? A desire for instant gratification can replace the genuine curiosity to learn that was necessary for students who had to work harder to find the solutions they needed.
ChatGPT in education impacts teachers very differently than students, but they will have just as many, if not more, opportunities and negatives to the experience. Some may argue that teachers are responsible for bringing AI into the classroom. to modernize lesson plans and make education relevant to modern job expectations.
Conversely, teachers will spend much more time quality checking when grading assignments, although they could use it to save hours of manual grading. The time saving possibilities are as creative as the teacher. Lesson plans become more engaging and diverse with a few questions posed to ChatGPT.
Ultimately ban or allow ChatGPT in classroom set a precedent for teacher-student relations with technology Teachers calling for outright bans imply that they cannot trust children to use ChatGPT for genuine educational purposes. Is it healthy for teachers to distrust students in this way? Alternatively, is it beneficial for teachers to constantly question whether students abuse their trust? Both sides raise a perplexing ethical question for which educators still don’t have an answer.
Whether ChatGPT in education is friend or foe will depend on how teachers instruct with it and will set precedents for AI etiquette. Regardless, it is indisputable that AI will eventually be integrated into education.
Is it better to delay that change or start working on managing student-AI relationships now? Depending on a student’s priorities and character, it has equal potential to be destructive or advantageous. The world will have to see which side of the scale ChatGPT falls on over time.
Shannon Flynn (@rehackmagazine) is a technology blogger who writes about IT trends, cybersecurity, and business technology news. She is also a staff writer for MakeUseOf and editor-at-large for ReHack.com. Follow KDnuggets to read more from Shannon and other data science updates. See Shannon’s personal website for more information.
