You’ve heard of AI technology, but have you heard about Chat GPT? Do you know what it is and how it may affect your child’s education?
Rumors are circulating that students are using the latest tech called ChatGPT to cheat their way through school, leaving school boards across the globe on high alert. Is ChatGPT the cheating tool that the media perceives it to be? Or can we use ChatGPT for educational purposes?
Should you, as a parent, be worried about ChatGPT in the classroom? Here’s what you need to know:
What is ChatGPT?
ChatGPT is a natural language processing (NLP) tool. It is driven by artificial intelligence (AI) technology that allows users to have human-like conversations with a chatbot. ChatGPT can answer questions and assist with tasks such as composing emails, essays, coding, and much more.
Using ChatGPT is currently free of charge and open to the public because ChatGPT is in its research and feedback-collection phase. ChatGPT needs a lot of data to function, so it’s currently in its data collection phase. But, as of Feb. 1, there is also a paid subscription version called ChatGPT Plus.
Students Using ChatGPT in the Classroom
Many students already use ChatGPT in the classroom for their homework assignments, creating challenges for teachers in regard to plagiarism, cheating, and learning.
ChatGPT requires a lot of data to run; this data and information is sourced from all over the internet. Because ChatGPT sources their data from many sources, including books, web texts, Wikipedia, articles and other pieces of writing on the internet. It makes it almost impossible for students to source their work. Which can and will lead to plagiarism cases filed against students.
Students who use ChatGPT in the classroom to write essays should be aware that the information that ChatGPT provides isn’t always factual. Administrators have already banned ChatGPT from school WiFi in New York, France, and numerous other areas across the globe.
Yet experts question whether bans like these are effective.
On the one hand, students will always have access to ChatGPT outside the classroom and other tools through routes other than those provided by their schools. However, some people question the need to restrict access to a digital tool whose uses will increase in the workplace over the next few years.
Students who decide to use ChatGPT, need to be aware that:
- Everything shared on ChatGPT will be stored—do not share personal data.
- Using ChatGPT is free but will not remain that way.
- ChatGPT’s servers consume a lot of energy, with an average question costing a few cents in electricity.
- The answers given by ChatGPT are not always correct, and ChatGPT does not reference the sources used, so the validity cannot be verified.
- ChatGPT is trained on sources up to 2021 and cannot answer questions about recent events, articles, and insights.
ChatGPT: An Opportunity to Learn Differently?
Some education critcs believe that AI hinders learning and has no place in education. Others argue that AI is the technology of the future and that students should become familiar with it now.
A complete ban on the usage of AIs in classrooms would be unreasonable. Because students will encounter AIs in the workplace , schools ought to encourage students to become familiar at a young age.
Incorporating technology into classroom lessons enables students to learn how to collaborate with AI and removes the temptation to cheat in the future. Teaching students the good and the bad of AI technologies and how to use them correctly and ethically will ensure students have the necessary skills for tomorrow.
Technology at GradePower Learning
Students at GradePower Learning do not use any sort of AI to complete workbooks. Artificial intelligence can support children’s education; however, at GradePower Learning, the focus remains on building solid foundational learning skills that students can rely on, even while learning offline.
If you have any questions about how AI may affect you or your child’s education, contact a location near you.
