Donnie Piercey told his 23 fifth graders in Lexington, Kentucky, to figure out how to outsmart the “robot” that was generating their writing assignments under the fluorescent lights.
ChatGPT, a brand-new AI tool, can quickly and easily produce any written work, from little essays and haikus to lengthy research papers. The technology has caused widespread concern among educators, leading several school districts to restrict students’ access to it. Piercey, on the other hand, has chosen a different tack by using AI in the classroom, justifying his decision by arguing that he must educate his pupils for a future in which they would need to be familiar with AI.
After 17 years of teaching, Piercey says ChatGPT is the latest technology that has raised worries about the possibility of cheating. “This is the future,” he says. Resources like a calculator, spellchecker, search engines, encyclopedias, and video-sharing websites. All of his class’s Chromebooks are now available at their seats. When it comes to AI’s finest applications in the classroom, we still have some exploring to do. However, it will happen whether or not we are prepared for it.
In one activity, kids competed against the computer in a fun and challenging writing game. Piercey posed a “Find the Bot” challenge to his class. Each student summarized a paragraph on Muhammad Ali, the legendary boxer and icon of Kentucky, and then guessed which was generated by the chatbot.
