Helpful or harmful? Educators navigate AI technology in schools

Kendra Simpson, St. Joseph News-Press, Mo.
·4 min read

Aug. 17—Artificial intelligence has made its way into the classroom setting, but educators now have to figure out how to proceed with the technology.

AI quickly evolved from a relatively unknown technology into a powerful tool used by content creators, business leaders, and now, teachers and students.

Educators can use this technology to prepare lesson plans, formulate creative assignments and translate students' work into their native language. But, like many technological advancements, some think AI has its disadvantages.

Kelly Lock-McMillen, teacher and curriculum adviser for Robidoux Middle School, said she believes the usefulness of the technology depends on how it's handled.

"With any new piece of technology, there's always a fear and some excitement and somewhere in between," Lock-McMillen said. "There has to be the ethical understanding or the ethical conversation. What are we going to do with this new technology? I think that it's a tool for our toolbox but it will alter the way that we do instruction."

Many educational organizations, such as New York City Public Schools and the Los Angeles Unified School District, have banned any use of the AI language model ChatGPT.

Although 51% of educators used the program to aid their workload during the 2022-23 academic year, students have used this technology to complete homework and essays and claim the work as their own.

AI technology can also complete high-level exams, such as the United States Medical Licensing Examination and law school tests. While this may seem like an easy way to get out of work, educators warn that AI-produced work is fairly simple to detect.

Susan Garrison, director and writing coordinator at the Center for Academic Support at Missouri Western State University, said the product produced by ChatGPT differs in key ways from work provided by a student.

"It can create a basic essay, but it's going to be bland," Garrison said. "It's not going to have details. It's going to be very, very vague. So anybody that grades writing, that looks at writing, that guides students as you're helping them with writing, you know, you want details, you want examples. And in general, ChatGPT doesn't do that very well."

Knowing the possible negative outcomes of using AI software like ChatGPT, would it be prudent for all school districts to ban it entirely? Many educators think otherwise. According to a study conducted by the Walton Family Foundation, 72% of teachers agree with the statement, "ChatGPT is just another example of why we can't keep doing things the old way for schools in the modern world."

"It's a toolbox," Lock-McMillen said. "And so a teacher needs to have a toolbox. Our students need toolboxes, and we need to know how to learn to use those tools that are in that box. So I think that we're on the precipice of learning about AI and how we can use it."

Garrison agrees that programs like ChatGPT can be useful.

"It can help students brainstorm," Garrison said. "So if you don't know what you want to write about and the professor says, 'Oh, just choose a topic', you're like, I don't know what topic I want to use or your topic is too general. So it could help you narrow down and give you different ideas of different areas of the same topic that are more specific."

While recognizing the benefits and drawbacks of AI technology in educational settings, it may be difficult for school districts to decide on the best path forward. Educators have to decide whether to use the technology as a productive and helpful tool for the educators or ban it entirely to avoid cheating and plagiarism issues.

The Policy Analysis for California Education believes the ideal solution is to train teachers on the technology and its proper uses.

In a study conducted by EducationWeek, it was discovered that while 47% of educators believe AI will have a very or somewhat negative effect on teaching and learning, 14% did not understand what AI platforms are. Basic training in the technology for teachers could better help them understand the possible risks and abuses of artificial intelligence in the classroom while also highlighting its capabilities and time-saving efforts.

"Any piece of new technology, you have to understand it," Lock-McMillen said. "You have to be taught in some capacity. I think that's a conversation that we need to have as educators. But in order to understand it and use it or not use it, you really do have to delve into it and ... What are the pitfalls? What are the positives?"