There are real concerns about kids using AI in the classroom. First, is that it might discourage real learning. As teachers, we may have to change how we check for knowledge to make sure that students are still learning the content and not overly relying on AI. Second, AI is not always going to produce a good quality answer. As I learned in my very first computer class: GIGO or garbage in garbage out. This means that the information from AI is only as accurate as the information it draws from. Students have to double check the products to make sure they are accurate.

Looking at all of these arguments, teachers need to make sure their students know how to effectively use AI tools and to adjust their methods of teaching to account for AI use.  

My concern with AI tools being used in the classroom is students just using them to do the work for them. Recently in one of my classes a student used an AI tool to complete their assignment. They copied and pasted word for word what the AI tool put out. This does not help the students learn the material and nothing of real value is gained by the student. Another concern of mine is that students will not fact check the information that is being given to them. AI is not perfect and a computer science teacher at my school demonstrates this to his classes by feeding prompts into ChatGPT to get it to say factually incorrect answers. I fear that students may use AI tools with the mindset that they are infallible and treat them as an authority on every topic.

• What are some arguments for students using AI tools in the classroom?

• First, I think ChatGPT can be used as tool to provide students background knowledge where perhaps none exist currently.

• Second, ChatGPT might be a great way to augment textbooks with more contemporary information.

• What are some concerns about kids using AI tools?

• Probably the first concern is that ChatGPT will be used to cheat on assignments. Secondly, if students are too reliant on ChatGPT, how will we know if real learning is actually occurring? Third, can they actually recall anything or apply any content without using ChatGPT? Fourth, sometimes ChatGPT is not that accurate. Last week I asked it the score of a college baseball game. ChatGPT did give me the final score, but the problem was the game hadn't even occurred!

My concerns are, similar to others on this Padlet, students becoming dependent on AI and using it to complete their work for them. As ChatGPT learns more, it will be better and better at writing essays in student voice. It will force educators to reconsider how they assess learning, which can be a good thing, but it might also cause students to lose the ability to write effectively. I am also concerned with AI tools providing inappropriate output for students, as it would be impossible to censor in the moment. I read a study recently that, when the researchers asked AI to create images from the prompt "Asian", it generated predominantly pornographic images. I think bots like KidGPT are a good answer to this concern, as the tech continues to develop.

AI also has the ability to make things a lot more interactive for lessons by having a conversation to breakdown topics.

However, if students use AI too much it will damage their learning abilities. This is due to them become too reliant on an easy way to find information rather than finding it themselves.

The biggest problem with AI is the fact that it could be considered cheating. Which would make learning practices less effective.

Students can also use AI chatbots for brainstorming. If a student is needing to write an essay, but is having trouble formulating an answer, a chatbot could provide ideas to help inspire original thoughts from the student themselves.

This also brings us to concerns. If a student were to use an AI chatbot to create the entire thought, or even generate an entire essay that would only harm their learning since they are not communicating their own knowledge.

Another concern would be if students relied only on AI chatbots for learning. Since Chatbots are not always accurate, a student relying too heavily on AI may learn inaccurate information, which can have lasting effects on their understanding of a subject.

Some concerns about students using AI tools include: Over reliance, and reduced critical thinking. As many people have already stated on this discussion, students may become too dependent on AI to do their work if it is allowed in the classroom. This could lead to decreased learning outcomes and increased potential for plagiarism. Additionally, in regards to critical thinking, if students rely on AI for answers, they may miss out on developing essential critical thinking skills that come from working through challenges independently. This would also decrease learning outcomes and essentially undermine the entire purpose of being in a course.

AI is also a great tool for ideation. When a student has one or two ideas for a theme or a visual concept, using an AI to riff on those can yield unexpected variations. Maybe a student is exploring the theme of "isolation" through imagery of empty rooms - or echo chambers that the student hadn’t considered. By engaging with these new angles, students learn to push past their first ideas into deeper territory. Eventually, they can bring those concepts back into a focused, purposeful direction. Rather than narrowing creativity, AI can explode it in order to allow the student to regroup with more insight.

There’s a temptation, especially when the tools are new, to treat the AI’s response as the finished work. But in an art classroom, this is where values need to be reinforced : ideas are cheap and process is everything. When students start seeing AI-generated prompts or images as just one step in a longer creative process, they understand there are no real shortcuts to expression. It’s a tool for brainstorming, not a substitute for thinking.

Another concern is that students might become too dependent on AI suggestions and begin to drift away from their own unique voice. This can be countered through thoughtful instruction that encourages reflection. Ask students : "What do you like about this AI result and what feels off?" That internal critique builds confidence in their own decisions, and reminds them that their creative instincts still lead the way.

As an art teacher, my students do not regularly use AI technology. However, AI tools like individualized learning programs can help students with learning difficult topics at a personalized pace. Programs like ChatGPT can also provide students with a variety of resources to get students started on complex projects. AI can be a great brainstorming tool, and some art teachers even recommend it for brainstorming compositional arrangements in art.

While AI can be helpful in a variety of classroom situations, it also has its downfalls. AI search engine results can display incorrect or biased information. Many students rely on AI generated search results instead of going to individual, reliable sources. This can be misleading and defeat the purpose of fact-checking and proper research practices in schools. Students have also used AI programs to complete their class work for them. This diminishes students' critical thinking skills and their understanding of important content in the classroom. AI detection programs can be used when written assignments are involved, but they are not as accurate for math-based or science assignments.

This brings me to the flip side of the coin. Students can benefit from these sources to help with sentence structure and help with condense their thoughts when they are just repeating themselves. It also helps give you ideas on topics to write about or ways to help improve your lesson plans. It's finding the right balance between using it to help grow and improve your grammar and using it to be lazy instead.

However, I also think students need to learn what to trust from AI and whats false. AI pulls from as many data points as possible about the subject or topic being asked. They don't have a parameter on knowing which website has facts and which is false information. It can pull from wiki.net, to reddit, to a .gov, this can make the information given to you false, but written in a way that students wouldn't think its false as its written structurally sound.

However, in the past few months I have explored through chat GPT (I refused to try it for the longest). I have created landscaping designs, EOC practice questions, workout plans based around specific athlete goals, and even to brainstorm research within biology. There are many times I have an idea but it feels like I can’t get started. I often feel that students may feel this way and could benefit from the help of Ai to kickstart their understanding and learning. When Ai is used properly it allows for a great increase in knowledge. In my subject specifically (biology) there are many things and resources Ai can provide to help model and explain in ways I wouldn’t have thought of. When I have used Ai resources there are sever so instances where things aren’t quite correct and need to be tweaked. This is something that students must be able to catch if they use. As time progresses I do feel that Ai will be come more and more present in the classroom. However I feel that there must be a way to still control the way students use it and are taught to use it.