Exploration in AI

This week we were assigned to an adventure to “Explore AI”. This assignment let me check out artificial intelligence in a way that makes me think more than before. I’ve already been using AI a bit here and there to help with talking to parents or coming up with ideas in my classroom, but while doing this assignment, I got to dig into ChatGPT and Gemini AI (which I’ve never heard of) and it showed me what AI is good at and what AI struggles with. This was the first time I was able to compare two different chatbots and I must say, it was a learning experience, for sure. 

Both AI helpers were super fast at making content at some points. As a first grade teacher with a ton to do sometimes, having something that takes care of planning and making content is a big help. I learned that the more details you give, the better the answer. Like, when I asked ChatGPT and Gemini to make a 10 question quiz with multiple choices about first grade phonics or reading, with 4 or 5 choices, I saw that vague prompts gave me vague responses. But once I added things like “on-grade level and below-grade level versions,” the AI did a much better job. What you get really depends on how clear you are when you ask. 

But not everything about AI is shiny and perfect. One thing I quickly learned was that the answers weren’t always the same, even when I used the same question. Both chatbots gave me different versions of the same idea, depending on the wording or even just when I asked again. Sometimes this was great because I had more ideas to pick from! But, it also meant I would need to spend time editing to make sure the content was right for my students. A few times, the words were too hard, or the tone sounded too much like a robot. AI can help you get going, but you still need a human to make it work well. 

I teach little kids, so I'm not too worried about them misusing AI.But for older students the situation is entirely different. I can see middle and high schoolers using AI to write papers or do homework instead of doing the work themselves. They only need to copy paste and send in the text. We as educators will need to take more deliberate action to address that slippery slope.

Another part of this assignment, our professor had us check out some writing samples and play AI detective. The goal was to guess if a human or AI wrote each one. It was tougher than I thought! From what I've seen, AI text often has long dashes or sounds too formal, like it's trying too hard with fancy academic words that students don't normally use.. Even with those clues, I still had trouble sometimes. Some student answers seemed too perfect but lacked substance, so I couldn't tell if a person or a computer wrote them.This activity made me realize how tough it is to spot AI writing, even for teachers. It also made me wonder how much harder it will get later on.

During this assignment I asked ChatGPT to draw a picture of a Texas K–12 teacher which actually made me laugh a little. I got a really simplistic and somewhat stereotypical image from it as if the AI had simply taken a stock photo of what a teacher "should" look like. It didn't truly show the variety and individuality of the incredible educators I work with on a daily basis. Gemini AI then provided me with a description in place of an image when I attempted the same prompt. "A middle-aged Hispanic woman with gentle eyes dressed in a blue dress and comfortable shoes standing in a bright classroom with her hair pulled back in a ponytail and a pair of tiny earrings was depicted. Children were working in the background and there were posters about Texas history on the wall", is what the chatbot gave me. Even though it seemed to be well written, it still seemed very generic as if it were attempting to characterize the most standard teacher imaginable. To tell the truth, I don't think neither result accurately reflected what teaching is . It helped me realize how AI still has a hard time capturing the uniqueness and complexity of people in this field. However, I didn't stop there, I chose to modify my prompt and make it more detailed to see what would happen. I instructed the chatbot to prepare an image of an "African American first-grade teacher in Texas K–12 engaging with students in a friendly classroom setting."  On both platforms the outcomes were significantly better this time and I was kind of shocked. The picture felt more intimate and realistic this time… which is what I had originally desired. I then realized that the more specific you provide the better the AI response will be. In terms of representing real people in real roles, however it is clear that there is still space for improvement.

Then, for the next prompt, I asked for “10 ways ChatGP/Gemini can make the role of a teacher easier.” I found myself agreeing with most of its points like how AI can help with planning, organizing, and talking with others. However it also made me consider how simple it would be for people to become overly reliant on it. We risk losing the innovative and individual connection that makes teaching and learning so unique if AI takes over all of our thought processes. I wouldn't sacrifice that just to make things simpler.

Overall, this assignment really opened my eyes to all the ups and downs of AI. With this assignment, I was able to really see how AI could change our teaching methods, students' learning process, and even our core values as teachers. Since AI is so easy to use and it is able to produce all types of information quickly, I am worried that it could be misused especially with older students. This assignment taught me a lot and from now on I will really consider my future use of AI more carefully.