AI: A Tool for Cheating… Or Teaching?

OpenAI’s ChatGPT is a hot topic lately, especially among teachers.

In my role, I’ve been fielding a bunch of questions, and having lots of conversations with teachers and administrators. How does it work? Have you tried it? What does it mean for the future? Can our students access it? However, what most conversations boil down to is how students will use AI technology to cheat.

As teachers, we employ many strategies to monitor and assess student learning. Not all assessments should require a written product, but many do. I created the video below (for my teachers) as a way for them to use Google Docs to analyze student work and indicate whether a piece of writing might be a Copy & Paste job, rather than a Think & Write product.

Do teachers have to do this for every student? Absolutely not – don’t even try ! This strategy is one educators can use when a student turns in work (on Google) that activates Teacher Spidey-Sense. You know… something seems off, and you’re not sure why.

While I understand the concern that comes to mind when hearing about a tool like ChatGPT, I am wired differently… I see AI tools as potential teachers, or at least as a teacher resource.  After spending time using the ChatGPT, I’ve observed the generated responses are pretty consistent, and look a lot like exemplars we use in classrooms.  The products are diplomatic and organized in their presentation, yet lack the true voice of a writer. What would students notice, if given the chance to compare AI-composed essays with those written by humans? What would stand out to them? What would spark their own Spidey-Sense?

Teachers are smart and creative. Letting our students know we are aware of these tools, and demonstrating their potential for good is just as important as letting them know a HUMAN is their audience. Ideally? A questionable assignment can be a great conversation starter and learning tool to support students. After all, aren’t we helping them learn they can do Hard Things?

In the meantime, here’s one strategy teachers may find helpful: https://youtu.be/rfhMwTIDbn4

PS: You’ll always know I’ve written something myself because I still can’t get out of the habit of a double space after a period. I try, but my high school typing teacher did too good of a job on those Royal typewriters. 😂