ENGL podcast

Artificial intelligence (AI) is changing education by personalizing learning experiences and offering new opportunities. However, there are concerns about AI tools like ChatGBT making it easier for students to cheat and undermining academic integrity. AI can provide quick and convenient content creation, but it may hinder critical thinking and the act of writing. Limiting the use of AI in the classroom could be beneficial, but it is challenging to regulate. It is important to ensure that students continue to think for themselves and develop their own ideas despite the advancements in technology. Hey, podcast explorers, and welcome to exploring the ever-evolving landscape of technology and its impact on education. I am Janina Lopez, and I'll be addressing the advantages of artificial intelligence. Hello, everyone. My name is Yara Medina. Hello. My name is Manny, and I'll be talking about how AI affects students in the classroom. Have you ever wondered what it would be like if education was tailor-made just for you? Or are AI tools removing the process of growth in students by doing all the work, such as thinking and generating ideas? Well, the concept of what artificial intelligence is not only changing the game, but rewriting the entire rulebook of education. So get prepared to rethink everything you thought you knew about learning. So what is artificial intelligence? According to the internet, artificial intelligence is the science of making machines that can think like humans. AI technology can process large amounts of data in ways humans can't. The general goal for AI is to be able to do things such as recognize patterns, make decisions, and judge like humans. It is a really controversial topic, one that has been in ongoing debate to determine if it is a beneficial or a negative thing in terms of using it for educational purposes. Many people who generally think it does more harm than good will say that it encourages students to cheat or to take the easy way out, but also that it takes away from the thinking process of generating one's own ideas. Let's take a look at ChatGBT, an AI tool that has been the focus of many heated debates. Research that has been done has been taking a look at the student side and the teacher side. A recent survey conducted by Study.com showed that 43% of educators feel a program will make their jobs more difficult. So let's take a look at why those percentage of educators feel AI tools like ChatGBT will make it more difficult. Educators are concerned that the program may undermine academic integrity by fostering new methods of cheating and plagiarism. It all comes down to how easy, effective, and handy the program makes doing homework for students. It takes less time to ask applications like ChatGBT for answers to questions than it does to research the question and come up with your own information in your own words. AI is not a flawless program, though. ChatGBT occasionally generates incorrect information as well as late and biased responses. This is because the program is only as smart as the information it has been educated and trained on. Even the program's creators admit that it is not a reputable source of factual information and should not be utilized as an academic source. Without a doubt, artificial intelligence has become a game changer to so many people's lives. It has been offering so many personalized learning experiences for every human being. Let's picture specifically any student's life. Every student's learning are at a different pace. How appealing is it to have an AI assigned to you to focus on areas where you need the most help on? Would you consider this as a real advantage? I find it as an advantage in which it could help ease a good load on teachers but also provide an efficient piece of education for students. I agree. Allowing AI and virtual reality into education is like stepping into a new frontier. The idea of using virtual reality simulations to help students in learning environments is fascinating. It's not just about acquiring knowledge, but it's about experiencing it in a way that traditional methods might not allow. Although, AI automations could potentially display some tasks traditionally done by teachers. However, it also opens up new opportunities in the development and maintenance of AI systems. Specifically speaking, how it allows students to develop critical skills through digital literacy and being able to solve any problem online. I actually stumbled upon a quote that encapsulates the essence of how it could be an advantage. It's from the book, Bad Ideas About Writing, in chapter, The More Digital Technology, The Better, from Genesea and Aurora. And they say, without a doubt, technology makes our lives easier, better, and even more enjoyable. It can be our secretary, butler, doctor, private tutor, and companion all in one. And the tech bomb isn't just for the home or the office. It can support students' learning too. Well, even these writers agree that technology can ease so much load on humans. The new opportunities that technology has developed has changed so many people's lives. They begin to rely on these technologies like ChatGPT, QuillBot, and many other tools that help make a student's life a little easier. There's so many classes students take and each having their own assignments due in probably the same days. Due to these tools like ChatGPT, QuillBot, and other AI systems will help a student's life generate information that could be useful to finish your work in a shorter amount of time. AI is unlocking new realms of learning experiences, like virtual reality simulations that will transport students to learning elements. Let's navigate the potential biases in AI systems. It is a tool that prevents students from actually needing to learn content, although it can be used for small tasks such as fixing grammar or drafting an email, it really takes away from students developing the soft skills that completing those small tasks allow. In Naming What We Know, one of the authors, Katie Estrem, argues that we must understand and identify writing as an act of thinking. She explains writing is an activity used to bring new understandings, to think over a problem, to think with others, and to explore new ideas or bring different ideas together. The issue with writing currently is that there are several AI writing systems that will employ artificial intelligence to construct written text. You can give AI writing systems like ChatGPT a prompt and request that it produce a brief essay, or you can submit a question and it will produce an answer, and so on. Because this program is doing the writing for that person, there is no act of thinking because you are not understanding the writing and thus not coming up with new ideas as a result of that writing. After all, it's not your writing. Estrem argues that writers of all kinds have had the experience of coming up with new ideas as a result of writing. Using writing, writers generate knowledge that they didn't have before. So, are we sacrificing the act of thinking for the convenience of quick content creation? This is a conversation that's worth having as we navigate this new world of AI-assisted writing. Because, after all, writing isn't just about the final paper. It's about the process it took you to write that paper, the mistakes and the thinking and everything it took for you to get that final result. Well, with ChatGPT, you are not producing your own thoughts or ideas, which means you are not creating ideas. As Estrem emphasizes, the importance of recognizing the act of creating ideas rather than finding them is the heart of significant writing. We don't simply think first and then write. We are writing to essentially think. When AI systems are providing people with a quick written text, the software program is doing all the work. This means people aren't thinking during the writing process because there is no writing process actually happening for them. As Estrem explains, understanding and defining how writing is an act of thinking in and of itself can help people recognize and participate in writing as a creative activity that is intrinsically related to thought. With AI writing assistance, the writing that is produced is not one's thinking, not one's words, and not one's thoughts, thus removing the act of thinking entirely from the writing process. There are many different opinions surrounding the idea of artificial intelligence in the classroom and how it affects students now and in the future. We heard before that there are many negative aspects regarding artificial intelligence. Some of them were that it's easy to cheat, and it's more easy for students to plagiarize other people's work from the internet, and it's easy to paraphrase things, you know, do certain things to make it by as your own writing. Another negative thing is that it makes kids lazier in a way because they have to do less work, so when it comes time for them to do, you know, a lot of work, they're not used to it, and they can have trouble with that. Some positive things that were also mentioned is the convenience that artificial intelligence offers to students or people at work or anybody. It makes things way quicker and can have, you know, any piece of writing in a few seconds. Another positive thing is that it's a new and innovative way of learning, you know, how everybody learns differently. It could be a way for some students to learn, you know, more efficiently, better, and, you know, more engaging for them. In my opinion, if there was a way to limit the use of AI in the classroom so it won't be as easy to cheat in the classroom, I feel like that would be very beneficial. However, it's very hard to limit the use of AI or how, you know, how big it is, how easy it is to access. Something else that we spoke about was the act of thinking, and naming what we know. One of the authors, Hedi Estem, was talking about how writing is an activity to think, to overcome a problem, and to be creative and be yourself. She then goes on to say how the use of AI in the classroom basically takes that away from students and doesn't allow them to think for themselves, which will affect them later on in the future. This is important because as technology gets advanced more and more every single day, it's essential for us to make sure we're still thinking for ourselves and making sure we're still having, you know, ideas and creative thoughts. In conclusion, while challenges exist, artificial intelligence has the potential to be a positive and transformative tool for students when used thoughtfully and responsibly. So, as we reach to the conclusion of this technology journey into the realm of artificial intelligence and its impact on education, I want to take a moment to reflect on the fascinating insights of the three of us that shared today, each having our own opinions and our views on how AI could change our lives in a positive or negative effect. We set out the advantages of AI that explored how it offers personalized learning experiences and opened up new possibilities through virtual reality stimulations, but also developed into the concerns surrounding AI. While we particularly focused on chat GPT and its potential to alter the dynamics of writing and critical thinking in education, it could be a positive or negative effect depending on how it could help a student. And that's what makes this conversation so crucial. The integration of AI in education is a transformative journey, one that requires careful consideration and ethical implementation. The responsible use of AI can enhance learning experience. It can provide valuable tools for both students and educators. However, it's equally important to address concerns related to academic integrity and the potential arousal of critical thinking. We should recognize that technology is a tool. It's a tool that is not to end traditional learning or to take any professor jobs, but to help expand the essence of students' education. It can help provide a different insight to a student's learning, the act of thinking to create new things and exploring new ideas. So I'll leave it to you guys with a challenge. Embrace the possibilities that AI brings to education, but do so with a mindful approach. Consider how these technologies can complement and enhance the learning experience without compromising the fundamental aspects of intellectual growth. Thank you for joining us on this journey. We hope this episode has sparked new thoughts and perspectives. Stay curious, stay engaged, and until next time, keep exploring technology.