ChatGPT: 101

ChatGPT - Fast Link

GPT: Tell Me Simply
GPT (Generative Pre-trained Transformer) is an A.I. language model that has been trained on a vast amount of text data, enabling it to generate human-like text.
It's different from Google in that Google is a search engine that helps you find information on the internet, while GPT is a language model that can understand language and generate text.
To put it simply, GPT is like a virtual assistant that can write text for you based on what you tell it, while Google is like a librarian that can help you find information in a vast library of books (the internet).

How It Works
By analyzing massive amounts of text data, like: books, articles, and websites. GPT "learns" the patterns and structures of language.
This process is called pre-training, and it helps GPT understand the meaning and context behind words and phrases. It can then be fine-tuned for specific tasks.
The end result is a language model that can generate human-like text, answer questions, summarize long pieces of text, and even translate between languages, among other really cool things.

Five Simple Uses
Writing Prompts: Can generate writing prompts to help students practice writing skills. Give GPT a topic, theme, or parameter and it can generate a range of prompts.
Essay Grading: Grade essays or other written assignments. You can provide a rubric or scoring system, and GPT can analyze each essay and provide a score and feedback. You can "pre-seed" a rubric or specifics for GPT as well.
Language Translation: GPT is a major improvement over previous machine translation systems, including Google Translate.
Research: Can help your students with their research by providing them with relevant information and sources on a given topic.
Study Materials: You can use GPT to create study materials for students. It can generate questions and answers based on the material you provide, and help students review and prepare for exams.

If we teach today's students as we taught yesterday's, we rob them of tomorrow.

A.I. is not Ruining Education
AI can: assist in grading and feedback, freeing up more time for teachers to focus on classroom instruction and individualized student support.
AI can: generate writing prompts and other materials that can help students practice specific skills.
AI makes: MAPs obsolete. GPT already meets students at their specific levels intuitively. By asking GPT for guidance and specific areas to improve students are getting real at level responses for actionable improvements. No data crunching needed.
AI can: provide students with access to a wider range of learning materials, including resources that may not be available in traditional classroom settings.
AI can: GPT can help personalize learning experiences by adapting to individual student needs and providing targeted feedback and support. This can help students learn more effectively and efficiently.

Teacher Quality of Life Improved
Time-Saving: GPT can automate certain tasks such as grading, generating writing prompts, newsletters and creating study materials, which can save teachers time and energy.
Increased Efficiency: GPT can process information quickly and accurately, which can help teachers work more efficiently and make better use of their time.
Personalization: GPT can analyze student data and provide personalized feedback and support, which can help teachers better understand individual student needs and provide more effective instruction.
Enhanced Collaboration: GPT can facilitate collaboration between teachers by providing a platform for sharing resources and ideas, which can help build a supportive and engaged community.
Professional Development: GPT can provide access to professional development opportunities and resources, which can help teachers stay up-to-date with the latest research and best practices in their field.
Writing Assessment: GPT can be used to assess students' writing skills by analyzing grammar, syntax, and coherence. This can provide teachers with objective data on students' writing abilities, and help identify areas for improvement instantly.

Five Complex Uses
Personalized Learning: GPT can be used to create personalized learning experiences By analyzing student responses and behavior patterns, GPT can identify areas where students may need extra support or challenges, and create personalized learning materials to meet their individual needs.
Automated Grading: GPT can be used to automate the grading of certain assignments, such as short-answer questions or essays. This can save teachers time and allow them to focus on providing more individualized feedback to students. One can also seed specific rubrics or requirements and have GPT follow these.
Language Learning: GPT can be used to improve language learning by providing real-time feedback on grammar and vocabulary usage. For example, GPT can be used to identify common mistakes made by writers or speakers and then provide corrections / suggestions for improvement.
Writing Assistance: GPT can be used to provide writing assistance to students. For example, GPT can suggest synonyms, reword sentences to improve clarity, create outlines for papers, pull quotes from materials and even generate entire paragraphs with instructions to help students with writer's block.
Research Assistance: GPT can be used to assist students with research projects. By analyzing large amounts of text, GPT can identify key themes, ideas, and sources related to a particular topic. This can help students to quickly find relevant information and improve the quality of their research.

The function of education is to teach one to think intensively and to think critically. Intelligence plus character - that is the goal of true education.

ChatGPT is not just for ELA
Mathematics: GPT can be used to generate personalized math problems based on a student's skill level and learning style. GPT can also be used to create explanations for complex mathematical concepts in a step by step way that is easily understandable for students.
Science: GPT can be used to generate hypotheses based on data, perform data analysis, and predict outcomes of scientific experiments. GPT can also be used to provide explanations of scientific concepts and theories in an accessible and engaging way.
Social Studies: GPT can be used to generate personalized quizzes, games, and simulations to teach historical events and concepts. GPT can also be used to analyze large datasets related to social phenomena, such as population growth, economic development, or political trends.
Foreign Language Learning: GPT can be used to assist with foreign language learning by generating personalized quizzes and exercises based on a student's skill level and learning style. GPT can also be used to provide real-time feedback on grammar and vocabulary usage, as well as suggest appropriate idiomatic expressions and cultural nuances.
Art and Design: GPT can be used to generate creative prompts and suggestions for artistic projects. For example, GPT can suggest combinations of colors, textures, and shapes based on a given theme or mood. GPT can also analyze and critique works of art, providing feedback on composition, style, and technique.

ChatGPT is not just for Core
Coding: GPT can be used to assist with coding by generating code snippets or providing suggestions for syntax and logic. For example, GPT can provide hints for fixing errors in code or suggest ways to optimize code for better performance. It can also explain functions in clear terms.
Welding: GPT can be used to assist with welding by analyzing data on welding parameters, such as heat, speed, and pressure, and suggesting optimal settings for achieving desired outcomes. GPT can also provide real-time feedback on weld quality, identifying flaws or defects that need to be corrected.
Woodshop: GPT can be used to assist with woodworking by generating design suggestions based on user input, such as size, style, and material preferences. GPT can also provide instructions and guidance for using woodworking tools and techniques, as well as identify potential safety hazards or risks.
Automotive: GPT can be used to assist with automotive repair by analyzing diagnostic data from sensors and systems, and suggesting potential solutions for troubleshooting and repair. GPT can also provide real-time feedback on the quality of repairs, identifying potential areas for improvement or further investigation.
Culinary: GPT can be used to generate new and unique recipes based on user preferences and dietary restrictions. It can also suggest ingredient substitutions, cooking techniques, and variations to existing recipes. Can be used to suggest menu items and combinations that are visually appealing, nutritionally balanced, and cost-effective.

Expanding Your Content
Research: Conduct research on a given topic and provide the teacher with a list of relevant articles, videos, and other resources that they could use in their class.
Curriculum Planning: Help the teacher plan out a curriculum for their class, identifying areas where additional content or resources might be needed. Can align to specific standards.
Content Creation: Can assist the teacher in creating new content for their class, such as quizzes, worksheets, scaffolding materials, summaries or interactive activities to name only a few.
Personalized Recommendations: for the teacher based on their teaching style and the needs of their students. For example - can provide lists of freely available works that are related by genre, content theme or other specifications.
Provide real-time Feedback: on student work, such as essays or assignments, using natural language processing to assess grammar, structure, and coherence.
Like this but for That: GPT can take existing materials, resources or examples and use them as a model for a different purpose. For example - if a teacher has a standard format for a weekly newsletter, or introduction to a canvas course GPT can follow that format but update the contents.

Specific Examples, Theory and Practice

What Can GPT Even Do? (Part 1)

What Can GPT Even Do? (Part 2)

What Can't GPT Do?

Tips to get the MOST out of GPT

Student Interaction - Theory

Student Interactions - Real Samples

What Can GPT Even Do? (Part 1)

GPT can do the following flawlessly:

1.) “Finish this list of steps…”

Iterate from a started list of directions for a recipe or project --- try feeding it a few steps from a general list that you just don’t want to write the rest of – done. May require minor tweaks. For example in culinary I didn’t want to finish writing out the steps for a skillet upside down cake. GPT assumed I wanted to bake it, I asked it to omit oven and do on stovetop. Done.

2.) “Like X but for Z”

Translate and update existing “introductory messages” for new content. Example: My creative writing welcome weekly outline is pretty much the same style just the material on the week changes… try things like I need a introduction like X but for Z instead. It’s pretty sweet. It also works on I need a work sheet like X but for Z.

Advanced Tip: Student having trouble nailing a specific format? But, otherwise has done the work? I had a student that was struggling to fix a personal narrative they wrote, as the requirement was a children's book. We used GPT to guide them through the steps. And It works exceptionally well.

3.) “Rosetta Stone”

It’s far more accurate than Google translate and it seems to get the basic’s well. Cut and paste a foreign text and hit “Translate to ….” And it works. Take this and write it in Russian. Works. It even did Old English.

4.) “I’d like a breath of fresh air”

Tired of the same old short stories? Tired of trying to find them when you do want a change? “Hey I need 5 stories like X that can be found online with links” or “I need 5 contemporary short stories that are Sci-Fi with links” Ps. You can freshen-up any class you teach a lot of with this trick.

Bonus: No time to really read it? We’ve all been there: “10 questions that touch on the elements of science fiction and author's craft in ________ 3 open ended interpretation questions.”

You may need to follow it up with: “specify these questions a little more, make them suitable for high schoolers” Done.

5.) “Save time telling students what other topics they should cover on this F**n PowerPoint I never should have assigned to begin with...”

Hey, I’m making a presentation about ___________ can you provide me with 3 important issues / topics that will make this presentation more engaging? Provide 2 websites… (sometimes they are 404). But works very well. Specify your query to get better than general results.

What Can GPT Even Do? (Part 2)

6.) “Free Outlines”

Tired of scaffolding over and over for papers and responses that students promptly forget?? “Provide an outline for this prompt: ______ in _______ format. “ --- neato.

7.) “Pull Quote”

This is probably one of my favorite things… “I need 5 quotes from X for the character of X that show’s their traits. X edition” Word the query in what-ever fashion you need to… Students no longer need to spend 45 minutes flipping pages to find shit they don’t remember. And as a bonus if you tell them to ask for more and then pick the best one for their purposes you just put them in contact with other supporting information in less than 1 minute. Right to the critical analysis, with zero down time.

8.) “Prompt + Task”

I need 5 creative writing prompts for Sci-Fi, I also need them to be aligned with a specific task to practice realism in writing - OR any prompt // task duo. Heck Yeah.

Example Return:

Prompt: A group of space colonists who have been living on a distant planet for generations suddenly encounter a major ecological disaster.

Task: Focus on developing a detailed and believable ecosystem for the planet, including realistic descriptions of the native flora and fauna, and how the colonists have adapted to survive in this environment.

9.) "Censor Me"

Ever really want to teach something super edgy, but you knew it would be the end for you? Try the following command: Clean up the foul language in this and make it appropriate for 12th grade. References to ____ are ok. You may need to fiddle with this, but I cleaned up H.S. Thompson's Eulogy for Nixon and it was surprisingly good with minimal prompt wrangling from me on the interface side of things.

10.) "Grade this paper ..."

If you want to get a fast check on a potential paper - whether that is for level of writing, potential plagiarism or just as a bench mark GPT has you and your students covered. "Grade this paper at X grade level for Alaska Standards" and copy the paper. It will surprise you. Further you can pre-seed a chat interaction with the specific rubric you want to use and GPT can do the rest. For students this is game changing - as they can readily get reliable feedback and suggestions to improve thier work.

What Can't GPT Do?

While ChatGPT excels at analytical tasks it comes up short where the human heart and soul are needed. For example - creative writing tasks, tasks that take wit or cleverness GPT feels a little flat. For example: If I was to ask GPT to respond to the following prompt: A short story about a boy and his dog and a rainstorm I would get something stylistically correct but flat in the creative department.

Link: Example Return

As seen from the above example all the elements of a structurally sound response are there, however the creative part is pretty stock. This is the area that GPT struggles the most in. If it's a task that really takes a lot of "personality" - GPT can approximate an answer, but it's gong to be flat.

Other Areas that GPT Struggles In:

GPT was "trained" in 2021 - anything past that date: research, current events, or cultural happenings are not accessible. So GPT, still, unfortunately thinks Trump is president...
Strong Opinions - GPT is moderate by design and will often "sit the fence" when asked to express an opinion. This is actually not a bad thing, as most people should preferer an A.I. model that isn't leaning to one side or the other.
Tasks that require physical interaction may be challenging for the AI language model, as it cannot perform physical tasks that require a physical presence or touch.
The AI language model may struggle with tasks that require specific domain knowledge, particularly in specialized areas or if the information is not up-to-date.
Understanding non-literal language, such as sarcasm or irony, may also be a challenge for the AI language model, despite its ability to understand and generate language.
Tasks that require empathy or emotional intelligence may be difficult for the AI language model, as it does not possess emotions or feelings and cannot provide the same level of emotional support or empathy as a human.

Tips to get the MOST out of GPT

ChatGPT can take a little bit of time to get the hang of, but once you do it's well worth the time you invested. To quote the late Robin Williams in Aladdin, "Phenomenal cosmic power - itty bitty living space."

These Tips will help you get the MOST out of ChatGPT while you learn to navigate it on your own.

What Should Users do First?

Be curious. Play with it. Seriously, just play with it for a bit. Your brain hasn't encountered any program like this before and being curious about it is step one. Ask it questions about hobbies you know, things you want to know more about, ask it to fact check itself - ask it about the noise your car is making. Ask it at least 30 questions before you really get down to it. And ask all over the board. If you are a Language teacher - test its translation function. If you are Math have it explain some core concepts etc. Heck ask it to provide you a recipe you want to cook.

Specific Details are Key

This is an A.I. algorithm. I cannot stress this enough. It's primary directive is to deliver a response to exactly what you asked of it nothing more, nothing less. So if you ask generalized questions, expect generalized answers as a result.

For example - "Provide 5 comprehension questions for Lord of the Flies" is much less effective than:

"I need 5 comprehension questions for chapter 3 of Lord of the Flies, Penguin edition. Include 3 open ended response questions about the symbolism found in this chapter be sure to include Jack's fixation on killing pigs as one of these questions. Further provide 2 questions that deal with the authors use of language and craft."

If you don't get a great answer chances are very good that you didn't ask a great question, or you made an assumption about what it should infer.

Be specific with your questions: The more specific you can be with your questions, the more accurate and helpful the responses will be. Try to avoid vague or broad questions and instead focus on a specific topic or issue.

Use Natural Language

You don't need to use technical jargon or specific formatting to communicate with ChatGPT. Just use natural language and write your questions the way you would normally ask them. This is probably the weirdest thing, GPT can track your language just fine. So, ask away.

Provide Context

Giving context can help GPT better understand your question and provide a more accurate response. If there's relevant information that might help answer your question better, include it.

Follow-Up

GPT generally can track a conversation. This means you do not have to re-state questions for it to "know" what one you are talking about. For example, if you start a conversation with ChatGPT about a paper or speech you are giving, you will not have to ask anything more than "as per this paper" once you have entered in the information. You can ask it to recall specific parts of your conversation, or correct it with fine tuning a response without having to go through all the steps again. Ask follow-up questions or clarifying questions for anything that's unclear.

Use it for Research and ask it to Fact-check Itself

You can ask for things like: Sources, websites, page numbers, quotes, examples, explanations, step by steps, related materials, counter arguments, sample code, recipes, book recommendations, wiring diagrams, automotive diagnostic steps - the list is near infinite. Ask it to provide sources for answers you are unsure of etc. or an external source, chances are very good GPT will provide!

Student Interaction - Theory

Theory of Practice:

I firmly believe, students are more likely to choose to improve their skills over taking shortcuts if they have a strong relationship with their educator and the information provided to them is practical and actionable.

That said lets take a fast look at what I did when I introduced GPT to my students.

Step 1: I introduced GPT to students, one on one, over the course of a couple weeks. Usually, during a writing workshop of some sort. I find this to be very important as it allows me the time to meaningfully discuss this technology with the student in a space that I can be realistic about it's use. I would NEVER run this demo whole class. Typically, I started with my struggling writers and took what materials they had to the Chat and would demonstrate the "grade this paper at x level," with them. I'd move to the make suggestions, make outline and pull quote functions if appropriate.

Talking Points: What would you do if you were given tech that could really improve something you struggle with? Explain GPT and what it "is." Demonstrate and ask them for feedback in response to the information GPT gives them. Then, here is the scary part.

SCARY PART FOR TEACHERS: I am 100% honest with them. I am completely transparent that GPT can and will do all the work for them if they so choose. I even punch their prompt in and ask GPT to write the paper to the "t" of my directions. Then I ask them - did you learn anything? I've only had one wise-guy (but that's 'cause she's sharp and sarcastic). The rest all said no.

I talk about ethics. What is ethical use of this tech and is it ethical or helpful for you to lean so heavily on this as a crutch that you become "Wall-E-fide," (I know it's lame but it makes the point to the kids). I talk to them about what the program had to say about their writing. Did that seem fair and accurate? Does it give you suggestions that make sense to improve? Especially, if the paper came back with a low score. Most immediately get it.

All of them ask me eventually, "Why are you even showing me this?" and my response is that I believe they will choose to use this power for good. I still remind them in no uncertain terms it's pretty easy for me to see if they leaned on it too much as well. The point isn't to make perfect - the point is to make their practice more precise. Besides I cannot possibly be there every time they need feedback.

And then I turn them loose. One cool thing is GPT keeps the logs of your conversations, so it also provides me with an opportunity to help students learn to question effectively. Which is actually a pretty rare opportunity to do so meaningfully.

Three actionable options to get started with using GPT in the classroom for writing with students

Start Small: Begin with simple writing tasks, such as generating writing prompts or sentence starters using GPT. This can help to engage students who may struggle with coming up with their own ideas.

Use GPT for Student-Driven Edits: Encourage students to use GPT to grade and give feedback on their writing. Have them get comfortable asking it questions about suggestions for improvement. Have them generate alternative sentence structures, phrasing, or lists of optional vocabulary choices for their writing. This allows students to take ownership of their work and revise their writing in a meaningful way.

Focus on Feedback: Use GPT to provide feedback on student writing, focusing on specific areas like grammar, sentence structure, or vocabulary. This can help students to improve their writing skills and can save educators time on grading and feedback.

By starting small, encouraging student-driven edits with GPT, and focusing on feedback, educators can begin to integrate GPT into their writing instruction and help students become more confident and skilled writers.

Student Interactions - Real Samples

Contained are student testimonials and examples of logs that show how students can use GPT effectively.

Testimonials:

"Chatbot GPT has helped me learn how to lengthen my paragraphs and it has also helped me with grammar and punctuation errors. I wasn't a very good writer and it has helped me bring more details to my essays. Chatbot has also helped me figure out how to really hook the reader at the beginning of my essay and it helped me find points to sum up the rest of the paper when I get lost. It provides me with understandable examples and can really break down the parts I didn't understand. The examples it gives are clear and I can improve my writing."

-W.C.

"I asked for three ways to improve a short story, it went in depth and could quickly give a response as if it were a person actually reading the story. It gives a short paragraph talking about the main idea it gives, for example, to improve the story, it said; develop the characters, use descriptive language, and add conflict and tension. It's easy to actually improve on work and better my work. It just depends on the way that people use it, asking questions like: “how can I improve this?”, "Give 3 specific examples with reasons," or “What were big events in Europe in the 1800s?” are very helpful. It points out things that would be hard to search the internet for, and points out ways to improve writing very specifically. If I need help with grammar, structure, better hooks, sources or additional material, it’s faster, easier, and doesn't give biased answers."

-B.C.

"When I first heard about Chat GPT, I just thought it was another poorly made chatbot just for talking to. However, my experience after I started using it was quite the opposite. I found that not only is this chatbot very advanced, but helpful as well.

When I have a question on if I formatted an essay correctly or if there are any continuity issues, all I have to do is ask and it’ll give feedback including things done correctly and things to work on, and even some suggestions. This tool gives feedback in the way a teacher would, leading you in the right direction towards success. I even showed my guardians the academic capabilities of this and it blew them away, even remarking that they wished this was around when they were younger. Of course, it may take a few lines of questions to get the response you want, it isn't perfect, but it’s worth it.

The possibilities are near endless for academic use of Chat GPT. I’ve used it for breaking down principles of quantum physics in a digestible manner, grading my work to see if I should work on it more before submitting, and checking for continuity errors in papers and scholarships. I've used it to explain all manner of technical things that I wanted to know more about, pull quotes to help support my papers and point me in the direction of articles or websites that can assist me in a variety of different areas."

-A.D.

Log Links:

Low Skill - High Engagement - This is a partial log, but this particular student spent 70 minutes completely engaged with his writing. And they HATE writing.

Middle Road - This is a middle of the pack writer, and I'd quickly say this was less than optimal use of the program but it did lend itself to a few conversations about quantity and selection. In regards to the "pull one quote" - I told them that use was fine overall, but next time pull at least 5, read them and select the best for your purposes.

Advanced Writer - Partial log, particular student is an advanced writer.

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