ParentSquare staff update post: Spring 2023

ChatGPT.  

Since its release on November 30, 2022 by OpenAI,ChatGPT has attracted over 100 million users.  Almost every person interacts with some form of artificial intelligence every day. Whether it’s Google Maps on your ride to work or your watch telling you to stand up, AI is deeply embedded in the human experience.  As you can imagine, the instructional technology team is deeply intrigued by this new AI tool and we wanted to share what we have learned as well as provide resources for those interested in learning more.

ChatGPT is a tool that will write a logical, natural-sounding response to a prompt entered by a human.  For example, a child could ask ChatGPT to write an essay to persuade a parent to get them a puppy; Chat GPT will write this essay using something called a large language model (LLM).  The model allows ChatGPT to create a response to the prompt by incorporating words and ideas that may be typical of an average human.  Angie Lee from a company called Nvidia defined an LLM as, “a deep learning algorithm that can recognize, summarize, translate, predict and generate text and other content based on knowledge gained from massive datasets.”   (https://blogs.nvidia.com/blog/2023/01/26/what-are-large-language-models-used-for/)

OpenAI, the company that created ChatGPT, released the tool as part of their research and to learn from its real-world use.  OpenAI acknowledges that the program has limitations.  It was trained on massive amounts of text, and its knowledge base ends in 2021, so it lacks information on current events or anything that requires real-time data. The machine learning  algorithms of ChatGPT are only as good as the data on which they were trained so there is potential for bias, inaccuracy, and limitations in the ability to write creatively. While ChatGPT is revolutionary, it should be noted that new and improved versions of similar AI tools are sure to follow. 

As with all new innovations, there are concerns. Since the advent of the internet itself, there have been worries about  online research and plagiarism. We have taught students to check authenticity and use multiple online sources to ensure accurate data. ChatGpt does not change that. It is just one of our multiple sources much like Wikipedia. The concerns about how ChatGPT could be used validate the need for great teachers to assist students in navigating a world with a plethora of information.  ChatGpt challenges us all to change our paradigm.

We have taken some time to curate resources about ChatGPT and encourage you to explore these resources as well as try playing with ChatGPT.  The tool is blocked for student use in our District because their Terms of use state that “You must be at least 13 years old to use the Services. If you are under 18, you must have your parent or legal guardian’s permission to use the Services”.  In addition, the tool collects and processes large amounts of personal data raising concerns around student data privacy and FERPA violations.  Nonetheless, there are ways that ChatGPT may influence and support your instructional decisions.

Click here to access a Wakelet Collection of articles, videos and podcasts all about AI and education. This wakelet splits information into five columns: What is it?, AI as a time saver, CHatGPT as a teaching tool, AI checkers, Challenges and fears. 

For teachers who are interested in seeing how ChatGPT can be utilized in a positive manner in their classrooms, we have assembled a list of Lesson Ideas. These have been inspired by a variety of webinars, blog posts, Twitter threads, and conversations with real-live teachers. All of these ideas are based on teacher use of the resource, as student use is not permitted at this time.