Teacher Tech (Blog #3)
Hi 3rd, 4th, 5th grade friends!
I recently came across a resource that I think will be useful in your teaching of reading this year, particularly when it comes to reader response. I have heard from several of you, and know from my previous time in the classroom, that one of the most challenging things to teach can be text-dependent analysis. I think this tool may help with that!
ChatGPT is a writing assistant that uses artificial intelligence (AI) to generate answers to questions in the form of an essay. I read Making New Tech Tools Work for Your Classroom from Edutopia and the blog gave a few suggestions for using the app. One of the suggestions was using it to summarize a book that students are reading and have them evaluate the summary for accuracy based on text evidence. You could also have the students discuss if there are any important ideas or details that were left out that should have been included.
Something else I thought might be helpful would be to take the AI generated summary and revise it to use as a model example for your class. It can be time consuming and sometimes frustrating to try to “be the student” and come up with something from scratch. This tool can give you a starting point and allow you to craft it into what you want.
I also asked ChatGPT about character analysis. Below is a screenshot of how it responded when I asked for a description of Ellray Jakes.
This would be a great opportunity when focusing on the evidence aspect of a response. The character traits are there, but the students will need to find examples to prove (or disprove!) the validity of the response.
I hope you find this resource helpful! I wanted to share something that seemed easy to integrate into what you are already doing and was not time consuming to learn. I would be happy to stop by during your next team meeting and answer any questions you have. I’m also open to having a brainstorming session (team or individual) of other ways you can use this technology in your classroom. I know sometimes it’s easier to talk things through with another person.
Thanks for checking this out and let me know how I can help!
References
Cutler, D. (2023, January 26). Grappling with AI writing technologies in the classroom. Edutopia. https://www.edutopia.org/article/chatgpt-ai-writing-platforms-classroom
Nichols, H. (2023, January 13). Making new tech tools work for your classroom. Edutopia. https://www.edutopia.org/article/make-digital-classroom-tools-work-for-you
Overbay, A., Mollette, M. & Vasu, E.S. (2011). A technology plan that works. Educational Leadership, 68(5), 56-59.
Hello!
ReplyDeleteYour resource sounds amazing, but one problem I encountered is that it is blocked by my district due to being an AI. I would have to submit a request to have it unblocked after a technology expert looked into the program and evaluated. it. Unfortunately, in the past they have not allowed any program that deals with AI due to security risks.
That being said, I definitely appreciate good resources for text-dependent analysis. They are very difficult to teach since it is combining reading and writing standards with high level thinking.
Thank you for sharing,
Sam Howard
Hey Sam!
DeleteI did wonder about that. It's hard to do a hypothetical blog post when you don't know what's actually available LOL. Thanks for bringing that to my attention. Yes, TDAs, have so many steps and I know many teachers try to write passages from scratch. I was hoping this could help!
What a great resource! The timing of this post could not be more great as I was scrolling through twitter and came across a meme that had ChatGPT incorporated. Since you can't post images in a reply I added the link at the bottom. As Amy Overbay discussed in her Technology Plan article, it is about the people and not the technology. Sharing this to one person will then start a chain reaction to share with more. Thanks for sharing!
ReplyDeleteMeme Post Below:
https://drive.google.com/file/d/1AuRZSQtcpdk1L_ebx2GWmBWu5VPtXsv_/view?usp=sharing
Oh wow! That meme is funny :-)
DeleteWhile I think the advent of AI's ubiquity is definitely interesting, I honestly don't know if it's something we should be advocating for the use of in schools, especially ChatGPT. I know that it's our duty as librarians to provide access to information, but it's also our duty as educators to be above reproach when it comes to creating resources and using tools in a classroom. I know that these summaries could be edited, but I don't think it's ethical to use a tool that does the work for you if we as educators are stressing to students that their work should be their own and not plagiarized. I think your post is interesting, but I'm just very opposed to the use of ChatGPT and similar AI in schools.
ReplyDeleteIt's okay to disagree with me! This is honestly the first time I have read about something like this-- outside of Twitter bots and the like. In one of the articles, the blogger was talking about a paid program called Jasper, and then I saw ChatGPT in the other one and noticed it was free, so I went with that.
DeleteI guess I could have been a little more clear about my editing of the summaries. I was thinking more like read what the AI wrote, then spark your brainstorming by rephrasing, synthesizing sort of thing. Teachers use examples from others all the time, as long as credit is given to ChatGPT, I don't see the problem in that regard.
I will also say that I have been in elementary schools for the past fifteen years, and so I may have a different lens that those in older grades!
Hey Tiffany,
ReplyDeleteI really liked your blog post! AI has been in the media and it has been generating a lot of love and hate. However, I really liked your example for using it as an aid for English teachers. This resource helps English teachers come up with examples to help the students identify, analyze, and collaborate on what may be missing or what may need to be improved. I view it as finding an example online that will help enhance the student's analytical thinking. You can always express to them that AI is not always the best tool to use for assignments, but can be a fun tool that showcases what future technology could become.
Thanks Melanie!
DeleteOne of the blogs mentioned that this is a case where you can lean in to technologies kids are using, rather than trying to shut them down. Like you said, I think showing them how many missing pieces there truly are in the technology could deter them from trying to use it to cut corners!
Tiffany- I love love love this tool! This would have been so helpful to know when I was teaching reading last year! I love the idea of having students evaluate the AI generated summary based on accurate details from the book they are reading. This is super helpful when thinking about differentiating lessons for students, as you can have students read and then summarize books on their level. This was such an inspiring read and something I will keep in my back pocket! Thank you for sharing this!
ReplyDeleteHi Megan!
DeleteI'm so glad you find this helpful! I agree with you that it seems like a great tool for differentiation without an unreasonable amount of prep work.
Tiffany, I loved the resource you shared! I come from an English teaching background, and I can tell you I had some 10th and 11th graders who struggled to successfully complete an activity like that one you described. ChatGPT would be useful for multiple grade levels. Plus, the ability to accurately characterize and pull textural evidence is something seen in the standards and standardized testing. I could envision this tool being used in individual work, but also in the context of small groups or seminars. I hate some folks have experienced difficulties getting access to it due to AI restrictions. That is very frustrating! But, you could possibly create handouts with the information and have students work in that fashion.
ReplyDeleteI’m also a big fan of the Edutopia blog. I learned of it last semester, but I’ve not had the opportunity to encounter ChatGPT. I look forward to exploring how this could but used in the classroom or the library. Bless you for considering how to save time and conserve energy! Most teachers I know, and I was one of them, say that time is a huge barrier in their work lives. Thanks for sharing!
Hey Rae!
DeleteI was a teacher too, so it was definitely important to me to find something that was low prep and could enhance what was already being done. A lot of times, new things are introduced, but it's always "in addition to," instead of an opportunity to replace. I'm sure you have felt the same way! I tried to keep that in mind.
I agree with you that this could definitely be used in a wide variety of grade levels. For elementary, I mostly envisioned this as whole group, maybe some guided small group work.
I had actually forgotten about Edutopia for a while, but rediscovered it while searching for this assignment. I forgot how much great stuff is on there! It's awesome that "technology integration" is one of the blog sections.
And then this article appeared in my inbox this morning :-)
ReplyDeletehttps://www.dailygamecock.com/article/2023/02/usc-professors-see-opportunities-for-new-forms-of-instruction-cheating-in-chatgpt-white-news