The newest thing in technology can leave parents worried that their kids aren鈥檛 really learning anything — mainly because children today are learning way differently than we did. But remember: hand-held calculators once meant that kids wouldn鈥檛 learn math, keyboards once meant kids would never learn cursive, and Wikipedia once meant they鈥檇 never learn how to do proper research. Now it鈥檚 artificial intelligence or AI programs like , and parents are worried that their kids won鈥檛 learn how to write.
ChatGPT and similar programs (some are free downloads and some are for sale) write for you. If you鈥檝e never used a program like this, it鈥檚 simplicity itself. A box on the ChatGPT screen asks for a prompt about what you鈥檇 like to write, and within seconds you get it. Type in, for example, 鈥淓xplain what mitochondria are on an eighth grade level in two pages,鈥� and you鈥檒l quickly get a two-page paper that begins:
鈥淢itochondria are tiny structures inside cells that help produce energy. They are often called the “powerhouses” of the cell because they generate energy that is essential for cell functions. Mitochondria are found in almost all types of cells in the body, but the number of mitochondria in each cell can vary…鈥�
Impressive. Since the program was released in late 2022, teachers have been working to figure out how to use this powerful new tool. Meanwhile, many parents may still be wondering exactly what it鈥檚 all about. Here are a few tips to help understand it:
Understanding how ChatGPT can be used for school
- Even though the makers of ChatGPT don’t recommend its use for kids until they鈥檙e 18, don鈥檛 fool yourself. Tweens and teens are prime 鈥渆arly adapters鈥� of new technology, and there鈥檚 a good chance that your teens and tweens, and maybe even your elementary school students have already downloaded it. Especially for younger kids, you might want to install parental controls on their devices.
- No matter your child鈥檚 age, experts recommend that you sit down and talk with your child about the ethical uses of the program — essentially telling them 鈥淒on鈥檛 cheat.鈥� Beyond the fact that they can be cheating themselves out of learning how to write, teachers aren鈥檛 dumb. Experienced educators have years of catching cheating in various forms. Some schools will also consider ChatGPT and similar AI programs as plagiarism, which can get students in serious academic trouble. And of course, it would be a dead giveaway if 16 eighth graders in the same biology class handed in a paper beginning with 鈥淢itochondria are tiny structures inside cells鈥︹�� Busted.
- If your child uses ChatGPT, emphasize that it is a starting point for their own efforts — not the finished product. Students can learn to rewrite, rephrase, polish, and edit ChatGPT鈥檚 prosaic output in their own words. It can be helpful, some teachers believe, for students to . Still, a student has to be the ultimate arbiter of what鈥檚 good — although AI programs can help develop that judgment. You might want the program鈥檚 help to write a five-paragraph essay on the causes of the French Revolution, but for a quirky and personal college application essay, probably not.
- Make sure your student never thinks of ChatGPT鈥檚 store of factual knowledge as the last word. It will always need checking. ChatGPT has blind spots, some due to the fact that its store of knowledge stops in 2021. Prompt: 鈥淲hen did the Supreme Court overturn Roe v. Wade?鈥� Answer: 鈥淭he Supreme Court has not overturned Roe v. Wade, which is a landmark case that established the constitutional right to access abortion.鈥� Students will always need to check the facts in ChatGPT鈥檚 responses. Doing so is a skill that will stand them in good stead in school, just like checking out the facts from any online source.
- These inexpensive but sophisticated AI programs are relatively new — but bound to get better — so make sure you talk with your child鈥檚 teachers about any policy that they or the school has regarding student use, and how they are or are not permitted for coursework.
- While most of the chatter in the educational world has been about ChatGPT use in the tween and teen years, there are also AI programs for young students like , from the same company that produces ChatGPT. It can produce whatever images are requested from its database — say a circle surrounded by green stars or two giraffes with pants on. (And don鈥檛 worry. Neither Dall-E nor ChatGPT will .).
It will likely be a while before educators and parents figure out all the best ways to use AI programs because they鈥檙e so new. But indications are that this tool is growing in acceptance. A on behalf of The Walton Foundation found that one-third of students aged 12-17 have used ChatGPT for school, including 47 percent for those aged 12-14. Teachers are on board, too, with three-quarters of those surveyed having a favorable view of AI programs like these. So parents, get with it. Your kids — and their teachers — are ready for the future.
