AI is not your dirty little secret
I was moved to write this article firstly after being embroiled in a rather tedious and not too pleasant debate on a Facebook group regarding what #teachers should do about students' cheating. (Yes, believe it or not, that is still a massive debate for many in #education). Secondly, after responding in this post to the piece by George Veletsianos where he reminded me that there are those in #highereducation thinking beyond the #ai #cheating threat. Thirdly, recalling a conversation I had with Rebecca Marrone in which despite her working everyday at the forefront of #airesearch, #chatbots have not automatically become her go to; she thinks #internet first.
For those of us employed in #education who have had the chance to experiment, to explore and play with #tools such as #chatgpt, there are few who have not seen at least potential for exciting output. Whether that be an idea for a #lesson, streamlining or replacing some part of the job you hate doing or more #creative ideas that involve the #technology in a #learning experience. However, I wonder....of the teachers who are or have used it, how many are keeping quiet about it or somehow think that they can only own up to certain uses of the tools?
André Malraux is credited with saying that:
Man is not what he thinks he is, he is what he hides
In this context, this is the idea that the fewer secrets we keep and the more open we are as #educators with a responsibility to shape the lives of those in our care, then by virtue of that openness, we will all prosper. When I say 'we', I mean the #students in your classes, your fellow professionals and the #community in which you work.
There is nothing wrong with using #chatgpt or any other #ai tool responsibly.
There is nothing wrong with telling others that you have used it, how you have used it and what advantages it brought.
Only through such declarations and insights into the possibilities with these tools, will more people begin to understand and #learn that this is here to enhance what we do as #educators. Hence, I believe it is our responsibility to tell others, SHOUT it out.
As the Buddha said:
Three things cannot long stay hidden: the sun, the moon and the truth
Like it or not, the world of the young people in our care is an artificially intelligent world where the details are unpredictable and issues will have to be carefully managed to ensure positive affects on humanity. Only by declaring the truth, can we reassure those who lack confidence, who are trying to navigate negative attention on #ai that is so widespread
#AI is not a dirty little secret. It is a myriad of possibilities, a power that only through #open development and as much #open, shared research as possible can we be confident that it will have more benefits than drawbacks.
