Hello educators,
We thought we were on the brink of figuring out how to keep AI out of the classroom, but things are getting trickier than ever before.
If you’re new here, I’m Takara, founder of the Rockstar Educator community. Here, I share tips, tricks, and solid information to help you along your journey. This space is ideal for any educator, though much of what I discuss pertains to higher education. I’m an Assistant Professor and serve as an adjunct for various schools. During my time, I’ve learned a lot and want to share that knowledge with you.
Additionally, I am a PhD student who is also facing the rise of AI. If you’ve read my last article, you know why this topic is important to me. As I work on my dissertation, I plan to continue to discuss AI prevalence in the classroom and how WE as stakeholders can navigate these experiences. Let’s begin.
The image above is me testing out the new #mathnotes feature on my #iPad13Pro. I recently upgraded my iPad to stay current on the latest tech and features and to familiarize myself with what my students have access to. Did you know that Apple’s ideal consumer audience is ages 25-34 and that they prefer their consumers to be educated with a certain household income? You can find more about this in an NCBI study here.
Most of the individuals in this age group are who? College students. They are constantly advancing with degrees and are even individuals reading this article now, including myself. I’m a PhD student who is a major part of the Apple ecosystem. I have the Ultra 9 watch, MacBook Pro that I received from Full Sail University during my PR program (2022 Graduate), iPad 13 Pro, Apple Pencil Pro, and iPhone 15 Pro Max. Yes, I am deep into the ecosystem and even became a beta test developer, so that I can get the latest software releases before they hit consumer products.
The image above is a screenshot of me using the latest #iOS18 iPad feature - Math Notes. It is integrated into the new calculator, which is completely new for iPad users. Previously, you could only access the calculator on the iPhone or Mac - never the iPad. However, here we are, and with this new feature, students or anyone can use it to solve math problems. I only tested some of the basic features, but math experts would probably have a field day with this. The program is so advanced that it can create graphs, charts, and much more. It can also solve some of the most astronomical problems.
So, what does this mean for educators?
This is a time in education where we have to decide whether we are for or against AI. Let’s be honest, it’s been around for a while now. The problem is, so many people are getting access to it, including students, and they have the slightest clue of what they are doing. On the other hand, there are people like me who are extremely tech-savvy and find it to be one of the most useful tools when used correctly. But, the key word here is “Correctly.”
Last week in my English courses, I was grading assignments and noticed that about 45% of my students submitted AI-written papers. This was determined by Turnitin software that showed the AI similarity report. I was shocked. I knew that this would eventually become a problem, but it happening so quickly was surprising. It made me immediately think of my role as an educator, particularly in English, and how this would impact my career. I’m sure many of you have considered the same.
What I recognized in this scenario is that it forces us to do a few things:
1. Become more creative in our curriculum design and not use the same type or delivery of curriculum. This could in turn become problematic as an organization and lead to more issues.
2. Have the hard conversation with our students about AI use and how to avoid plagiarism.
3. Recognize it for what it is. Stop policing it, and embrace the change.
I don’t know which side of this you’ll be on. Honestly, it’s a conversation that we all need to meet up and discuss over drinks or something (sprite or tea, perhaps?). Either way, it’s a conversation to be had and if we don’t figure out a solution, our students will be far more advanced with the use of tech than we are as their educators.
That said, AI is something to really look out for in the classroom. It can be extremely useful for educators and students. However, it can also become a barrier to how they retain information. Now is the time we have this talk and really discuss some options to create policy changes that will be beneficial in these scenarios. I’d love to hear your ideas.
If you’d like to see more on how I used the new #mathnotes feature on my iPad, check out my upcoming post on my profile.
As always, be the rockstar educator I know you to be!