The use of AI tools for teachers is on the rise, as of July 2023, 13% more teachers use ChatGPT in the classroom compared to February. The total is 63%. Of those using ChatGPT in their classes, 84% of teachers believe it positively affects their teaching. [source]
That’s because AI helps free up teachers’ time. But just like any tool, there needs to be a trained professional judging the outputs. Think of ChatGPT and AI as your personal assistant – it does the time-consuming and menial tasks, and you edit it decisively for your students.
Here’s how to start using AI tools in your classroom.
AI stands for Artificial Intelligence. It refers to computer systems that can perform tasks that would typically require human intelligence. AI enables machines to learn, reason, and make decisions based on data and algorithms. It aims to replicate or mimic human cognitive abilities like perception, problem-solving, and language understanding.
One specific type of AI is called ChatGPT. ChatGPT is an advanced language model developed by OpenAI. It has been trained on a large amount of text data from the internet, allowing it to generate human-like responses to text prompts.
ChatGPT is designed for natural language understanding and generation. It can converse, answer questions, explain, and offer suggestions. It is trained to understand context and generate coherent and relevant responses based on input.
Prompt:
A prompt refers to a user’s input to get a response from the AI system. It acts as the starting point or guide for the AI to generate meaningful and relevant output. How we construct the prompt dramatically impacts the quality of the AI’s response.
Context:
If you’re getting outputs from AI that don’t fit your audience, you may need to provide more context. Context gives ChatGPT information about the audience to adjust reading level, tone, and more.
Completion:
Completion is another term for the output the AI model produces. You can refine your outputs by adding more context or background information to help improve outputs.
For teachers, ChatGPT can be a valuable tool. It can assist in automating routine tasks, such as answering frequently asked questions, providing basic information, or offering explanations on various subjects. It can also help students by providing personalized feedback, clarifying concepts, or acting as a virtual tutor for individualized learning experiences.
ChatGPT and AI can help reduce and even eliminate time-consuming tasks that bog down teachers daily. Teachers can get back to doing what they do best – teach!
There are a variety of ways to use AI tools in the classroom. The best strategy is to take a task you hate or find too time-consuming and experiment with AI. Here are some examples of ways teachers use AI in their classrooms:
Read more: 12 ways teachers can use ChatGPT to save time in the classroom
You don’t have to start from scratch as a beginner teacher. Instead, take the time to create homework, worksheets, and quizzes in ChatGPT.
Read our guide for free teachers resources for first-year teachers, including tips on using AI in your classroom.
Some of the most popular AI tools that teachers have access to are ChatGPT and Microsoft Bing’s AI tools. Here’s a breakdown of the pros and cons of each.
ChatGPT is an advanced language model developed by OpenAI. It is designed to generate human-like text based on the input it receives. For teachers, ChatGPT can be a valuable tool in various ways:
Pros:
Cons:
Bing’s AI Tools include various artificial intelligence-powered features, such as natural language processing and image recognition. While not specifically tailored for educational purposes, these tools can still be helpful for teachers.
Pros:
Cons:
Many education-based AI companies use the AI tech of companies like ChatGPT and create tools that utilize the tech.
If you’ve ever tried your hand at ChatGPT and been disappointed by the output, then you’re not alone. Creating effective prompts (or prompt engineering) takes some practice. But it’s similar to those times when you’ve given directions in the classroom and realized your directions weren’t clear. They need refinement. Giving directions to AI tools takes practice.
One of the biggest hurdles to teachers’ adoption of AI in the classroom is the fear of cheating. But you’re more likely to understand how to deal with this issue if you’re well-versed in ChatGPT and AI.
Just as the onset of the internet and iPhones produced similar reticence, AI comes with new discussions on academic integrity. We must show students that ChatGPT is merely a tool, and students need to understand responsible use. But teachers can employ some techniques in the classroom to keep students more honest.
Read more: Steps To Prevent Cheating With ChatGPT And AI In The Classroom
ChatGPT and other AI tools can save teachers time in the classroom. The key is to experiment to see what works. It does take a few tries to get good at writing prompts (prompt engineering). You can adjust the difficulty of output (writing a prompt for a 5-year-old vs a high schooler). Keep refining your prompts until you get something that fits your students and classroom.
We’ve compiled our favorite ChatGPT prompts that teachers can use in your classroom today.
You can use AI to create I Do, We Do, You Do strategies in the classroom. We’ll walk you through the gradual release strategy and how you can use ChatGPT to streamline your lesson planning.
TeacherMade is the ideal platform to drop your AI-generated content. Once you make an assignment, writing prompt, quiz, or assessment, simply upload it to TeacherMade for your students to complete.
TeacherMade transforms your teaching materials into online activities that you can auto-grade.
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