Artificial Intelligence’s exceeding growth has put so much power and so many opportunities into the hands of all ages. Recently, one of the outcomes of this growth is tied to an uprise of students using AI to help with all things regarding school.
For example, students are using AI to assist in homework, studying and checking their work. On the negative side, students have also used AI to help cheat on tests or have a chatbot write an essay.
“I’ve seen AI used negatively with people just using it to cheat, which really doesn’t help them in the long run when it comes to actually taking the test,” senior Leesha Komotho said. “But I think that is a result of people just not knowing all that AI can really help out with.”
Teachers as well as students at FHN have also first handedly seen AI be used as a shortcut in their academics. Students may resort to using AI to help them cheat on tests and homework, or even write their entire English essay.
“I even had a kid who did that and I caught it but then he went and wrote an email and he was like, ‘I’m so sorry I did this, like I was so stressed I didn’t know what to do. Can I have another chance?’” Kristen Johnson, an English teacher at FHN said. “So. That was awesome, but I just think that it takes away some critical thinking, and it makes me mad too. Isn’t your brain cooler than AI? Have a little faith in yourself, you know?”
However, as helpful as AI can be, it’s important to remember that cheating, and letting AI prevent students from learning isn’t going to benefit them. It seems to be a shared issue among the school that AI can result in kids losing creativity and the power to think on their own.
“It’s hard because we don’t teach kids how to brainstorm anymore,” Johnson said.
AI’s positive use is extremely helpful, with its quick and easy real-time processing it can answer homework questions within seconds. It also has the power to read over essays to help students with their grammar, spelling and overall writing structure. The results of this mean it’s a very helpful tool for many students and teachers.
“Yes, I have used AI in the classroom, in Ms. Johnson’s class to check essays for accuracy,” sophomore Brendan Bedwell said.
Students using AI in English classrooms isn’t the only place it’s found though. AI is commonly used throughout the entire school in a range of roles. It’s even used by some teachers.
“If I need an idea for a lesson plan, especially if I want it to be like a jigsaw or more creative and I need multiple pieces or something, I for sure will type my ideas into AI and then see what it shoots out,” Johnson said.
Beyond AI’s use throughout English teachers and students, senior Lane McKee uses AI in her statistics class.
“I have used it for papers and questions that me and my classmates sometimes can’t answer,” McKee said.
In the end, it’s hard to find the line for AI in the classroom, it’s easy to remember how helpful it is, but important to remember the risks that come with it.
“There’s a fine line between using it to help and using it to cheat,” McKee said.
