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A high schooler writes about AI tools in the classroom

theatlantic.com

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Re: A high schooler writes about AI tools in the classroom

#221

Post by Jimmc414 »

EvanAnderson wrote: post #88
justaguitarist wrote: post #58

I'm a sysadmin for a public school district and the admins are working on rolling out Gemini for students/staff. I've shared all the studies I can find about cognitive decline associated with LLM use, but it seems like it's falling on deaf ears.

I do contract network admin work for a K-12 school district and I'm hearing the same thing from the in-house sysadmin about his administration staff. The District superintendent is very enthusiastic about getting LLM tools into the hands of the students and teachers. The in-house sysadmin and I are both horrified at what we're enabling.

Respectfully, do you think you are helping K-12 students by withholding exposure to an AI world they will soon be expected to be competitive in?

Re: A high schooler writes about AI tools in the classroom

#222

Post by SoftTalker »

kjkjadksj wrote: post #201
Terr_ wrote: post #198

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Right: If parents needed to contact students during class--or vice-versa--there was never[0] any technical barrier to that! You don't need hundreds of distraction/cheating pocket computers in a giant invisible wireless network for that , a school could easily route the information if the organization chose to do so . The technology was used as an end-run around an organizational barrier.

There is no organizational barrier. Parent can still call the school and say jimmys dad is in the hospital or whatever.

And, it allows parents and students to completely ignore making plans. Jimmy needs a ride home from football practice? That should be (a) expected and (b) planned for in advance. He should not have to text mom to come and pick him up.

He wants to go home with Tommy instead? Well too bad, that wasn't the plan.

Re: A high schooler writes about AI tools in the classroom

#223

Post by CuriouslyC »

The future of high school tests is using an AI agent to research and build something amazing in a fixed time window, not knowing what it's going to be ahead of time. We just have to start thinking bigger with education, the trivial bullshit that we used to burden people with has been made obsolete. Education becomes a building workshop with a focus on helping students come to their own answers from first principles using modern tools.

Re: A high schooler writes about AI tools in the classroom

#225

Post by foobarian »

trenchpilgrim wrote: post #216
djoldman wrote: post #146

Unfortunately, this kind of story will continue to be a popular one in newspapers and magazines, garnering lots of clicks. It feeds into the "everything is different now" sort of desperate helplessness people seem primed to adopt with respect to AI sometimes. Obviously the answer to testing and grading is to do it in the classroom. If a computer is required, it can't connect to the internet. Caught with a cellphone,…

> Caught with a cellphone, you fail the test. Caught twice you fail the class. One of my coworker's has their kids in a school where if you are caught with a cellphone, on the first offense you are suspended. Apparently it's working well.

It's all fun and games until it's a public school that implements the mandatory schooling law and so can't really kick out students unless they murder someone.

Re: A high schooler writes about AI tools in the classroom

#226

Post by skybrian »

SoftTalker wrote: post #220
AppleBananaPie wrote: post #190

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I'm surprised the answer of doing all exercises (including essay writing) in class is apparently not obvious. High school me was a moron and should not be trusted to do the real work and people who know better should force him to practice the skills lol Once he's grown and has a job he will one day realize and be thankful for the teachers that forced him to do the work. Obviously not true for all students but I don't…

Some assignments are bigger than can be done in one class period. And class time is for lecture; there isn't a lot of time for students to work problems on their own. So we're just dealing with what (some) students have always done: get someone else to write the report or do the math homework. Or have parents pay a tutor to help. Or use Cliff's Notes instead of reading the book. But now it's trivially easy and free.…

Some people promote a “flipped classroom” where you’re supposed to watch video lectures on your own and classroom time is used to discuss them.

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Flipped_classroom

Re: A high schooler writes about AI tools in the classroom

#227

Post by kmote00 »

SoftTalker wrote: post #220
AppleBananaPie wrote: post #190

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I'm surprised the answer of doing all exercises (including essay writing) in class is apparently not obvious. High school me was a moron and should not be trusted to do the real work and people who know better should force him to practice the skills lol Once he's grown and has a job he will one day realize and be thankful for the teachers that forced him to do the work. Obviously not true for all students but I don't…

Some assignments are bigger than can be done in one class period. And class time is for lecture; there isn't a lot of time for students to work problems on their own. So we're just dealing with what (some) students have always done: get someone else to write the report or do the math homework. Or have parents pay a tutor to help. Or use Cliff's Notes instead of reading the book. But now it's trivially easy and free.…

What about this idea: flip the script. Students must learn the subject OUTside of class: teacher provides video lectures for those that want to use them, but any source is open game -- YouTube, AI, you name it.

Then class time is reserved exclusively for doing the assignments. No phones or computers allowed.

Re: A high schooler writes about AI tools in the classroom

#228

Post by kmote00 »

skybrian wrote: post #226
SoftTalker wrote: post #220

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Some assignments are bigger than can be done in one class period. And class time is for lecture; there isn't a lot of time for students to work problems on their own. So we're just dealing with what (some) students have always done: get someone else to write the report or do the math homework. Or have parents pay a tutor to help. Or use Cliff's Notes instead of reading the book. But now it's trivially easy and free.…

Some people promote a “flipped classroom” where you’re supposed to watch video lectures on your own and classroom time is used to discuss them. https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Flipped_classroom

That's funny that I just had that idea around the same time that you must have been typing your answer. (See my adjacent answer). Actually thought it was probably a crazy idea and would get quickly downvoted. Quite surprised that there's already a Wikipedia article about it. Cool.

Re: A high schooler writes about AI tools in the classroom

#229

Post by jedberg »

foobarian wrote: post #225
trenchpilgrim wrote: post #216

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> Caught with a cellphone, you fail the test. Caught twice you fail the class. One of my coworker's has their kids in a school where if you are caught with a cellphone, on the first offense you are suspended. Apparently it's working well.

It's all fun and games until it's a public school that implements the mandatory schooling law and so can't really kick out students unless they murder someone.

That's why states are implementing no-cell-phone laws. To give the educators cover for harsh consequences. They are basically making using a cell phone in school the same as assaulting someone, so that they can remove the student for repeat offenses.

Re: A high schooler writes about AI tools in the classroom

#230

Post by cryptonector »

zdragnar wrote: post #5

I recently found out that my nephew's school had no take-home homework before high school, instead having kids complete assignments during class time. At first, I was flabbergasted that they would deny kids the discipline building of managing unstructured time without direct supervision. Homework- at home- seemed like such a fundamental part of the schooling experience. Now, I'm thinking that was pretty much they onl…

In-class, in person, oral examinations is the other way. Call on each student, have them come up to the front of the class, and answer one or more questions. For some topics this could take several class periods.
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