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A high schooler writes about AI tools in the classroom

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

#101

Post by oceanplexian »

nancyminusone wrote: post #96
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…

Homework is nothing more than the denial of childhood. I am very thankful I quit doing mine as soon as I could get away with it.

I barely made it out of high school because of homework. And flunked college mostly because of it.

What was going on with computers was far too interesting, I'd spend 10 hours learning to code or playing around with Linux, go to school the next day with 4 hours of sleep and missed homework. It worked out though, and I wouldn't do things any differently given the chance.

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

#102

Post by thomasingalls »

HDThoreaun wrote: post #74
AIorNot wrote: post #42

I’m an AI engineer but I think schools need a nuclear option Banish tech in schools (including cell phones) (except during comp classes) but allow it at home Ie in high school only allow paper and pencil/pen Go back to written exams (handwriting based) Be lenient on spelling and grammer Allow homework, digital tutoring AI assistants and AI only when it not primary- ie for homework not in class work Bring back oral ex…

> Bring back oral exams With 30 kids in a class Im not sure this is possible. Oral exams scale horribly

Doesn't France still do oral exams?

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

#103

Post by serf »

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…

>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

I would have failed high school if attendance/classwork mattered at the time. I skated by with test scores and homework -- I was too busy chasing sex and drugs during the social hours of adult-age-day-care public schooling.

I tell people that I didn't learn a damn thing until I hit a university, and I mean it. The "all classwork" policy would have ruined me -- hopefully they'd have had the mercy to kick my ass out on my 7th year of high school..

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

#104

Post by babblingdweeb »

Anonyneko wrote: post #57
AIorNot wrote: post #42

I’m an AI engineer but I think schools need a nuclear option Banish tech in schools (including cell phones) (except during comp classes) but allow it at home Ie in high school only allow paper and pencil/pen Go back to written exams (handwriting based) Be lenient on spelling and grammer Allow homework, digital tutoring AI assistants and AI only when it not primary- ie for homework not in class work Bring back oral ex…

Back in the day we were writing code on paper (or on punched cards, using them as a paper substitute, as there were a lot of them left over from the Soviet times and they looked very "computer-y"), so even during computer classes you didn't necessarily need a computer. Not that I really think that it can still work in the year 2025 and beyond...

I was just talking to younger coworkers about this recently. Mid-90s to early 2000s: FORTRAN, COBOL, C, and C++ classes all had handwritten code parts for homework, handouts, exams, etc. This wasn't just pseudocode, you had to have full syntax, variable declarations, correct spelling of functions, etc. You frequently had to show code optimization, debugging, etc even on paper. Wild times!!

* All of those classes also had lab time (some dedicated, similar to a chemistry class), info on how to get the IDE if you had $ access to a computer at home, and alternatives as well.

Personally, I see more value in pseudo code (written or typed) and sketch type diagrams (analog or digital) than handwriting code. However, it was WILD and amazing to watch the gray-hairs of those days debug your code on paper!

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

#105

Post by eigencoder »

flappyeagle wrote: post #86
smitty1e wrote: post #11

Earlier quoted context omitted.

One possible starting point is offloading the plural. What am "I" doing to solve this? For both me and my children. Taking responsibility for my continuing education, for one. Locate interesting curricula and pursue them.

Selfishness isn’t the solution try again

Recognizing that I can't control other people isn't selfishness

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

#106

Post by jay_kyburz »

AIorNot wrote: post #42

I’m an AI engineer but I think schools need a nuclear option Banish tech in schools (including cell phones) (except during comp classes) but allow it at home Ie in high school only allow paper and pencil/pen Go back to written exams (handwriting based) Be lenient on spelling and grammer Allow homework, digital tutoring AI assistants and AI only when it not primary- ie for homework not in class work Bring back oral ex…

Or just give them laptops that are on an internal network only, with just the tools they need.

You could write your essay and save it in your classroom shared folder. I don't think this is rocket science.

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

#108

Post by dghlsakjg »

HDThoreaun wrote: post #74
AIorNot wrote: post #42

I’m an AI engineer but I think schools need a nuclear option Banish tech in schools (including cell phones) (except during comp classes) but allow it at home Ie in high school only allow paper and pencil/pen Go back to written exams (handwriting based) Be lenient on spelling and grammer Allow homework, digital tutoring AI assistants and AI only when it not primary- ie for homework not in class work Bring back oral ex…

> Bring back oral exams With 30 kids in a class Im not sure this is possible. Oral exams scale horribly

Bring back smaller classroom sizes.

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

#109

Post by serf »

csa wrote: post #76
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…

> 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. Good! If they want to give kids the chance to develop the skill of managing unstructured time, that could easily be fit into the…

Doesn't it swing both ways?

You view it as time wasted, another might view it as time socializing and self organizing -- primary school is there to teach people first and foremost how to integrate into society and be 'normal' citizens -- if we hyper-optimize it for academics something will be lost.

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

#110

Post by jonathanlb »

glitchc wrote: post #98
csa wrote: post #76

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> 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. Good! If they want to give kids the chance to develop the skill of managing unstructured time, that could easily be fit into the…

> For many/most students, the home is not particularly conducive for doing homework a variety of reasons. I think this speaks to the parents and the type of home environment that they create. This is one of the major sources of disagreement between the right and the left, where the former (sometimes strongly) feel the parents bear responsibility for the type of environment their kids grow up in while the latter (equa…

> external factors (abuse, addiction, sickness, etc.).

Beside factors that body's performance, also consider factors that impact well-meaning parent or caregivers' _presence_ in the home, such economic realities, e.g., parents working multiple jobs, parents with challenging schedules, single parents, lack of community support (e.g., availability of a supportive neighbors or families.)

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