ChatGPT. Even the most techno-illiterate teacher has at least heard of it and the evils this dastardly software is set to unleash upon our classrooms.
After some dabbling, it seems to be the real deal. My initial reaction is ChatGPT will be unlikely to provide much of an avenue for cheating at my current institution because, frankly, the responses are just too natural. So, if I am not immediately concerned with “cheating”, the question then is: “How can I as a teacher embrace the technology and guide my students to use it effectively?” Using technology is one thing. Using it effectively is another.
My first thought was that ChatGPT would be an amazing tool for creative storytelling.
- Groupwork: Play a “choose your own adventure game” – the teacher gives a prompt; students work together to ask ChatGPT what they should do in response to the prompt. Write a short story or manga about their adventure referencing their ChatGPT logs.
- Idea generator: Ask ChatGPT for five story hooks about characters, locations and MacGuffins provided by the teacher. Come up with a short story outline in your group.
Looking at the somewhat controversial idea of “digital natives” put forward by Prensky (2001), whether you agree with it or not, we are now entering a generation where this level of AI interaction will be normalized. Much like fears of student use of the internet and smartphones, they need to be guided in how to harness the obvious power of ChatGPT to produce meaningful and useful results.
Prensky, M. (2001a) Digital natives, digital immigrants. On the Horizon, 9 (5): pp. 1–6.
Available at: https://marcprensky.com/writing/Prensky%20-%20Digital%20Natives,%20Digital%20Immigrants%20-%20Part1.pdf