ChatGPT is a free AI chatbot tool that is capable of creating conversations similar to humans. It uses a language called GPT to simulate a conversation with users. Not only can it answer questions that you ask but it also can be very creative and write things for you. It is a better way to Google in the sense that it answers your questions in writing. The questions that you can ask can range from simple to more complex, but it has many capabilities in terms of what the user wants it to be. You can also ask odd combinations of questions, but its limitations do include that it provides some incorrect information. ChatGPT is able to come up with its answers because it is "trained" on massive amounts of data.
As an educator, I can understand why initially it brings up some concern. Obviously, certain points are made such as "Is the teaching of writing dead?" and "How do we know students aren't plagiarizing?" or even "How do we know teachers are writing their own lesson plans and understanding what they're teaching?". I can understand those concerns, but after listening further I believe that there is a way to use this tool not only to help our teaching but to help our students' learning become more creative. Instead of viewing ChatGPT as a goodbye to roles such as teaching, writing, artists, etc. I believe it's important to think of this as an enhancement. As stated in the podcast, take the good from this tool and use it as a starting point. As with any online tool, learning how to use it correctly is most important. Instead of using it to write an essay, you can use it to learn more information about a particular topic. Another great idea that I would love to try in my classroom is having students use ChatGPT to write an essay for them, but then having them take the essay and break it into a graphic organizer. Not only would this guide them in how to plan for a written response, but it would also help them begin with the end in mind. I believe it is important to find ways to problem solve and use ChatGPT in a way that will still allow students to use higher-order thinking skills.
As an educator, I can understand why initially it brings up some concern. Obviously, certain points are made such as "Is the teaching of writing dead?" and "How do we know students aren't plagiarizing?" or even "How do we know teachers are writing their own lesson plans and understanding what they're teaching?". I can understand those concerns, but after listening further I believe that there is a way to use this tool not only to help our teaching but to help our students' learning become more creative. Instead of viewing ChatGPT as a goodbye to roles such as teaching, writing, artists, etc. I believe it's important to think of this as an enhancement. As stated in the podcast, take the good from this tool and use it as a starting point. As with any online tool, learning how to use it correctly is most important. Instead of using it to write an essay, you can use it to learn more information about a particular topic. Another great idea that I would love to try in my classroom is having students use ChatGPT to write an essay for them, but then having them take the essay and break it into a graphic organizer. Not only would this guide them in how to plan for a written response, but it would also help them begin with the end in mind. I believe it is important to find ways to problem solve and use ChatGPT in a way that will still allow students to use higher-order thinking skills.