Chrissy, you did an amazing job on this article. Thank you for becoming part of the Educating AI network. I love your optimism and enthusiasm. I too would love to hear how your students responded to the ending of the book. There are so many stretches of this novel that are so profoundly sad... But we are dealing with Ishiguro, so what else do we expect.
I think Guy raises a great point as he usually does. It looks like you were running 3.5 in your classroom, and I will let you speak to those safety concerns.
Guy, moving forward I plan on integrating an application like School.ai in my classes that promises greater security (FERPA-level protections). But I take this promise with a grain of salt. School.ai is still built on top of OpenAI architecture.
Ideally, schools need smaller models built up to specific purposes. Perhaps, schools can join together to form technology consortiums focused on the development of these smaller proprietary models. I am sure someone is working on it at this very moment.
This is a long way of saying... even when we turn off data-sharing with the large commercial models, we still cannot be absolutely certain to what extent our data is being used for deeper training, etc. Given this situation, I would find it difficult at this very moment to ask my students to work on a public GPT account even with parent permissions, etc.
I could not agree more, Nick. We wanted to introduce them to AI, but we only felt comfortable doing so using my free account (I did not use my paid account since students will likely experiment with 3.5). All in all, it was a very successful unit, but I am curious to see how different it will be a year from now when we try it again. Perhaps a technology consortium will be in place by then?
Thank you, Chrissy! What a wonderful glimpse into your world.
Also, Klara and the Sun is a great choice. I could imagine it would have sparked some very interesting discussion with your students. I don't want to give the ending away, but I do wonder how your student reacted to the ending, especially in a ChatGPT world.
Thank you Chrissy for a great example of practical and well-considered application of AI in the real world.
I enjoy Kazuo Ishiguro's work. Never Let Me Go is perhaps one of the most memorable novels I'd read. I wasn't familiar with Klara and the Sun until reading this post, but it sounds right up my alley, so I'll add it to my reading list!
Great study. Nick, we need to find some qualitative researchers to do an ethnographic analysis of classrooms. Chrissy’s work here is groundbreaking.
One point: I agree that schools must have LLMs under their control. Students can access wild models elsewhere. The privacy risks are only going to intensify.
Chrissy’s conclusion that, in this case, students ran the risk of confusing the authors imaginary construct with ChatGPT, blurring the line between fiction and reality, in a sense reading Klara as factual. This scenario is rich with possibilities. It would be interesting if Chrissy would ask her students to write some informal reflections on this theme. What WERE they thinking about when they were reading about a fictional character named Klara while getting introduced to a real character named ChatGPT? This is so fascinating…
The thing I always wonder about when I read discussions of using AI in the classroom is what do you need to do to help students with privacy and security with AI? Also, are you running into issues with parents buying subscriptions so their children have the advantage of a better LLM. I am an instructional technologist for a university. In our work with faculty, we have to emphasize privacy, security, and equity, so I am curious how this is playing out in K-12.
Hello Guy! I feel fortunate to be part of a school with a strong tech department. We've been actively "leaning in" to the incorporation of AI, especially since we're a 1:1 school, allowing our tech team to restrict certain programs until students are 13 years old. Once students hit this age, parents and students sign an updated Acceptable Use Policy.
To ensure a comprehensive understanding of technology, we've implemented a mandatory technology class covering safety, privacy, social media, and, more recently, AI. We initiated this unit in 7th grade using the ViewSonic as a basis for all student prompts. I also sent them the transcripts via email, serving as a research blueprint for their essays. We opted for this approach with GPT-3.5 as it reflects what most students are likely to encounter beyond the classroom. To your point, I am sure we have some families who are paying the monthly fee for the upgraded version.
Our intention is to introduce the concept of AI as a "thought partner" in 7th grade, setting them up for greater success as they progress in their studies. Once they hit 8th grade, our goal is to equip them with more knowledge about AI biases and really focus on the privacy and security surrounding it. I am excited to see which programs come out next to help teachers and administrators feel more confident to tackle this. Thank you for your thoughts!
Wow... This sounds amazing. I am very jealous. I would love to talk to you more about the mandatory class. Sounds like the subject of another article to me!!!
Nick, thank you for providing me with an opportunity to share my work! This has been such a positive experience, and I am now more motivated than ever to explore my writing side. I am so used to the concept of teaching writing, and it has been YEARS since I have shared any of my own. I am looking forward to reading through these comments - thank you for taking the time to read about my use of AI in the middle school classroom.
Chrissy, you did an amazing job on this article. Thank you for becoming part of the Educating AI network. I love your optimism and enthusiasm. I too would love to hear how your students responded to the ending of the book. There are so many stretches of this novel that are so profoundly sad... But we are dealing with Ishiguro, so what else do we expect.
I think Guy raises a great point as he usually does. It looks like you were running 3.5 in your classroom, and I will let you speak to those safety concerns.
Guy, moving forward I plan on integrating an application like School.ai in my classes that promises greater security (FERPA-level protections). But I take this promise with a grain of salt. School.ai is still built on top of OpenAI architecture.
Ideally, schools need smaller models built up to specific purposes. Perhaps, schools can join together to form technology consortiums focused on the development of these smaller proprietary models. I am sure someone is working on it at this very moment.
This is a long way of saying... even when we turn off data-sharing with the large commercial models, we still cannot be absolutely certain to what extent our data is being used for deeper training, etc. Given this situation, I would find it difficult at this very moment to ask my students to work on a public GPT account even with parent permissions, etc.
But that is just my two cents.
I could not agree more, Nick. We wanted to introduce them to AI, but we only felt comfortable doing so using my free account (I did not use my paid account since students will likely experiment with 3.5). All in all, it was a very successful unit, but I am curious to see how different it will be a year from now when we try it again. Perhaps a technology consortium will be in place by then?
Nice exploration into practical AI!
Thank you, Chrissy! What a wonderful glimpse into your world.
Also, Klara and the Sun is a great choice. I could imagine it would have sparked some very interesting discussion with your students. I don't want to give the ending away, but I do wonder how your student reacted to the ending, especially in a ChatGPT world.
Thank you Chrissy for a great example of practical and well-considered application of AI in the real world.
I enjoy Kazuo Ishiguro's work. Never Let Me Go is perhaps one of the most memorable novels I'd read. I wasn't familiar with Klara and the Sun until reading this post, but it sounds right up my alley, so I'll add it to my reading list!
so glad you're creating this resource. teachers need help right now!
Thank you! It is comments like these that help us writers know we are heading in the right direction!!!
Great study. Nick, we need to find some qualitative researchers to do an ethnographic analysis of classrooms. Chrissy’s work here is groundbreaking.
One point: I agree that schools must have LLMs under their control. Students can access wild models elsewhere. The privacy risks are only going to intensify.
Chrissy’s conclusion that, in this case, students ran the risk of confusing the authors imaginary construct with ChatGPT, blurring the line between fiction and reality, in a sense reading Klara as factual. This scenario is rich with possibilities. It would be interesting if Chrissy would ask her students to write some informal reflections on this theme. What WERE they thinking about when they were reading about a fictional character named Klara while getting introduced to a real character named ChatGPT? This is so fascinating…
The thing I always wonder about when I read discussions of using AI in the classroom is what do you need to do to help students with privacy and security with AI? Also, are you running into issues with parents buying subscriptions so their children have the advantage of a better LLM. I am an instructional technologist for a university. In our work with faculty, we have to emphasize privacy, security, and equity, so I am curious how this is playing out in K-12.
Hello Guy! I feel fortunate to be part of a school with a strong tech department. We've been actively "leaning in" to the incorporation of AI, especially since we're a 1:1 school, allowing our tech team to restrict certain programs until students are 13 years old. Once students hit this age, parents and students sign an updated Acceptable Use Policy.
To ensure a comprehensive understanding of technology, we've implemented a mandatory technology class covering safety, privacy, social media, and, more recently, AI. We initiated this unit in 7th grade using the ViewSonic as a basis for all student prompts. I also sent them the transcripts via email, serving as a research blueprint for their essays. We opted for this approach with GPT-3.5 as it reflects what most students are likely to encounter beyond the classroom. To your point, I am sure we have some families who are paying the monthly fee for the upgraded version.
Our intention is to introduce the concept of AI as a "thought partner" in 7th grade, setting them up for greater success as they progress in their studies. Once they hit 8th grade, our goal is to equip them with more knowledge about AI biases and really focus on the privacy and security surrounding it. I am excited to see which programs come out next to help teachers and administrators feel more confident to tackle this. Thank you for your thoughts!
Wow... This sounds amazing. I am very jealous. I would love to talk to you more about the mandatory class. Sounds like the subject of another article to me!!!
Nick, thank you for providing me with an opportunity to share my work! This has been such a positive experience, and I am now more motivated than ever to explore my writing side. I am so used to the concept of teaching writing, and it has been YEARS since I have shared any of my own. I am looking forward to reading through these comments - thank you for taking the time to read about my use of AI in the middle school classroom.