The education world is going nuts over ChatGPT and other AIs. We're both really excited and really worried.
We're excited because this tool is obviously going to become something that makes a lot of tasks easier. I'm already using it to generate lesson ideas, streamline things, make writing more simple for students to read & understand, etc.
On the other hand, so much of education asks students to demonstrate their learning through written work. As a teacher, I now have to think carefully about tasks I can ask students to perform where they can show me what they have learned without the support of an AI. This is somewhat the same as the old issue of "how do I know if this is the student's work, or their work supported by a tutor / parent" except now it's so, so much easier and faster for kids to go to the AI.
An interesting consequence is that students - in the short term - are going to be doing a LOT more handwritten assignments. As educators and institutions get up to speed with AI, what it can and can't do, and understanding how it can be used to support thinking instead of replace it, a simple solution is having students write things in class, on paper.
Of course, handwriting instruction has more or less completely vanished over the last 20-30 years, so now I have to fight my way through atrocious handwriting to understand what my students are trying to say, and when I have meetings with elementary teachers I'm asking them to dedicate time to ancient handwriting drills.
Not something I expected to be asking for in 2023.
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