JOHNSTOWN, Pa. (WJAC) — It’s almost time for students to go back to school, and a new school year usually brings new challenges.
For teachers, the rise of artificial intelligence represents one of the greatest challenges.
We met with several district school boards in our area to understand the potential impact of AI in the classroom.
What comes to mind when you hear the words “AI in schools”?
Chat GPT? Efficiency? Plagiarism? Some local schools see this as an opportunity.
“There are so many opportunities to create efficiencies by implementing AI in so many areas of your day-to-day operations. By using AI appropriately, efficiency can be increased so much,” says Brad Hatch, Altoona District Manager.
In the classroom, AI could bring about groundbreaking changes. It could create class schedules, design school menus and logos, facilitate communication between teachers, students and parents, and much more.
Some teachers at our local school say that it is an inevitable addition to the technology learning area and that it is important for students to learn how to use it as it is likely to be a skill they can take with them into their professional lives.
But what about student safety and academic integrity as the top priority?
“Some of the concerns around AI, purely from a logistical perspective, are FERPA and SIPA, the two main technology-related laws we have to worry about with students. SIPA is the Student Internet Protection Act, which is where student privacy is exposed,” says Jason Moore, superintendent of the Central Cambria School District.
Detecting AI-written papers and preventing academic dishonesty is made easier by interfaces like Turnitin.com and other popular AI detectors. However, there is still so much more for us to learn when dealing with complex technologies like AI.
“There is a fine line. We simply want the best for our students in terms of education, so we will proceed with caution until we have a better overview of what is available,” says North Star Superintendent Louis Lepley.
In larger school districts like Altoona, it is very beneficial to have specialized staff like Dr. Nick Caminiti who studies how artificial intelligence works.
The one thing about these generative pre-trained transformers, like GPTs, is I created my own because I wanted to understand the concept as well. So I created a math coach. I created my own GPT, and you know, the teachers in eighth grade were allowed to use it, and I got a lot of positive feedback on it. We learned all about how the pre-trained AI works and how you have to input the information. That really made me understand why they call it GPT. — Dr. Caminiti
States like Oregon and California have implemented statewide policies to ensure appropriate use of AI in the classroom, and teachers say plans are already in the works in our state ahead of the upcoming school year.
“We just received a model policy from the Pennsylvania School Board Association, which our board is currently reviewing for first reading,” added Superintendent Moore.
According to officials, Pennsylvania’s model policy focuses on issues such as academic integrity and student privacy.
While we are still largely learning the capabilities of AI, our local schools are paving the way for our students to become competent and ethical users, potentially even giving them an advantage once they enter the workforce.
The educators we spoke to say they recognize that as artificial intelligence rapidly advances, our methods of dealing with it must also evolve.
As we continue to move forward in this technological space, we must harness the benefits of AI in our classrooms while also mitigating its threats. This is the new reality for teachers and students alike.
