Sophia's Blog

This week was presentation day and our entire class was divided into groups and presented on different topics related to technology in the classroom. I really enjoyed watching everyone’s presentation and feel like our class did a really great job at showcasing different educational technologies and themes that are important for student learning in the classroom. One of the presentations that really stood out to me was on the app Goosechase. Goosechase is an app that I honestly never heard before this presentation and it is an online platform that helps you create interactive experiences and the idea was inspired by scavenger hunts. As an educational tool, teachers can use this app to create engaging and interactive multimodal scavenger hunts, as students are able to take photos or videos of scavenger hunt items, solve riddles and word puzzles, and tag themselves at a GPS location. I believe this app would be a great tool to foster collaboration, teamwork, and communication in the classroom. The collaborative nature of the app encourages students to work together and strategize how they are going to solve the challenges. I can particularly see this app being useful in a physical education class as it promotes physical activity by creating challenges that require students to move and be active. Out of all the presentations we watched in class, Goosechase was the only app that actually made us get out of our seats and roam around the classroom. As well, the app allows teachers to create a diverse range of missions incorporating different types of exercises and activities. For example, in class some of our challenges included doing 10 jumping jacks and recording it on video, taking a selfie with Guillaume, and creating a human pyramid, to name a few. Thus, there is a variety of activities to get involved with and some students may feel comfortable with some challenges more than others, so it would be a great activity to work together to complete. Furthermore, I think Goosechase is a cool way to integrate technology into the physical education world. Since this is a space that is usually untapped by technology, I think students who gravitate towards using tech and digital devices may find this app to be an enjoyable learning experience. Overall, I loved learning about this new app and definitely can see myself incorporating it into my lesson plans in the future!

Week 9:

This week we continued our discussion on AI and the effect it has on education and the teaching landscape. We specifically explored strategies that teachers can employ to teach the ethical and productive use of AI and talked about how the reliance on ChatGPT by students also creates challenges for teachers in regards to plagiarism and this is something teachers are going to have to be very mindful of when marking assignments. Since content produced by ChatGPT may be difficult for plagiarism detection tools to identify, teachers are going to have to be diligent with the types of assignments that are assigned, in order to combat plagiarism. As I prepare to become a teacher and run my own classroom, I think it is possible to create a balance between integrating technologies and reverting to old fashioned methods such as writing on pen and paper. For example, I can see myself assigning work in the classroom that involves students writing paragraphs by hand and submitting work not using a computer. In class, we discussed how educators should have an idea on the type of voice used in writing by their students. If teachers suspect that students have not completed their work and used an AI tool like ChatGPT, they can compare other work done by the students to see if they carry the same tone and writing style. As well, in more extreme cases, if the educator is not confident with the work a student produced, they can ask the student to share the version history of the document. Since programs like Microsoft Word and Google Docs keep track of all the changes made to a document, it would be easy to see if a student used an AI tool to generate their work or not. However, while it is good to know that such strategies exist, I hope that I do not have to become dependent on this method to determine if students used AI tools or not. I think asking a student to share their version history of the document may be necessary in some cases but I also feel like it is quite invasive and creates a level of distrust between the teacher and the student. The student would probably feel as though the teacher doesn’t believe them and this can affect relationships between students and teachers and cause issues in the classroom.

This week we focused our class discussion on Artificial Intelligence and how it effects the landscape of education. It is undeniable that AI has and will continue to have a profound impact on education and teaching, and as teachers, it is important that we educate ourselves on the best practices of how to use AI and also be aware of the risks it poses in the classroom. In class, we discussed how AI can be used as a really helpful tool and resource for teachers, specifically in regards to lesson planning, creating assessments, and generating other beneficial materials.

I think a major concern and drawback in regards to the use of AI in an educational setting is the reliance on such platforms to produce work instantaneously. Tools such as ChatGPT are freely available on the internet, making them extremely accessible, and it is very concerning that students can turn to ChatGPT as a source of learning as AI can greatly impede on important skills such as critical and creative thinking and problem solving. By becoming so dependent on AI, students will no longer have the tools or desire to think for themselves and this will ultimately reduce their ability to be independent and function without technology. Such tools provide quick and convenient answers right at the fingertips of students however they discourage students from learning how to conduct their own research and form their own opinions on a matter. Students will no doubt look for the easiest way to finish an assignment, however by just copying and pasting information from tools like ChatGPT, they are completely missing out on developing important skills such as researching, analyzing, and synthesizing information. As well, they are not practicing hard skills such as writing or editing, and these are important skills not just in the educational world but hold relevance in their professions and all their future endeavours.

For this blog post, we were allowed to incorporate ChatGPT in our reflection and keeping with the theme of the week, I asked ChatGPT to generate an answer comparing the positive and negative implications of using AI tools like ChatGPT in in the classroom. Please see below for the response it shared:

CHATGPT RESPONSE:

“Positive Implications:

1. Personalized Learning: AI tools like ChatGPT can be programmed to provide personalized learning experiences. They can adapt to individual student needs, offering tailored content and assistance, helping students to learn at their own pace.
2. 24/7 Accessibility: AI tools can be available 24/7, allowing students to access learning materials and support whenever they need it. This flexibility can accommodate different learning styles and schedules.
3. Immediate Feedback: AI can provide instant feedback on assignments and assessments. This quick feedback loop enables students to learn from their mistakes promptly, fostering a more efficient learning process.
4. Enhanced Engagement: ChatGPT and similar tools can make learning more interactive and engaging. They can simulate conversations, answer questions, and provide explanations, making the learning experience more dynamic and interesting.
5. Resource Efficiency: AI tools can automate routine tasks, allowing teachers to focus more on creative and critical aspects of teaching. This efficiency can enhance the overall quality of education by enabling educators to spend more time on strategic planning and interaction with students.

Negative Implications:

1. Lack of Emotional Intelligence: AI tools may lack emotional intelligence and understanding, making it challenging to address the emotional and social aspects of learning. Students might miss the empathetic connection that human educators can provide.
2. Dependence on Technology: Excessive reliance on AI tools might lead to a dependency on technology, potentially hindering the development of certain cognitive and problem-solving skills in students. They might become less adept at critical thinking or decision-making without technological assistance.
3. Privacy Concerns: The use of AI in the classroom often involves collecting and analyzing data about students. This raises concerns about privacy and the security of sensitive information, as well as potential misuse of such data.
4. Inequality and Accessibility: Not all students may have equal access to technology. Depending on the economic and social background, some students might be at a disadvantage, widening educational inequalities. Additionally, students with certain learning styles may not benefit as much from AI-driven approaches.
5. Technical Glitches and Bias: AI tools are not infallible. Technical glitches can disrupt the learning process. Moreover, if not properly programmed and monitored, AI systems can perpetuate biases present in the data they were trained on, leading to unintended and potentially discriminatory outcomes.

In conclusion, while AI tools like ChatGPT offer numerous benefits for enhancing student learning experiences, it’s crucial to approach their implementation with a careful consideration of potential drawbacks. A balanced and thoughtful integration, along with ongoing monitoring and adjustment, is necessary to ensure that AI contributes positively to the educational environment.”

As you can see, ChatGPT does a very successful job at generating content that is insightful and that sounds like it was not written by a robot…. So interesting!

This week we explored the concept of gamified learning and examined the ways in which games could be used to compliment learning in the classroom. I believe that incorporating games in a classroom environment can be very beneficial as games can be used as powerful tools that can make an educational experience more engaging, interactive, and ultimately enjoyable. Since games are inherently interactive, they can be used as valuable tools to help capture the attention of students in ways that transcend traditional teaching methods. We specifically explored game apps, such as Duolingo and Khan Academy, and commented on the ways in which these platforms use games to elevate learning and provide an enriching experience for the users. These apps, and many other educational games incorporate similar key characteristics which include rewards through badges and progress bars to help learners keep track of their abilities and also entice them to continue playing the game. Since games are participatory in nature, they foster hands-on learning experiences that can help students better understand and retain information. For example, I have personally used Duolingo to help improve my Greek language skills and I find the accomplishment streaks to be very motivating and I look forward to practicing every day. I was also shocked to see how many Greek words and phrases I remembered, and I even felt more confident speaking with my family as a result of playing the game. I can firsthand attest to the fact that incorporating elements of competition and rewards can help motivate students to excel and strive for improvement in their performance.

However, it is important to note that while I do believe that gamified learning holds value and importance in the classroom, they can also create be a hinderance if not properly managed. I think it is necessary to combine both traditional teaching methods and gamified learning as if not properly managed, I do think that games can become a source of distraction and may actually not fulfill the intended educational objectives of the class. Games are also competitive in nature, and this can cause issues in the classroom, especially in regards to activities that require collaboration. As well, due to budget constraints, teachers may find it difficult to access the technology needed to implement game resources.