I chose to evaluate the tool ChatGPT as I have never heard of it before, and I wanted to compare it to the well known google add on pear deck. I found that this tool allows for critical thinking skills to be used frequently on the site. Students have a topic or question in mind and use this tool to find answers or more information requiring them to be engaged and active in researching. I feel that the website alone limits students creativity as the information is already shared with them, however this would be the perfect extension to a project. Students can take the information and present it in a creative way with their peers and teachers. I scored this low due to the fact that the tool itself does not promote the creative piece, the teacher or student would have to come up with that assignment or task. ChatGPT is a great tool for students to look up topic of interest that meet their individual interests and needs. This site does not allow comments or profiles for students to share or save work. I am sure students share their findings with peers, family, and staff as they are very excited but they can not do this directly on ChatGPT. A note or comment section would be a great addition for students to share ideas, thoughts, and comments. The tool itself does all of the communication for you, it was appealing to the eye as it showed up like a robot would be talking which kids love, however it just has the student read, it doesn't require them to communicate with anyone. Again there are many extension projects that can be done for this piece of the rubric.
My concerns for this tool are that information may not be accurate or could be outdated as you never know when one updates their findings.
Even though this tool scored low on my rubric I still found it very interesting and would use it in my classroom. I think this tool would be extremely useful for re search projects. It also forces students to use resources and find answers to their own questions before just asking the teacher.
If I were to evaluate this tool again I would make changes to my rubric. I would add a a category of accuracy, implementation, and user friendliness. I would add accuracy to ensure the content is up to date and providing students with the correct information. I would add implementation to ensure whats being collected is helping the learning objectives. I would all user friendliness to ensure all students in my classroom have access to the tool no matter their level. 
Katie,
ReplyDeleteThank you for evaluating and talking about ChatGBT even tho it did not score the highest of the technology tools. Since this program is one of the first artificial intelligence tools that is free for the public to use, I also had not heard about it until Dr.C. brought it up during our zoom. Since then I have been exploring ChatGBT along with my husband who is very skeptical about AI. I would be confident saying that many people who are not familiar with emerging technology trends would be overwhelmed and hesitant to integrate AI into their classroom. However, our students are growing up in a world where technology is a part of everyday life. It is mind blowing to think that my fifth graders who are ten and eleven years old have a world of knowledge at their fingertips. I think introducing our students to AI in a situation where there is structure and guidance will help prepare them for digital safety and security. I know one of the biggest issues that is brought up with ChatGBT is the chance of plagarism increasing. However, we are already teaching students how to research using data bases such as Google which make AI simply an extension of what we are already teaching our students to do. As a teacher, we know our students well enough that we will be able to tell if they used this tool as a resource or if they just copied. If we see a pattern of "cheating" we can then address the concern and help our students grow. One of the greatest benefits of using ChatGBT in my opinion is the exposure to content and vocabulary. Students will utilize their written and spoken language skills in order to effectively communicate with the AI. I agree with your point about being able to use this tool to answer their own questions which will foster independence.
Torrie
Hello Katie, thank you for sharing! You mentioned that ChatGPT scored low on your rubric. What changes would you like to see be made to move this tool up on your evaluation framework? In addition, what made you choose this form of artificial intelligence over others? This is an area that I also do not know much about so a further exploration of this concept could be extremely useful in finding other tools for your students to use as well. I like that you also considered how excited your students would be to use this tool. When we are considering implementing new tools into our classrooms, it is equally important to decide how it will benefit them and if they will want to use it again in the future. I feel this is a great indicator once you have used the tool once in the classroom when you are trying to decide to use it again or not with your class.
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