With the rise of artificial intelligence in the modern world, a big change is inevitable. As more technology involving AI is being introduced into education alongside older programs already integrating it within its software such as Grammarly and Turnitin, more students are taking advantage of it, meaning there are less questions being asked to the teacher and more asked to the AI.
This dynamic has been a prime topic of discussion for education for decades, as there is heavy debate on how a teacher explains the material to the class can affect the way a student processes and recollects information.
Matthew Steen, who has been a history and psychology teacher here at Skyline for 9 years, and has recently became the dean of students, has a unique perspective on the matter. He has seen the changes of students’ behaviors when interacting with technology both through a lens of time and mind.
“I think the genie has left the bottle, it’s already here, we just have to figure out how to use it.”
— Stan Debiec
Many share the same opinions about AI, stating that it could be detrimental to learning and comprehension in the classroom. However, there are a handful of teachers that believe the opposite.
Business teacher Stan Debiec has been involved with the technology and teaching industry for quite some time, and believes in encouraging the students to play with the software and programs.
“I think the genie has left the bottle, it’s already here, we just have to figure out how to use it.” said Debiec.
However, there are still a few staff that remain wary of AI and are slower to jump right in, worrying that the student-teacher dynamic has been compromised with the rising use of technology.
A big part of the current education model is group projects. And with the addition of AI tools being able to make entire stories within only a couple of seconds, teachers from all subjects are concerned that students might be losing out on important social skills.
Art teacher Jesse Julius is still learning the ins and outs of AI, but still sees the effects of it in his classroom. During a recent project, students were asked to brainstorm a scary story in order to sculpt a monster in that story, however the collaboration aspect of discussing the idea as a group was lost instantly.
“I saw every single group immediately go to an AI generator, and although it’s efficient, efficiency doesn’t always mean something is better. And so I was a little saddened to see that, it completely eroded the conversation among group members, just the process of it.” said Jesse Julius.
Despite most veteran teachers having a prudent attitude towards the rising technology, teachers that are more familiar with the technology actively integrate AI into their curriculum, stating that it is a net positive. While some use AI to simply help them grade busy work, others use it to help them teach and come up with questions, allowing them to save as much time for the students and their questions.
Skyline’s art and design teacher Benjamin Blakney has recently joined the staff team, and has worked with AI in his previous job and in his current teaching. He notes that for both professions, he used AI to do the tasks that more or less resembled busy work, such as transcriptions and basic grading.
“I think that using AI for some of the more time consuming tasks allows the teacher to be a better teacher,” said Blakney.
And with more old education practices being automated, teachers have come to the conclusion that the methods have to change along with the student.
1st year computer science teacher Shalini Murugan believes that AI can be used for good and also for malicious intent, but mainly that it can be an outlet for students to use when they are feeling bored. Murugan believes that our current education system is not benefiting students to the fullest potential. “We need to teach differently. Instead of teaching the same things, we need to ask different questions from students.”
With more old education practices being automated, teachers like Murugan have concluded that the methods have to change along with the student.
“It would be foolish to think it will stop. Students have access to everything, so it needs to reflect in the teaching.”