Using Chatbots in the Classroom

Using Chatbots in the Classroom

By Kathy Biernat, MS Zanilu Educational Services, LLC

Artificial intelligence (AI) has the potential to change the way you teach and the way students learn. But is that a good thing?

What is a chatbot?

A chatbot is a type of computer program that is designed to simulate human conversation, typically through text-based or voice-based interfaces. Chatbots use artificial intelligence (AI) and natural language processing (NLP) algorithms to understand and interpret user input, and then generate responses that are intended to be relevant and helpful.

Oh, and by the way, that was written by a chatbot, specifically, ChatGPT.

What can it do for me?

Basically, a chatbot can guide a user in their research and understanding of material - but teachers are afraid they can also be used by students to, well, cheat. But first let’s look at what a chatbot can do for YOU as a teacher.

Recently, while supporting a teacher in the classroom, they expressed frustration with the tests provided by the textbook company. They felt that these tests did not align with their teaching style and objectives, so they had to create their own test from scratch. When I suggested using ChatGPT to create the test, the teacher was skeptical but decided to give it a try. In just a minute, we were able to generate a test on atoms and the periodic table for 7th-grade students. While the test was not perfect, the teacher was able to use the generated content as the foundation of the assessment, and make modifications to reflect their teaching style and objectives in just a few minutes.

As an example, I asked ChatGPT to generate a 7th-grade worksheet on biodiversity, and here is part of what was produced:

What is biodiversity?

a. The variety of different species in an ecosystem

b. The total number of organisms in an ecosystem

c. The amount of resources available in an ecosystem

d. The number of different habitats in an ecosystem

What are some threats to biodiversity?

a. Habitat loss and fragmentation

b. Climate change

c. Pollution

d. All of the above

Need a lab? Here’s how the chatbot began a lab:

The strawberry DNA lab is a fun and educational activity that allows you to extract DNA from strawberries using simple household items. Here are the steps to conduct the lab:

Materials: Fresh strawberries, Ziplock bag, dish soap, salt, water, coffee filter or cheesecloth, rubbing alcohol, clear glass or plastic cup, wooden stick or toothpick

Instructions: Start by collecting fresh strawberries and washing them thoroughly. Place the strawberries in a ziplock bag and use a rolling pin or your hands to mash them up. Add 1 teaspoon of dish soap and 1/4 teaspoon of salt to the bag, and mix well.

And it continued, including offering safety tips. In addition to creating assessments and labs, it can even create lesson plans, find phenomena or suggest a YouTube video. Chatbots can also do calculations, answer student questions, simplify complex topics, generate sources for research, and even design labs. They can be used to write emails, clean up a paragraph, write an IEP, and create a rubric or a template, a vocabulary list or a field trip permission slip. Chatbots can create a set of math problems or writing prompts or translate an article.

But what about…

With all these things it can do, what could be the negatives? While chatbots can be useful in some educational settings, there are also some potential negatives to consider:

• cannot replace personal interaction with a teacher or other students.

• chatbots responses are based on their training sets, which might be limited and they may not be able to provide answers to all questions. They may not always provide accurate information or may give incomplete or misleading answers.

• reliance on chatbots and other technology can lead to a lack of critical thinking skills and problem-solving abilities in students.

• biased as the data and algorithms used to create them. If the chatbot is based on biased data or algorithms, it may perpetuate stereotypes or discriminatory attitudes.

And what about cheating? After all, the submitted work of students should be a reflection of their own thinking and processing, rather than being a product of a machine learning model hosted on a supercomputer. While a new program has been released that will help detect the use of a chatbot, the best way to reduce cheating is to establish a culture of academic integrity in the classroom and make students aware of the consequences of cheating. You can teach students to use chatbots as a tool - similar to the way they would use a calculator in Math class.

Overall, while chatbots can be a valuable tool in the classroom, they should be used thoughtfully and in conjunction with traditional teaching methods to ensure that students receive a well-rounded and comprehensive education. (At least, that’s what ChatGPT said).