By Chase Hamilton

History teacher Mrs. Cayla Giannetto said that when it comes to using Artificial Intelligence in her classroom lessons, she’s receptive because it helps prepare for an upcoming class.

“Sometimes I do use AI,  just to help me get a quick, easy understanding of a topic, or to help me to take something that might be difficult, and help me make it more accessible for my students,” she said. “So I do find AI pretty helpful for things like that.” 

In an age where artificial intelligence is everywhere, from the computers you use at home, to the devices you’re using to read this story, it has also found a way into teacher’s classroom lessons. 

However, for some teachers, using AI in their lesson is somewhat unknown and often controversial. The fact is AI, commonly used through Chat GPT, can be helpful in terms of getting information quickly, but cumbersome to actually use in a lesson.

Image: Chat GPT’s login screen

The technology has quickly become popular. A study from the ACT organization shows that almost half of all students use an AI platform to complete their work. Students like it because it can be used for anything, like assisting with a homework assignment.

For teachers it’s a little bit different. Many of them that have used it said there is potential but that it can’t do everything. More problematically, AI is ideal for cheating on assignments, and turning in work that has zero flaws. 

“I think people are using AI in the wrong way, and there’s certain ways to figure out if someone is using AI, because there are certain words that it uses that most people do not use in an everyday vocabulary.” said assistant principal of science Mr. Carlos Reyes. “So you can tell when reading something that it’s probably not coming from that person.”

Image: Mr. Reyes hard at work.

Ms. Gayle Zeitlin said she does use it from time to time.

 “I play around with it just to see what it can produce,” said the assistant principal of Communication Arts. “And sometimes it gives things that are good, and sometimes it gives things that are a little strange, and that aren’t exactly what you’re looking for.”

Teachers are now using AI to help students succeed in areas they may have more difficulty understanding, to generate lesson plans, or give a boost to their knowledge on the topic they’ll be talking about. 

But as an assistant principal, and an evaluator of teacher’s lessons, Mr Reyes said he’s not really sold on everything AI has to offer. 

Ms. Melissa Martone, an English teacher, said she’s tried to use AI in some of her lessons, but it is far from perfect.

“Oh yeah, 100 percent,” she said. “There’s always like, looking at it, fixing things, and making sure that it’s correct, and whenever I ask it for things I feel like it’s never as good as what I come up with.”

But Ms. Martone said that she actually thinks AI can be something that really helps in the classroom.“It’s a helpful tool, it helps us develop things, and even expand what they already have.” she said.