AI and Essay Writing: Your Concerns are Valid

 One of the most commonly cited concerns with the introduction of AI into education is using AI to do writing for students. It's a well known "fact" that many students don't enjoy writing. There could be any number of reasons for this -- it could be that the kids just feel like they're not good writers, or maybe they're not motivated to write about the topic they have to write about, or it could just be a daunting task and they don't feel like doing it. Access to AI is going to be tempting to a good number of students -- some will want to bypass the writing assignment altogether and get AI to do the writing for them. This isn't new. Essay writing services and "paper mills" have been around for as long as there have been writing assignments. AI is just the newfangled way to get someone else to do an essay!

The best way to thwart using AI to do essay writing is to be up front about what AI CAN do and what students SHOULD do with it. Clear expectations and parameters are going to go along way. When you ask students to do a writing assignment, don't be afraid to bring up AI -- let the kids know what is and is not acceptable in terms of using AI for the assignment, and let them know which tools they can use if any AI use is allowed. Side note: this is important because any AI tools students use need to be age appropriate (meaning they're old enough to use the tool according to the TOS of the AI tool) AND it's either SOPPA compliant or it doesn't collect any student information or data. *The best way to know if an AI tool is okay for students to use is to check with your friendly Instructional Technology resource teacher -- she can tell you for sure either yay or nay.* Then be sure to teach your students how to use AI the way you want them to -- model it! Do a practice or sample in front of the class so they can easily see what they need to do. Finally, be sure to require the kids to include a disclosure -- if they used AI for any part of the writing process, they should share what they used AI for and which AI tool they used. And remember -- it is still completely and totally permissible and acceptable not to allow AI use in a writing assignment (or ANY assignment). Just like when we first introduced Chromebooks to the classroom, no one expected (or wanted) to use Chromebooks for everything. There are some times when a Chromebook just isn't the tool for the job. AI is exactly the same way. 

If you're looking for more information on ethically using AI in writing, here's the blog post that inspired MY blog post! Share your tips for incorporating AI into writing in the comments! It's best when we can all learn together!

Got Skills?

 In April 2024, Forbes Magazine published an article titled, "11 Essential Soft Skills in 2024 (With Examples." While our students here in CSD 17 might be many years away from having a job, that doesn't mean we can't see what soft skills are in demand and begin fostering them now!

Here's the list from the article:

• Communication
• Leadership
• Teamwork
• Creativity
• Time management
• Adaptability
• Problem-solving
• Work ethic
• Critical thinking
• Conflict management
• Emotional intelligence

The first thing that jumps out at me is the 4 C's -- communication, creativity, critical thinking, and collaboration (teamwork). Looks like those skills are still relevant and desirable! Since the focus of my job is educational technology, I like to look at these lists through that lens and figure out how the tech tools kids have can foster these skills. So here are few ideas off the top of my head:

• Kids can easily be taught email etiquette and practice communicating via email with their teacher and possible even their classmates.
• The entire Google Workspace suite of tools can be used for creativity, teamwork, and communication. The simple act of having a small group or class work on a collaborative slide deck is going to hit those three skills. 
• Using times when the internet is down or technology unexpectedly has glitches as teachable moments are great opportunities for having kids practice adaptability. 
• Giving kids the chance to be classroom tech support is also a fun way for kids to have the chance to work on communication, problem-solving, and leadership skills. Leverage those tech-savvy kids and let them be the ones who help their classmates navigate websites or troubleshoot their devices.
• Use features available in Google Docs or Google Keep to have kids create checklists for projects to help them with time management. Add added bonus is they can share those with you so you can check on their progress at a glance!
• Leverage GoGuardian Teacher at the start of the school year so kids know what is expected of them when they're working on their Chromebooks, but as the year progresses, try allowing students a little more freedom on their devices. This gives them the chance to hone their work ethic by demonstrating they understand the guidelines and rules for doing online work.
• Don't forget the power of BreakoutEDU! Practically every one of these soft skills gets used when solving one of these puzzles!

What other ideas do you have? How do you foster the development of these sift skills in your classroom? Share in the comments so we can all keep learning from each other!