GREENVILLE, S.C. (WSPA) — Artificial intelligence is everywhere and it’s even found its way into schools. 7NEWS Evening Anchor Taylor Murray was joined by Renee Lane, Director of Secondary Education for Spartanburg District 6 to talk all about it.
Artificial Intelligence is not always a positive thing for the classroom. Renne Lane said, “I think the most important thing for parents is that they educate themselves on what these platforms look like, use them themselves, and then help back up the teachers when they are talking to kids about it in the classroom.”
There are some signs parents can look for that indicate their child is becoming too dependent on AI to complete classwork.
“I think the first one is they’re doing assignments really quickly. So they’re not taking time to work through the assignments. Another good clue is that they’re using their computer solely. We want to see them writing and learning and working and not necessarily just Googling and ChatGPT,” said Lane.
Lane explains that the use of ChatGPT is one parents really need to look out for this school year.
She says, “So you have to watch them. It produces everything from essays to science projects, to conversations to presentations.”
There are some dangers of students becoming too reliant on AI.
“I think the biggest danger is that they are crippling themselves in their ability to problem solve, and to use things like scientific method and writing process. And those are skills that they are going to need in their life and college in the workplace. And we want to make sure that they are developing those at younger ages, and not becoming dependent on something that’s going to do it for them.”
Renee Lane, Director of Secondary Education for Spartanburg District 6
Lane says it can be difficult to tell when something is AI versus original, so Spartanburg District 6 is trying to train and equip teachers to know the difference.
She says, “Well, the first thing we ask teachers to do is use it themselves, which is the same thing we would ask parents to do. Learn what it produces. The second thing teachers are really good at is learning kids’ voices in their work. And so, sometimes it’s a big clue that there may be using these things, instead of doing it themselves.”
Although AI comes with its challenges, Lane says there are positive ways it can be used to enhance learning.
“There are some positives to it. You know, these platforms can help kids who need more support. It can help them sometimes in breaking down math problems and giving them a framework for their writing. It can help teachers in their grading, in repetitive tasks. So, it’s not all bad, but we just have to use it as a tool and not everything.”
Renee Lane, Director of Secondary Education for Spartanburg District 6
