Walla Walla High School, located in Washington’s wheat basket, has a long-standing tradition of teaching students farming skills, which includes raising pigs and sheep in an old red wooden barn on campus. However, with the new academic year beginning, the school is now focusing on teaching students the latest digital skill: how to navigate AI chatbots like ChatGPT. Recently, Walla Walla Public Schools organized a workshop on AI chatbots, which attracted around 100 local educators.
This marks a significant shift for the district, considering that earlier this year, in February, the school had blocked student access to ChatGPT on school devices. However, now teachers like Yazmin Bahena, a dual-language middle school social studies teacher, believe that it’s important for students to learn how to use these chatbots since they will be growing up in a world where it is the norm.
The introduction of chatbots in schools has been met with mixed reactions. On one hand, there is optimism that these tools can revolutionize learning. On the other hand, critics argue that they can undermine education by providing misinformation and facilitating cheating. This led many schools, including the Los Angeles Unified School District and New York City schools, to initially block access to chatbots. However, they soon realized that these bans were ineffective, as wealthier students with personal devices could still access them at home.
Now, as schools reopen, educators and district leaders are grappling with new challenges posed by these AI tools. They are questioning what writing assignments should look like when students can simply rely on chatbots to generate content for them. They are also exploring how to use these tools effectively and creatively, and whether it qualifies as cheating if students ask chatbots to generate a rough draft that they then rewrite themselves.
Some districts still maintain bans on chatbots, while others are experimenting with specialized chatbots designed for student tutoring. In addition, some districts are embracing chatbots as lesson-planning aids for teachers and as opportunities for students to understand how these bots can manipulate information and replicate human biases. The focus is on equipping students with the skills to interact with AI effectively and navigate its benefits and drawbacks.
Walla Walla Public Schools provides a case study of how a district has navigated the complexities of AI integration in education. The district initially blocked access to ChatGPT to buy time to understand the technology and its implications better. An advisory committee was formed to study the advantages and challenges of chatbot integration and provide training to teachers. Following this, a workshop was organized where local teachers explored AI tools for lesson planning and student learning. The participants, including initially skeptical teachers, discovered the potential of these chatbots and are now encouraged to incorporate them into their classrooms, while also educating students about their limitations.
As the workshop at Walla Walla High School concluded, it became evident that with proper training and awareness, chatbots can be valuable tools in education. The recommendation now is for schools to reconsider bans and instead focus on providing training to teachers, students, and families in order to make the most of these AI tools.
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