ChatGPT has been a great source of amusement for internet users, thanks to its impressive range of functions and capabilities. From generating images and illustrations to writing academic texts and solving problems, it’s no wonder why the chatbot is so in demand.
“Knowing that this type of AI exists and that it and others like it will continue to evolve in the future, educators need to consider how they might use ChatGPT to further students’ learning,” says Katie Smith, Director of Certificate and Licensure Programs at Teach Away.
Powered by AI technology and natural language processing, ChatGPT can tackle any request, from the simplest to the most complex- a revelation that has raised some eyebrows among teachers.
Katie recently attended Techspo ’23 hosted by the New Jersey Association of School Administrators, and the buzz around ChatGPT among educators was palpable. A lot of conversation centered around the growing and potential misuse of ChatGPT. But there wasn’t a lot being stressed about why it’s so important to learn how to use it.
A STEM education professor recently told EdWeek that one day, educators will need to figure out how to teach writing in a way that incorporates tools like ChatGPT. He compared AI to someday being used the same way a calculator is used to complete math problems.
ChatGPT is a valuable tool for any classroom. But, with the rise of plagiarism concerns, we’ve seen programs like OpenAI’s Classifier and ChatGPTZero emerge to address these issues.
That’s why it’s more important than ever for teachers to learn how to effectively use AI tools in their teaching strategies.
Let’s dive into how to use AI technology like ChatGPT, Classifier, and ChatGPTZero to your advantage.
What is ChatGPT?
You’re likely already familiar, but ChatGPT, or Chat Generative Pre-Trained Transformer, is a chatbot with the linguistic ability to understand text and spoken words the same way humans can. ChatGPT was ‘pre-trained’ to generate and transform a massive amount of stored text data collected from various sources.
Learning how to use it now will allow learning how to use its future iterations easier.
How teachers can use ChatGPT to their advantage:
“ChatGPT has a lot to offer as a support for students,” says Katie. “It’s a tool for information finding and a way to design challenging critical-thinking questions,” suggests Katie. “Think of a lesson that might include a question like ‘What could you ask that would stump ChatGPT?'”
“There’s also potential for ChatGPT to be used as a backup for teachers in classes with a high student-to-teacher ratio.”
- Design critical-thinking questions
- Create an exercise around trying to stump ChatGPT
- Take advantage of ChatGPT as an extra support to help large classes
What is ChatGPTZero and OpenAI’s Classifier?
ChatGPTZero is a predictive classification model of AI that can predict whether a document was written by a large language model, built for educators. ChatGPTZero is a program designed to accurately detect whether content was created by AI (i.e. ChatGPT) or a human.
OpenAI also launched a plagiarism detector program for educators called Classifier. It’s designed with the same function which is to detect whether content was AI or human-generated.
Update: According to OpenAI’s website, “as of July 20, 2023, the AI classifier is no longer available due to its low rate of accuracy. We are working to incorporate feedback and are currently researching more effective provenance techniques for text, and have made a commitment to develop and deploy mechanisms that enable users to understand if audio or visual content is AI-generated.”
Is ChatGPTZero accurate?
It’s not 100% perfect, but it’s accurate. According to the GPTZero website, the app classifies 99% of the human-written articles correctly, and 85% of the AI-generated articles correctly.
In February, a viral TikTok shared a GPTZero by-passer program that was able to modify text to become completely undetectable by AI. In a blog post, the Princeton student and GPTZero developer from Toronto, Edward Tian, investigated the ‘exploit’ for himself. He ran text through using the modification, and sure enough, it went undetected as plagiarized.
In the same blog post, Edward shared that the by-passer exploit had been patched in a recent update.
As of February 2023, GPTZero has announced partnerships with multiple ed-tech platforms and organizations which means it may not be long before it’s integrated into school LMSes.
AI Content Detectors
As of September 2023, the Google search trend for “anti-AI” has increased by 335% over the last 12 months. This surge in interest reflects the growing concerns surrounding the impact of AI, specifically, LLMs, in our classrooms.
Despite the obvious reasons for students not to use ChatGPT to do their homework for them, it’s become inevitable. It takes no time to turn to AI technology like ChatGPT, Dall-E, and Midjourney for homework assistance.
More AI content detector startups are launching, similar to ChatGPTZero, like CopyLeaks and Crossplag. Even Turnitin now has AI content detection capabilities integrated into their software.
How teachers can use ChatGPTZero and Classifier:
Feed it your content with a quick copy and paste, or upload a doc file. Once the program runs your file, it tells you whether the content was likely written by AI, a human, or some combination of the two.
Conclusion
As ChatGPT evolves and gets smarter, tools like ChatGPTZero, Classifier, and other AI-crafted detectors like Turnitin will become more prominent.
As new technology evolves, embracing it and finding ways to add it to your teaching toolkit has more advantages than disadvantages. These tools are invaluable for teachers who want to leverage the latest technology and give their students the best educational experience possible.
Are you looking for new ways to upgrade your teaching toolkit? Teach Away’s professional development courses are perfect for staying up-to-date and becoming the teacher you want to be. In addition, if you’re in the market for teacher certification, Teach Away’s Teacher Certification Program is affordable, can be completed in under a year, and equip you with everything you need to start teaching by next year.
