AI

Ready to Write Again

/ Ritamarie Hensley / Leave a comment

It has been several months since I’ve posted any writing on my site.

Why?

AI.

When ChatGPT came on the market, I experimented with it and eventually discovered many other tools. I found tools that could make my life easier and save me time so I could explore other hobbies. When I entered my writing and asked ChatGPT for suggestions, corrections, or citations, I received fully revised articles. The revisions may have lacked my voice, but no matter, I now had time. What used to take me hours, sometimes days, to complete was done in seconds. Literally seconds. I no longer had to wrack my brain for the perfect word or phrase. Deleting entire paragraphs and moving sentences around was no longer part of my struggle with writing. I should be happy.

I’m not happy.

I actually like reworking paragraphs and struggling to find the perfect word. I enjoy the initial brainstorming where I think about topics that might be beneficial to my target audience. Playing with my writing (yes, playing) is my kind of fun; it’s my hobby. The ease of writing does not necessarily equate to satisfaction, especially when the process is what I enjoy most. I don’t want a tool to take my fun away.

Even though this might be “my” kind of fun, I think about all the students who give away their voices to a bot. They are giving away what writing does for all of us: thinking, meaning-making, and creativity. Writing is a valuable process; it’s how we discover more about ourselves and the world around us. But now, many may never know the benefits of writing because they will always have a tool ready to take it over for them. The thinking, the writing, the revising, the editing—all gone.

I understand that many students do not see the fun in writing and allow large language models (LLMs) to take away their burdens and struggles. But when students outsource their thinking and drafting to AI, they lose the learning that happens through writing. I worry about students losing their voices to AI. Voice is formed through practice and intellectual friction. It can take years to develop, but it is the unique voice of each student that needs to be heard.

My suggestion for students who struggle with writing is this: take a chance and write down any thoughts you have on the topic. Get out all your ideas in whatever way feels natural. Then, after the struggle is over, ask the LLM to make grammatical corrections and offer suggestions for clarity, but tell the tool to maintain your voice.

Although much of the struggle is gone, the voice remains, but only if we insist on keeping it. AI can polish our writing, but it cannot replace the joy of wrestling with an idea until it finally clicks. As I return to writing, I’m choosing to embrace the struggle again, the many drafts and all the rewriting, because that’s where my voice lives.

And I hope our students discover that their voice is worth wrestling for too.

Digital Literacy and Why it’s Important

/ Ritamarie Hensley / Leave a comment
Photo by Lee Campbell on Pexels.com

Browsing the internet is part of our everyday world. We encounter news stories, blogs, videos, advertisements and so much more. Each shares its own worldview, which influences our own opinions and outlooks. With the introduction of artificial intelligence into the field of education, we now have even more examples of bias entering the classroom. It is imperative that students have the skills to question what they are seeing and reading and feel empowered to do something about it. 

Digital literacy is not just about knowing how to use technology; it’s about understanding how it works, its implications, and its impact on society. In today’s world, where information is abundant and readily accessible, digital literacy has become a crucial skill for students to develop.

One important aspect of digital literacy is the ability to critically evaluate information found online. With the vast amount of content available on the internet, it’s easy for misinformation, bias, and fake news to spread. Students need to be equipped with the skills to discern credible sources from unreliable ones, to fact-check information, and to recognize potential biases or agendas behind the content they encounter.

Students should understand the algorithms that govern the content they see online, including those used by search engines, social media platforms, and recommendation systems. These algorithms can influence the information students are exposed to, shaping their perceptions and beliefs.Tools like ChatGPT only understand what they’ve been asked to do. They are not sentient tools and do not comprehend what they are doing. They have been trained on hundreds of thousands of data and merely respond with the most probable answer, which often includes biases.  By understanding how algorithms work and the biases they may contain, students can better navigate and interpret the digital landscape.

Digital literacy is essential for career readiness, educational success, and social interactions. With the proliferation of artificial intelligence, students must build their digital skills in order to successfully navigate online tools. They must possess an understanding of algorithms and their biases when generating AI results. It is necessary to understand the shortcomings as well as the benefits of AI. When students understand more about the biases and shortcomings that are connected to AI, they can then consider what is true and what is not. In a world of deepfakes that create false images, videos, speech and text, students must know the necessary steps to take to distinguish legitimate from illegitimate. 

In addition to being critical consumers of digital content, students should also be creators and contributors. Digital literacy involves knowing how to effectively communicate and collaborate online, as well as understanding issues related to online privacy, security, and ethics. Students should be aware of their digital footprint and how their online actions can impact their reputations and future opportunities.

Overall, digital literacy is essential for students to thrive in the digital age. By developing these skills, students can become empowered, responsible, and ethical digital citizens who are capable of navigating and contributing to an increasingly complex and interconnected world.