There are a few AI tools I have already utilized and/or at least given a try. We have a group of ELA teachers at the school I am currently at that taught students how they can utilize AI tools including creating AI superheros, and asking a variety of AI chatbots questions then recording the information. Additionally I have used ChatGPT to help me understand specific concepts in math or other subjects that I do not primarily teach so I can take that information and help my kiddos with their assigned homework. I always joked asking “when will I ever use this math in real life”… Turns out, I had to re-learn a lot of math 9, workplace 10 and pre-cal/foundations 10 in the last year.
I have not tried perplexity so I decided to give that AI tool a try. My first impression is that it looks identical to ChatGPT, and from my first attempt with it, it was giving very similar responses as if I were to ask it on ChatGPT. To give it a try, I found an article and asked the chatbot to summarize the key ideas from the article by inserting the link.
Perplexity showed the links that come up related to the link I inquired about, as well offered several key points that were addressed in this article. Lastly the chatbot offered related articles and searches pertaining to the question that I asked.
I think this is a great tool that can be appropriately used by both the teacher and students. In my current teaching position I am in a supportive role. Oftentimes I need to help students with an understanding of a story, reading, or video that I have not read and do not have time to read in addition to helping them with their assignment. Using these tools such as Perplexity can be found as extremely useful in summarizing what happened so I can better assist while working with a limited amount of time. I have also seen other teachers use these AI tools to create questions based off of a specific article or video to guide the students throughout. So I believe that there are a variety of ways that teachers could utilize this resource.
I also believe this could be something used by students. While it can summarize the information for teachers, students may also benefit from this adaptation. We work with students that have a variety of learning needs and abilities. Many of the students I work with struggle academically and have diagnosed learning disabilities in reading, writing and math. Breaking down reading materials so a student can better grasp points can help them in digesting their own thoughts and reflect on what they already know to answer key questions. Students can even ask to have vocabulary words defined and broken down for them.
It is important that we as teachers educate our students on the right and wrong ways to use AI tools for school assignments or tasks. If students are to use these tools, which is more than likely to happen, students need to know how to cite any information they used from AI and when it is and is not appropriate to use them. For example, re-wording an assignment, breaking down and article and helping organize ideas. However, it should not be used to write a full essay, answer assignment questions, and fix all your grammar.
The grammar option may be controversial, but in my opinion, I believe there are alternate resources students should resort to prior to using an AI tool. Such as re-reading their own work, having a peer-assessment, if there is opportunity for teacher feedback and a provided checklist could benefit students so they know what to look for. These are tools that are going to be helpful in their day to day life, and while AI is not going away, there are times when information is confidential and you cannot simply put it through an open network.
