Should ChatGPT Be Allowed in Schools: Considerations for School Principals and Administrators 

The year is 2071, and Apple has just released its new line of personal robots, capable of doing anything from cooking a meal and washing your car to running calculations and reacting to your mood. Of course, everyone young and old can’t wait to get one. But as a school principal, you know that, just like chewing gum, hats and texting, you must ban them from the classroom before things get out of hand. 

Only, the year is 2025, and the robots are already here (*ominous music plays in the background*). Of course, we aren’t talking about the kind of robots from that one movie with Will Smith where he gets in a fight with a bunch of rogue automatons. But we are talking about the backbone of those robots, which is artificial intelligence. 

AI is here, with one of the most popular forms being ChatGPT, an AI chatbot that is capable of generating text and code like a human does. You may have already heard of it, and it may already be banned at your school or in your school district. 

How Are Students Using AI? 

If it has been banned at your school, there are probably some good reasons. After all, with ChatGPT it’s possible for students to create an essay on any given subject in seconds and with no effort, while then turning it in as their own work. It can’t be denied that the release of ChatGPT raised huge concerns about academic integrity. 

But… ChatGPT (and AI in general) is here to stay. It’s not going anywhere, and it’s only going to get more advanced and integrated within your students’ everyday lives.  

Your students are probably already using it to learn about new things outside their classroom subjects, create memes, help them better understand complex topics from school, brainstorm project ideas and a seemingly endless number of other tasks. 

While the capability is there for students to abuse AI to cheat in school, many students are using it with honest intentions. Since it will only become more prevalent, consider focusing on teaching your students how to use AI responsibly rather than banning it altogether. 

How to Teach Artificial Intelligence 

For Students 

Help your students understand the current capabilities of AI, as well as its limits. Teach them where to draw the line. 

For example, you can show your students the following uses for AI in their education… 

• Brainstorming ideas for an essay or project topic 
• Getting feedback on written work they have already created themselves 
• Creating study guides from notes they took during class 
• Creating practice quizzes using their class notes 
• Simplifying concepts they may have trouble understanding 

While also explaining some of AI’s limitations, such as… 

• Understanding that even AI can make mistakes 
• The possibility for misinformation 
• The possibility for poorly attributed information 
• Potential for unintentionally programmed bias 

If your school is already using Microsoft products, our ChatGPT for Word add-in can be a great place to start. 

For Teachers 

But your students aren’t the only ones who can benefit from AI. The teachers can too, and they will surely benefit from the above lessons as well. Some other suggestions include the following. 

• Translate source material that is in a foreign language 
• Create visuals to accompany their lecture 
• Gamification of classroom learning 
• Manage classroom calendars 

[Read more: The Top 5 Ways Teachers Can Use AI] 

In addition, you might also want to look at AI’s ability to create PowerPoint slides for classroom lessons. Help your teachers focus on teaching by freeing up time spent preparing for a lesson every day. 

We feel so strongly that the AI power of ChatGPT can change education for the better that we created the Wonders Giving program. In an effort to empower educators and promote responsible AI use, all educators can receive a 50% discount on our products. Just click below to get started.