Discussing ChatGPT with my grade 5/6 students.
Last week, as a class, we were playing a probability game as a class which involved rolling dice. I began by rolling dice using the document camera so all students could see the dice rolled. The next day when we played, I used an online program that automatically rolled electronic dice. My students hated it! They yelled, “we don’t trust a machine!” I knew it was time to ask them about Chat GPT, the AI chat bot.
I initially asked if anyone had heard of Chat GPT – none had. My students are between ages 10-12, so I wasn’t expecting any of them to have engaged with the program unless their parents had shown them.
I brought up the chat bot on the Smart Board and we started to ask it different questions:
Math calculations (what is five million times 178 trillion). We then checked these with a calculator.
“How” questions (How are computers made? How does a black hole work?)
Student Reactions
Students were fascinated by the speed at which the chat bot could respond and the accuracy that it delivered. They were initially bewildered with the whole program. Many compared it to Google but quickly realized that the product it delivered required much less thought than navigating through Google.
After lots of trialling with the program and suggestions of what to ask Chat GPT, students began to experience the feeling of fear. They began asking questions and making statements like:
“Is our world going to be run by robots?”
“This is basically my parent’s job. The machine could take on my parents job!”
“Could I use this program for my assignments?”
“We won’t have to think anymore!”
There were a lot of different emotions by the end of exploring the program together. Throughout the day, many students would joke, “let’s just ask Chat GPT!!”
I finished by reminding them that they didn’t’ trust the electronic dice we used for our probability game. I asked if they trusted Chat GPT. We had a good discussion about fact-checking our sources, regardless if they're using Google or a chat bot. They had one major concern:
ChatGPT didn’t tell us where they found the facts online.
They are used to sharing references for projects, so they thought ChatGPT should, too. Very wise I thought!
I’m left pondering how we will use the program. What will students ask the program to do for them? Will they get so used to relying on ChatGPT that they will “tune out” during lessons? Many of the parents monitor my students’ technology use, so I figure it will open up some good conversations at home, too.
Maybe we’ll try a short task in class later this week to get them familiar with the program and collaborating while using it!
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