ChatGPT: Podcast and Classroom Use

This was an exciting week in the world of AI Chatbots. Google launched their own product which didn't go well. Microsoft is poised to integrate AI into standard office products, and users figured out how to jailbreak ChatGPT to get around ethics protocols. Nik Janos, my friend and collaborator, and I met late in the week to discuss the developments and what we want to do with our writing on this site. We agreed that there is a lot going on, it's difficult to follow, and we should stop trying to pay attention to everything. We are educators and qualified to discuss the integration and problems with the technology in teaching and learning, but not much else. So you can count on my work here and on Nik's website to feature focused commentary. With that in mind I have two things to report this week.

First, I was lucky to be a podcast guest along with my friend and colleague from English, Kim Jaxon, on the Rise, Teach, Learn program hosted by Dr. Jamie Gunderson at Chico State. We had a wide ranging conversation about the technology and teaching/learning that you should check out. It was great to engage with different colleagues as we all figure this out together. I especially appreciated how reflective Kim was about basic teaching practices and connecting them to abstract theory.

Second, spread of the technology in my teaching class has expanded dramatically. On day one just a few weeks ago only two students had heard of the technology and one more had used it. Last week, seven students used the bot to help with their quick writes. The use cases have expanded considerably with students using it to write clunky first drafts, explain difficult concepts, and explore additional concepts they came across. I continue to be apprehensive and excited about the developments. It is tough to know where this is headed, but I can promise I will keep you updated and stay in my lane.