The rise of artificial intelligence is increasing in usage in schools. 

“I am excited about AI technology since it can have a positive impact on education,” math teacher Fabian Perales said. “One example is that it could help me create individualized lesson plans that target the needs of students.” 

Individualized lesson plans can help the teachers find the strengths and weaknesses of students and it saves time for teachers. 

“It could help me find digital resources that will enhance the experience of students in math and help me find engaging connections of math in the real world,” Perales said. “I am not using AI in the classroom since it is a nice resource, I am exploring on how it could be used to impact students learning positively.” 

Parales does not have all the information he needs on how to find positive mathematical engagement and learning in students. 

“Now, I was asked by a student during my lessons why I need to know this and when will I use math in the real world,” Perales said. “I went ahead and asked AI chatbots to show me a video that would relate the mathematical concepts in hand to the real world. The AI recommended some videos on the matter that were very useful.” 

Due to AI’s digital information gathering, especially from videos, it was able to answer how mathematical concepts can be used in the real world. 

“I do recognize an increase of AI use by students since there is AI technology that can simplify and create responses for anything,” Parales said. “I do recognize that if students create a dependence on AI, it will affect their learning process.” 

As AI is not human, it cannot supply the human and emotional support that students need to succeed. According to an International Journal of Educational Technology in Higher Education article, frequent reliance on AI could result in students’ learning process compromising their ability to learn independently, think critically, or figure out how to creatively problem solve. 

“AI can be useful in education since it can be personalized learning,” Perales said. “It can act as an automated grader, as a tutor, and can analyze data.”

AI is programmed to do these tasks. 

“I have taken several measures against AI,” Perales said. “One measure is by having balanced instructions, such as blended lessons.” 

Blended Lessons are when students have both AI and the teacher giving them information relating to the lesson. 

“If we as teachers solely depend on technology when creating lessons, students tend to form a dependence on AI to find solutions,” Perales said. “Instead, we could blend instruction and make students show mastery of concepts using pencil and paper only.” 

Perales believes that students should apply themselves. 

“Students will keep using AI since there are a lot of educational apps that can use it,” Perales said. “This AI will act in a way as a virtual tutor for students. If we use it in the right way, it can make learning more efficient and effective.” 

Teachers think that people have more tools through AI. 

“Students and teachers might as well jump on the bandwagon and get used to it,” computer science teacher Richard Samples said. “It is not going away. It was like when the internet was coming out and you wanted to be like, ‘ah, that was just a minor tool.’ 

Samples thinks we should keep up with the times and get used to AI technology. 

“I honestly think that any coding problem that I could give to a high school level student; the API can easily do it,” Samples said. “So, I think it will impact my class in the sense of students understanding the content.” 

Samples thinks that students do not look for a complete understanding and want the quick answers AI could give them. 

“So, I am thinking of the way I could check if they understand it would be going back to that old-school Socratic method of me going to individual students,” Samples said. 

According to positive psychology.com, the Socratic method involves focused, open-ended questions that have disciplined, thoughtful, and insightful answers. 

“I think it’s useful in the sense that basically everyone now has a personalized Jarvus,” Samples said. “If you’re interested in education, you can personalize your education by learning about any subject matter you want.” 

Samples referred to AI as a “personalized Jarvus” because of its similarity to the fictional character JARVUS, a highly sophisticated and intelligent program introduced by the Marvel Cinematic Universe films. 

“Like, if a teacher gave you an assignment that said, ‘write an essay on donkey horses’ and you maybe didn’t read that book,” Samples said. “Yes, you could spend a whole chunk of time trying to read the book, but you have a little AI system that probably gives the work out to you in a matter of seconds.” 

AI technology can do essays for you which saves your time. 

“I think it should be allowed in classrooms. It should be used as a tool to help aid students in whatever their likings are,” senior Leonardo Belman said. “For example, ChatGPT could help them with whatever they need. It could help people do better in their jobs. Instead of tutors to do training, people could use AI to help them with their training or help them perform better.” 

According to a Colorado State University article, AI can get answers by analyzing data sets to find associations and interpretations of the data to find answer questions. 

“During class, it would have an impact on my engineering class,” Leonardo said. I and my engineering partner have used ChatGPT to help us with some circuiting.” 

Leonardo got familiar with circuiting because of ChatGPT’s step-by-step and detailed aid. His teachers haven’t acknowledged much of the students’ usage of ChatGPT or given any statements on it. 

“I am against AI technology,” junior Ismael Herrera said. “I feel it can do more harm than good.” 

Ismael has negative implications of AI yet acknowledges its usefulness and how it can get information across the internet. None of his teachers have taken measures against AI but have said their opinions on it. 

“I have used it for homework assignments and for any information that I might need,” Ismael said. “It has information not everyone has access to. I believe it could change the language as we communicate.” 

It can change languages as according to an MIT study, it can learn and analyze patterns of the human language. 

“It facilitates everything and makes everything much easier,” Ismael said. “People do not have to think as much if they could have an answer within seconds. AI is still learning, as it does not know all the information as people can put false information on the internet.”