MCPS is okaying students and teachers using AI on assignments

[Anonymous]

As a teacher, what I really use AI for is for drafting lesson plans. I have no issues coming up with actual lessons but I use AI to structure them efficiently so I can keep things at an organized and adequate pace. I'm not perfect. I struggle with effective time management and use in class. Having AI essentially break my lesson into chunks with appropriate time blocks and transitions keeps me focused and prevents me from getting stuck in a tangent. I cannot deny that this use of AI has made me a better teacher

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:As a teacher, what I really use AI for is for drafting lesson plans. I have no issues coming up with actual lessons but I use AI to structure them efficiently so I can keep things at an organized and adequate pace. I'm not perfect. I struggle with effective time management and use in class. Having AI essentially break my lesson into chunks with appropriate time blocks and transitions keeps me focused and prevents me from getting stuck in a tangent. I cannot deny that this use of AI has made me a better teacher

I have no issue with teachers using AI within reason like anyone else, although I have a general concern with all professions that a lot of more junior/less experienced employees are simply not ready to automate significant portions of their work. I am much more concerned about students using it.

[Anonymous]

So we’re just ignoring the environmental impact?

[Anonymous]

of course it should be allowed but not to substitute learning but rather to enhance it and to learn how to use it

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:So we’re just ignoring the environmental impact?

Def a huge problem that most people don't even know about.
Our kids will not have clean water to drink... so

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:So we’re just ignoring the environmental impact?

Clearly its a big deal. But clearly it's not going to make any difference if we stop using it unless we also get the thousands of billion-dollar companies to stop using it first. Sorry but it's not my responsibility to be the one who kicks off the revolution.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Kids don't need to learn how to use AI in elementary or middle school or even most of high school.

Don't give them access to the internet. Have them learn to read and write and do math using pen, paper and calculators in school and MCPS will achieve more than it does now.

+1

You need to wake up and understand we live in a competitive world, one in which most children will access the internet, learn a ton, and use AI effectively. You cannot live like a digital Amish and then expect to benefit from the fruits of everyone's tech expertise later on in life.

BS

People can learn to use AI quite quickly. They don't need 13 years of education in a technology that will be completely different by the time they graduate. They need to learn to read, write and do math. The majority of graduates are not leaving with all of those skills. MCPS needs to focus on its core mission.

[Anonymous]

How does MCPS plan to address the inequity associated with using LLM and vibe coding? Rich students can just purchase higher level of subscriptions with more quota to use a better LLM.

[Anonymous]

I am a high school teacher in a different district, but I think integrating AI into schools is not a good idea AT ALL.

1.) We are in an actual literacy crisis. Reading comprehension, writing skills, and critical thinking are just so low - it's scary. Students' ability to offload those things to AI is not going to help the situation that's for sure.

2.) And think about where this goes: Teacher makes lesson/assignment using AI. Student uses AI to complete the assignment. Teacher uses AI to grade the assignment. Repeat repeat repeat. Obviously this isn't what anyone really WANTS, but I don't think it's realistic to expect that this isn't going to happen. If other jobs have access to these tools to streamline their have-to-dos, I guess we have to open that up to teachers too?

And we can't have a situation where other jobs demand they can use it but ban teachers from it (for grading, for instance). I just think it gets icky when you take an environment like education that is so relationship and human centric and throw AI into the mix.

Dystopian, really.

I say this as a diehard NO AI WHATSOEVER teacher, but that's strictly because of my own personal moral (I mean the ENVIRONMENT?!?!?!??!) and philosophical values. We have admin and teachers that don't have the same values (which is fine -- to each their own), but the ripple effects on education moving forward are going to be tough to ignore.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

and instead of prohibiting teachers from using AI for grading, it simply prohibits them from relying entirely on it without even looking at the results.

Talk about a bare minimum.

AI has things it's good at and things where it struggles. Grading things with clear right and wrong answers, like multiple choice, fill in the blank or many math assignments is something it does efficiently and well.

Teachers are overworked. For some teachers this means that things don't get graded at a reasonable pace. For others it means they get burned out and quit. If AI grading, in the right context, helps with that, then I am all for it.

Agreed..my kids got so little feedback. I would welcome AI feedback vs nothing. Or ' I only have time to comment on page 1'

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Kids don't need to learn how to use AI in elementary or middle school or even most of high school.

Don't give them access to the internet. Have them learn to read and write and do math using pen, paper and calculators in school and MCPS will achieve more than it does now.

+1

You need to wake up and understand we live in a competitive world, one in which most children will access the internet, learn a ton, and use AI effectively. You cannot live like a digital Amish and then expect to benefit from the fruits of everyone's tech expertise later on in life.

BS

People can learn to use AI quite quickly. They don't need 13 years of education in a technology that will be completely different by the time they graduate. They need to learn to read, write and do math. The majority of graduates are not leaving with all of those skills. MCPS needs to focus on its core mission.

1000% agree and so tired of this line of thinking that kids need this to “keep up” in our techy world. AI tools are incredibly easy to use and will only get easier to use. But in a world that is reliant on AI, critical thinking and logic are way more important than ever before. People need to understand how to question and interrogate all of this easy information. We should be doubling down on the basics, not integrating more tech into classrooms.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:AI is getting used whether you want it or not.

The wisest solution is to study and regulate its use, instead of banning it, and teach students HOW TO QUERY, which is the one trait that will distinguish an intelligent human user from an unintelligent human user. I can tell you don't use it much, OP.

Why? Because AI is here to stay at all degrees of school and work. If you want to ban AI, you are forcing students to become less competitive compared to peers.

All schools and workplaces should be developing their own regulations.

Here to stay, like Promethean Boards! Get used to them!

oh

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:So we’re just ignoring the environmental impact?

Clearly its a big deal. But clearly it's not going to make any difference if we stop using it unless we also get the thousands of billion-dollar companies to stop using it first. Sorry but it's not my responsibility to be the one who kicks off the revolution.

It will not be free forever. Then people will think about it more

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:AI is getting used whether you want it or not.

The wisest solution is to study and regulate its use, instead of banning it, and teach students HOW TO QUERY, which is the one trait that will distinguish an intelligent human user from an unintelligent human user. I can tell you don't use it much, OP.

Why? Because AI is here to stay at all degrees of school and work. If you want to ban AI, you are forcing students to become less competitive compared to peers.

All schools and workplaces should be developing their own regulations.

Clearly, you do not work with adolescents and young adults. Those who do have seen the effects of too much technology.

Nor have you looked at the emerging research on the effects of using AI on the brain. An "intelligent" user has to know how to write themselves before they can judge the quality of AI writing. They have to understand argumentation before they can critically read AI slop, etc. People who use AI to think and write for themselves are no more valuable than the computer, so no, they will not be more competitive.

[Anonymous]

My high schooler essentially uses it as an editor and it is fantastic. They also use it to study (guides, quizzes, etc...). It's almost like a peer tutor or teacher (that must be vetted). I myself put a lot of my writing through as an editor. And I've asked for citations. And I've used it to get email tone right.

I'm also a professor. I see good uses and bad. From students and colleagues. Including one who used it to write a non-sensical annual review that I have to ask them to rewrite.

I have no issue with this policy whatsoever. How do they implement and enforce it consistently? That's a challenge.