Anonymous
04/07/2025 19:26
Subject: Why has MCPS blocked OpenAI for students but not Grammarly? They both have generative AI.
English teachers are being replaced by chargpt
Anonymous
04/07/2025 19:24
Subject: Why has MCPS blocked OpenAI for students but not Grammarly? They both have generative AI.
This is a discussion that unfortunately has HUGE nuance in schools. I have taught 6-12.
Currently, sixth grade. My students are learning how to structure paragraphs, organize arguments, and what rhetorical devices are. These kids should not be using any generative AI -- as I tell them, "Until you can tell me WHY the AI answer is better than what you can write, you can't use it." They don't know what words mean and don't think to check to make sure the answer is correct. Until they know this, AI isn't a tool they should use for their own writing.
Currently, sixth grade. My students are learning how to structure paragraphs, organize arguments, and what rhetorical devices are. These kids should not be using any generative AI -- as I tell them, "Until you can tell me WHY the AI answer is better than what you can write, you can't use it." They don't know what words mean and don't think to check to make sure the answer is correct. Until they know this, AI isn't a tool they should use for their own writing.
Anonymous
04/07/2025 18:34
Subject: Why has MCPS blocked OpenAI for students but not Grammarly? They both have generative AI.
ChatGPT is a tool. It’s meant to assist but the user also needs to be present for review, tweaks, other ideas, questions, etc. The problem with kids is they just deliver what the AI tool provides without a) giving the tool any context, and b) doing any work themselves. They are depending on the tool not using the tool for assistance. Which is why MCPS is actively writing an AI policy and working to determine what tools will and won’t be allowed.
Anonymous
04/07/2025 18:11
Subject: Re:Why has MCPS blocked OpenAI for students but not Grammarly? They both have generative AI.
Idk y
Anonymous
03/04/2024 09:18
Subject: Why has MCPS blocked OpenAI for students but not Grammarly? They both have generative AI.
Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:My kids tell me that cheating using the AI feature on Grammarly is rampant. Teachers have all been using Grammarly to help their students edit their work since the editing software on Google docs is so weak, but now Grammarly has added AI. I looked at it and you can give it paragraphs and have it totally rewrite them for you or give it a prompt and have it generate a whole writing piece. Apparently users previously payed for these features, but now they're a part of the basic app.
Why hasn't MCPS blocked it? Assuming they still want kids to learn how to write on their own, shouldn't they at least make school devices clean of AI?
They should block spellchecker too and require everyone to write in cursive! None of these modern tools because that's cheating!
Given they don’t teach spelling or cursive those might be hard in mcps. I have no issue with gramerly.
Anonymous
03/04/2024 09:05
Subject: Why has MCPS blocked OpenAI for students but not Grammarly? They both have generative AI.
Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:My son has an English teacher who does in class essays handwritten now. Anyone who has an accommodation that allows typing on a laptop has to sit on the front with their screens facing the teacher. Or he says at lunch or after school they can dictate their essay to her which he says no one does.
Sometimes she will just have them do the first paragraph in class handwritten with plenty of time for editing which they then take a picture of before they turn it in. They then have to type it up and finish their essay at home but they aren’t allowed to change the first paragraph.
That's dumb and not preparing children for the real world, chatgpt should be part of the way
So just let a machine think for you and blindly trust what it says. Why send kids to school at all?
Exactly why pretending that it doesn't exist is the wrong choice. It can be useful but everyone has to understand how to use it. It's not exactly reliable.
Anonymous
03/04/2024 09:01
Subject: Why has MCPS blocked OpenAI for students but not Grammarly? They both have generative AI.
Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:My son has an English teacher who does in class essays handwritten now. Anyone who has an accommodation that allows typing on a laptop has to sit on the front with their screens facing the teacher. Or he says at lunch or after school they can dictate their essay to her which he says no one does.
Sometimes she will just have them do the first paragraph in class handwritten with plenty of time for editing which they then take a picture of before they turn it in. They then have to type it up and finish their essay at home but they aren’t allowed to change the first paragraph.
That's dumb and not preparing children for the real world, chatgpt should be part of the way
The real world where AI "writes" book reports about books "written" by AI?
Anonymous
03/04/2024 08:57
Subject: Why has MCPS blocked OpenAI for students but not Grammarly? They both have generative AI.
Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:My son has an English teacher who does in class essays handwritten now. Anyone who has an accommodation that allows typing on a laptop has to sit on the front with their screens facing the teacher. Or he says at lunch or after school they can dictate their essay to her which he says no one does.
Sometimes she will just have them do the first paragraph in class handwritten with plenty of time for editing which they then take a picture of before they turn it in. They then have to type it up and finish their essay at home but they aren’t allowed to change the first paragraph.
That's dumb and not preparing children for the real world, chatgpt should be part of the way
So just let a machine think for you and blindly trust what it says. Why send kids to school at all?
Anonymous
03/04/2024 08:45
Subject: Why has MCPS blocked OpenAI for students but not Grammarly? They both have generative AI.
Anonymous wrote:My son has an English teacher who does in class essays handwritten now. Anyone who has an accommodation that allows typing on a laptop has to sit on the front with their screens facing the teacher. Or he says at lunch or after school they can dictate their essay to her which he says no one does.
Sometimes she will just have them do the first paragraph in class handwritten with plenty of time for editing which they then take a picture of before they turn it in. They then have to type it up and finish their essay at home but they aren’t allowed to change the first paragraph.
That's dumb and not preparing children for the real world, chatgpt should be part of the way
Anonymous
03/04/2024 08:42
Subject: Why has MCPS blocked OpenAI for students but not Grammarly? They both have generative AI.
Anonymous wrote:My kids tell me that cheating using the AI feature on Grammarly is rampant. Teachers have all been using Grammarly to help their students edit their work since the editing software on Google docs is so weak, but now Grammarly has added AI. I looked at it and you can give it paragraphs and have it totally rewrite them for you or give it a prompt and have it generate a whole writing piece. Apparently users previously payed for these features, but now they're a part of the basic app.
Why hasn't MCPS blocked it? Assuming they still want kids to learn how to write on their own, shouldn't they at least make school devices clean of AI?
Because schools are always going to be one step behind students cheating. It's a tradition like no other.
Anonymous
03/04/2024 07:18
Subject: Why has MCPS blocked OpenAI for students but not Grammarly? They both have generative AI.
Anonymous wrote:The only way to find out if kids can write an essay is to give them an old school blue book and have them write by hand in class.
That’s what my son’s private school does.
Anonymous
03/04/2024 06:40
Subject: Why has MCPS blocked OpenAI for students but not Grammarly? They both have generative AI.
Anonymous wrote:I dunno, it's a tool that they will have throughout their working careers. Not sure I see the point in banning it.
For a HS senior, sure, I can see your point.
For a sixth or seventh grader who is still learning the rules of syntax and grammar and doesn’t understand the difference between Grammarly suggestions or believe the teacher when they say there are still errors because “Grammarly says it’s okay!”? Worth banning.
Anonymous
03/03/2024 13:56
Subject: Why has MCPS blocked OpenAI for students but not Grammarly? They both have generative AI.
My son has an English teacher who does in class essays handwritten now. Anyone who has an accommodation that allows typing on a laptop has to sit on the front with their screens facing the teacher. Or he says at lunch or after school they can dictate their essay to her which he says no one does.
Sometimes she will just have them do the first paragraph in class handwritten with plenty of time for editing which they then take a picture of before they turn it in. They then have to type it up and finish their essay at home but they aren’t allowed to change the first paragraph.
Sometimes she will just have them do the first paragraph in class handwritten with plenty of time for editing which they then take a picture of before they turn it in. They then have to type it up and finish their essay at home but they aren’t allowed to change the first paragraph.
Anonymous
03/03/2024 13:44
Subject: Why has MCPS blocked OpenAI for students but not Grammarly? They both have generative AI.
Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:My kids tell me that cheating using the AI feature on Grammarly is rampant. Teachers have all been using Grammarly to help their students edit their work since the editing software on Google docs is so weak, but now Grammarly has added AI. I looked at it and you can give it paragraphs and have it totally rewrite them for you or give it a prompt and have it generate a whole writing piece. Apparently users previously payed for these features, but now they're a part of the basic app.
Why hasn't MCPS blocked it? Assuming they still want kids to learn how to write on their own, shouldn't they at least make school devices clean of AI?
They should block spellchecker too and require everyone to write in cursive! None of these modern tools because that's cheating!
I do think there's a difference between using tools that help you write and using tools that do the writing for you.
So then you should be down with ChatGPT. Since when used correctly it can improve your writing but if you use it to write for you, you will get incoherant nonsense.
Honestly, this is a great way to use the tool as it is now, especially if you are stuck on how to start your writing prompt. Its not reliable for anything requiring facts or actual citations though. It’s very clear if someone tries to use and submit what Chat spits out as their own directly.
Anonymous
03/03/2024 11:31
Subject: Why has MCPS blocked OpenAI for students but not Grammarly? They both have generative AI.
Anonymous wrote:The only way to find out if kids can write an essay is to give them an old school blue book and have them write by hand in class.
Agreed, but given that so many students have accommodations, it won’t happen again.