Monday. Continuation high school. Math, fourth period.
(This was the Monday before winter break. I saved all my subbing stories for when I was back at work.)
The students had work online. It's a program called IXL. I'm familiar with it as all the schools in the district use it.
When a student answers a problem, the program immediately tells them if they got it correct or not. If they got it correct, they move on to harder problems. If they didn't, the program shows them how to solve the problem, and then gives them a similar one to solve.
The goal is to get to 100. It can take twenty problems or it can take forty problems, depending on if the student is getting the problems correct. (If it's taking much more than twenty problems, it's time for the student to ask for help.)
So, when I walk the room while the kiddos are on IXL, I know what to look at on their screen to make sure they're on track. Twelve problems with a score of 72? They're right where they should be. Twenty-two problems and a score of 31? It's time for me to gently ask if they need some help.
Jasper was on his phone. I reminded him that phones weren't to be used in class. When it looked like he was back on his phone, I stood over him again. I urged him to get on task. Then when he did...
He wasn't solving the problems. He took a screenshot. Then he uploaded that screenshot into Google's Gemini. And Gemini solved the problem for him. He took that answer and input it into IXL...
Yeah, that's not how that's supposed to work.
I asked Jasper if he didn't understand how to do the work. He said he did. (Doubtful, but okay...) So, then I explained that he needed to do his own work, not use AI to do the work for him. This was cheating.
He didn't see my point. He explained that he didn't want to take the time to solve the problems. He knew how to do it, but he needed to do it quickly. When I pointed out that Mr. F wouldn't appreciate him doing it this way, he replied that Mr. F would be okay with it as Mr. F knew he needed the credits.
Uh huh. Sure.
(I've had similar discussions with students in the past. They're singing a different tune after their teacher hears they didn't do their own work.)
Mr. F is a very gentle teacher, but he's also very strict. I imagine Jasper is not going to like having to explain how he did his work to Mr. F.
(Mr. F is also an author. Here's a link to his Amazon page.)
Adult, former teacher me is most definitely with you and Mr. F and any other teacher dealing with this on a daily basis. But I kind of think that younger teenage me who hated and struggled with math probably would've loved Gemini. :)
ReplyDeleteAI has made cheating easier …but it’s still cheating
ReplyDeleteYup.
DeleteCheating, plain and simple. I will say, I like the way that program teaches. That feels like a good approach!
ReplyDeleteI love IXL when it works as intended.
DeleteThat is definitely cheating!
ReplyDeleteYup.
DeleteMy grandson had a math program like that when he was doing school from home when Covid hit.
ReplyDeleteThey've been using it for a few years now. It's likely your grandson was using IXL. It's used in many school districts in the country.
DeleteFortunately here in NC, kids can't do that. A law was just passed that children are not allowed their cell phones during school hours.
ReplyDeleteHe did the cheating all on his Chromebook. No phone used at all.
DeleteThis is cheating. Love the photo, Liz.
ReplyDeleteThanks. Yes, it is.
DeleteI see ads on my phone (when I'm playing games I'm too cheap to pay ad-free for!) for Gemini, and it shows a student doing their homework with it. Google is encouraging cheating!
ReplyDeleteYup, they are.
DeletePersonally I think A.I makes one lazy.
ReplyDeleteHi Liz, in response to your question on my blog about the icicles. When they begin to melt, they will fall wherever they are. And people should have either a hat or a hood on to break the fall should it land on them.
ReplyDeletePeople have ended up with a broken nose, in one instance, so we should never underestimate the damage that ice can do.
Thank you so much for your visits and kind comments on my blog posts, I really appreciate it so much 😊 ❤️
So frustrating! I feel like a old woman shaking her fist at clouds sometimes for saying it, but this is part of the problem with AI.
ReplyDeleteJasper is oversmart!
ReplyDeleteOr so he thinks.
DeletePhones in class can be a major problem. So too tools like Gemini. If one uses it in the right way, it's a boon. But the challenge is only the user knows if it's being used the right way!!!
ReplyDelete