A MESSAGE FROM THE HEAD OF SECONDARY DIVISION
Aloha All,
This week, I thought I would venture into the news and discuss some potential ramifications with the now ubiquitous (and still free) access to AI tools. If you follow technology or regular media, you will have seen mention of ChatGPT and other relatively new tools which seemingly present a challenge for secondary schools and colleges. How will we deal with an AI application which can generate a very realistic and age-appropriate answer to a prompt or even generate a whole essay? Will all students not just immediately use this tool and no longer learn how to write?
Well, my answer to these questions is simply: no. First, our faculty have well-honed and time-honored teacher practices which diminish the down side of this technology. By working closely with our students, scaffolding assignments over time, working through drafts and encouraging peer editing, I suspect the problem will be minimal.
In addition, and importantly, we have already started discussing how we will need to incorporate these technologies into our teaching and curriculum. AI is a tool, just like a phone or the internet or even a typewriter.
Over the next few years, look for your child to be completing projects and learning about these tools in a thoughtful and forward-looking manner.
Have a great weekend!
Alex Ramsvig
Head of Secondary