In class today we discussed the use of generative AI for student learning and teacher productivity, and had the opportunity to try out some AI tools ourselves. I used NotebookLM to create an infographic using this video from our pre-class activities:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=unPKJJjQP0A&t=1s
Overall I think it did a good job of summarizing the information from the video in a visually appealing way. When you take a closer look there are a few grammar mistakes and some confusing language.
Some of the major limitations of GenAI that we discussed in class today are…
-Hallucinations
-Fake citations
-It’s replacing basic human skills: basic skills should be developed in a more manual way before the use of tools
-Bias in, bias out: racial, gender, global north and english language
-Environmental concerns, 1 GenAI text prompt = 7 google searches
We also discussed critically evaluating AI responses. In an exercise physiology class I took in my undergrad, one of our assignments was to have GenAI answer exercise physiology related questions, then critic the answers with our knowledge from the course. I have attached my assignment below.
What I learned from this assignment was that is important to have basic knowledge and a critical lens to be able to identify if GenAI has hallucinated, misunderstood your prompts, or provided you with false information. This assignment was done in 2023 so it would be interesting to see how different the Chat GPT responses would be if asked the same questions today.
I have found this type of assignment is becoming more common in university courses. As a physical and health education teacher, I could have high school students do a similar assignment where I provide them with a reliable source (or ideally, teach them how to find a reliable source on their own) and have them compare an AI generated product to the alternative source. For example, students ask GenAI to create a 3-week workout plan that is personalized for them, then critic the AI generated workout plan using exercise knowledge and concepts we have learned about in class. I think this is a realistic scenario that students might experience in their everyday life and it is important for students to be able to recognize flaws with AI use, and also be able to determine when it can be useful. This style of assignment also prevents students from using GenAI to do the work for them. However, the potential harm with this assignment is GenAI does a “perfect” job, and the student comes to the conclusion that it is always a reliable source.