January 12, 2023
from Mark Segal, Upper School director
After working with adolescents and their families for close to three decades, I feel as though I am usually prepared for the circuitous path that is (high school) education. At the end of November, however, there was “buzz” about a new piece of software that was able to create and produce academic work with little or no ability to determine if the work was created by a human or a computer. This, as you can imagine, was, and remains, concerning to academic environments. Now, just two months later, this buzz has been confirmed and more is known about ChatGPT, software program and app created by OpenAI, a tech company founded in 2015 by several software designers and entrepreneurs including Elon Musk. ChatGPT is an Artificial Intelligence chatbot designed to generate text responses based on human-user input (questions and statements). According to HITC.com (a website created for soccer, movies, and gaming) ChatGPT has already gained over one million users since it was first launched at the end of November. According to its authors, ChatGPT “is designed to answer follow-up questions, admit its mistakes, challenge incorrect premise, and reject inappropriate requests.”
What educators have found is that this software uses natural language processing, users are able to give instructions to it in the same way that they would have a discussion with a peer. Once information is received, the program will produce a unique text using information gathered from various, widely accessible search engines. Initially, educators firmly shared that this technology needs to be curtailed and that it should not be allowed. We, however, know that the more we impose our will for our children/students to not do something, the more they will actually push back and do exactly what we are asking them not to do. Therefore, some educational experts have challenged us to look at the benefits of this technology and lean into its use. Leadershipanddesign.org says that, “every once in a decade or so we bear witness to a revolutionary technology…and to take advantage of what we didn’t do when the iPhone first came out.” Cherie Shields, an English teacher in New York City writes in a January 5, 2023, article published in Edweek, “I can see the potential for misuse by students. Just this week, New York City schools banned the tool on school devices and internet networks, citing concerns over this misuse. However, shutting ourselves off from this technology is not the answer.” Shields and others suggest that we as educators and adults in students’ lives continue to talk to students about the importance of fact-checking and the important skills of media literacy as part of their educational and life training. Josh Ochs, the founder of smartsocial.com, shares that parents should, “try ChatGPT or one of the Artificial Intelligence apps or websites for yourself and ask your students to show you how it works.” At MPA, the upper school faculty and administration are taking Ochs’ suggestion and are exploring these new platforms to find out what they are capable of producing while, at the same time, discussing ways in which we can support our students and each other as more information emerges about it.
The advent of this technology does not mean that the end of creating and writing authentic and genuine student work is upon us. It means that we need to be aware that there are tools available to our children to circumvent the “traditional” academic system. Certainly, there are ethical and integrity questions that arise given the sophistication and ease of access to these tools. There is, in process, development of software tools that will “catch” those who use programs like ChatGPT and until they are widely available, it is our job to openly communicate about appropriate ways to use them.
I look forward to seeing you on campus soon,
Mark
PS—The New York Times recently ran an article to see if experts could tell the difference between a human (a fourth grader) and chatbot when answering questions. You can find that article and examples here.
Important Information
- Quarter 2 and semester 1 classes draw to an end tomorrow (Friday, January 13). All work should be turned in for teachers to grade by the end of the day Friday unless special arrangements have been made. Quarter 2 and semester 1 grades will be available on Monday, January 23.
- Do you have a high potential, high achieving, and intellectually curious 8th – 11th grade student? The Minnesota Institute for Talented Youth (MITY) program offers 30 unique courses in STEM, Humanities, and the Fine Arts, and is an excellent exposure opportunity to post-secondary opportunities. Their high school program is held at Macalester College and draws students from all over the Twin Cities, greater Minnesota, the United States, and the world. Need-based financial aid is available. More information about MITY can be found here. For more information you may contact Erica Brewinski, Executive Director, on (651) 243-2221 or by email at erica@mity.org.
- ISACS Parent Education Series—Upcoming Webinar: Tuesday, January 17, 6:30 PM. The next ISACS Parent Education webinar in the series features Eboo Patel who will address the strengths provided by religious diversity. Eboo Patel is a widely acclaimed civic leader who believes that religious diversity is an essential and inspiring dimension of American democracy. Named “one of America’s best leaders” by US News and World Report, Patel is founder and president of Interfaith America (formerly Interfaith Youth Core), the leading interfaith organization in the United States. Under his leadership, Interfaith America has worked with governments, universities, private companies, and civic organizations to make faith a bridge of cooperation rather than a barrier of division. He served on President Obama’s Inaugural Faith Council, has given hundreds of keynote addresses, and wrote five books, including We Need to Build: Fieldnotes for Diverse Democracy published in May 2022. He is an Ashoka Fellow and holds a doctorate in the sociology of religion from Oxford University, where he studied on a Rhodes scholarship. MPA invites parents, caregivers, and older children (grades 7-12) to join so you can listen and discuss this webinar as a family. We look forward to spending this hour with Eboo Patel, Interfaith America, as he shares his thoughtful perspective on Religious Diversity: A Great American Strength. Please join this important presentation by registering for the webinar here. NOTE: Registration is required for access to the webinar, and at no additional cost to you! You can also register to receive the recording if you are unable to attend in real time.
- If your student will be absent, late, or needs to be excused early from school, please reach out to upper school administrative assistant Chanda Williams at cwilliams@moundsparkacademy.org.
Important Dates and Upcoming Events
- Friday, January 13 End of Quarter 2/Semester 1
- Monday, January 16: MLK, Jr. Day, No Classes
- Tuesday, January 17: Professional Development, No Classes
- Wednesday, January 18: Start of Semester 2/Quarter 3
- Thursday, January 26: Winter Show, 7-8:30 PM, Black Box Theatre
- Friday, January 27: Winter Show, 7-8:30 PM, Black Box Theatre
- Saturday, January 28: Winter Show, 2-3:30 PM, Black Box Theatre
- Monday, January 30: “State of the School” Coffee, 8:15-9:15 AM, MPA
- Tuesday, January 31: “State of the School” Virtual Meeting, 7-8 PM, Online
- Thursday, February 2: Cabaret Concert, 7:30-8:30 PM, Family Commons
- Friday, February 3: Lower & Middle School Conferences, 8 AM-4 PM,
Upper School Classes Are In Session
