A major shift is underway at ETHS with the rise of artificial intelligence (AI). From assisting students with studying to raising concerns about cheating and ethics, this new technology presents challenges and opportunities that students and teachers are learning to navigate. Workshops are being launched, and resources for teachers on how to use AI and incorporate it into instruction are becoming more widely available.
Junior Eve Abraham chooses not to use AI for schoolwork, citing concerns about copyright, data privacy and environmental impact. However, she has observed her teachers using AI to assist with grading.
“I know that many teachers put their assignments into AI to see what an AI result would look like and then know what to look for in students’ work,” said Abraham.
In Abraham’s eyes, understanding how to use AI responsibly is essential.
“I think that students need to learn cybersecurity skills: how to know what tools and websites are secure and not, how to fact-check accurately and what AI is good for and what it’s not,” said Abraham.
While Abraham is optimistic about potential benefits, she believes that important rules must be set to make sure the tool’s overall impact is positive.
“AI has become such a big part of learning,” said Abraham. “It’s still so new that there aren’t that many ethical guidelines yet.”
At the school-wide level, the ETHS Pilot Handbook encourages students to exercise caution when using AI and outlines requirements depending on the type of use. It also states that students are responsible for staying informed about school policies and teacher expectations regarding AI.
“Students understand that the guidelines regarding the use of AI may evolve rapidly as the technology advances and educational best practices are developed,” states the Pilot. “Lack of awareness of updated policies will not excuse violations.”
David Chan, Director of Instructional Technology, plays an essential role in guiding AI use and educating both students and teachers on best practices. He acknowledges that teachers will inevitably have varying comfort levels with AI.
“We’re encouraging teachers to be very transparent about their AI policies so there’s as little confusion as possible,” said Chan.
For freshman Charlie Spitznagel, the lack of clear guidelines can be frustrating. He limits his own use of AI to spell checking. However, he has noticed some students’ overreliance on AI and worries that it could leave them ill-prepared for college.
“After students graduate, they may depend on AI too much because they used it so often in high school,” said Spitznagel.
Although Spitznagel views this as a significant concern, he considers AI as more than a shortcut; it can serve as a resource for students with limited access to other support.
“I think that AI evolves and improves everyday, helping students who might not have resources, like the ability to hire a tutor,” said Spitznagel.
A study from the Pew Research Center on AI in education notes that teenagers have varying opinions on the proper use of AI tools. Among those familiar with ChatGPT, 69% say they are acceptable for researching new topics, while only 20% believe they are reasonable to use for writing essays. Determining when it is appropriate for students to use AI has become a key concern for educators.
“We’re adapting to something that’s changing,” said Chan. “We need to be open-minded and able to have conversations with teachers, staff members and students.”
In response to a growing number of potential plagiarism cases, Chan is organizing upcoming workshops with the English and history departments to develop AI-use policies at the departmental level. Teachers are also revising lesson plans and curricula to account for the presence of AI. Humanities teacher Andrew Ginsberg is shifting toward offline activities to discourage students from submitting AI-generated work.
“I’ve been moving away from [computer-based learning] because students can be too tempted to use AI,” said Ginsberg.
Ginsberg wishes students understood that producing a flawless AI-generated result can be more difficult than simply completing the task themselves.
“It takes almost as much effort to use ChatGPT well enough to fool a teacher as it does to just do the assignment,” said Ginsberg.
The study also mentions that 35% of high school teachers believe AI does more harm than good. Although Chan is personally excited about advancements in these technologies, he recognizes that not everyone–including students–is eager to experiment with them.
“It’s ultimately up to the student to decide if they want to use AI,” said Chan.
While some students refrain from using AI due to privacy concerns, Chan highlights that safe options exist. When students use Google Gemini, which is HIPAA-compliant, through their school accounts, their data is not used to train the model. Chan is training teachers to use Gemini in Google Classroom for prompts and roleplay.
While debate over the use of AI may continue, new teacher workshops and instruction on features in various platforms are likely to increase the tool’s presence in classrooms.
