I think that sounds like a fabulous idea, kat. There must be lots of self-guided work those children could do!

JenP, I am making them draft a research paper (2000 words) by hand in pen with no access to tech They've spent 3 weeks taking notes and outlining and this week is writing week. So they don't need me at all.

BUT, and this is a significant but, my eyes are fubar at work. Reading on screens that aren't eink are killlllling me. I have stopped reading to write a little and I can't see across the classroom. So much eye fatigue. Bodies aging are tricky beasts.

my eyes are fubar at work. Reading on screens that aren't eink are killlllling me.

UGH hard same. I had my eye appt on Friday and the doc confirmed my prescription hasn't changed. So my glasses work fine but my eyes get so tired by the end of the day that I can't see for shit. I gave myself as much of a phone-free weekend as I could and it definitely helped, but my job is looking at computers all day, so.

JenP, I am making them draft a research paper (2000 words) by hand in pen with no access to tech They've spent 3 weeks taking notes and outlining and this week is writing week. So they don't need me at all.

This is good in that they are actually learning how to do it, and, also, I'm curious how you feel about this being the way you have to do it to guard against tech creep. (I mean, and outright "Dear ChatGPT, please write me a paper.") Specifically, is it taking time away from other topics or areas you'd ideally prefer to cover with the in-class time?

ETA: This would have done me a WORLD of good back when I was in HS but for different reasons, of course. My only getting down to it because the deadline is upon me method of paper writing taught me some skills, for sure, but not the ones my teachers were shooting for, I'm pretty sure.

It's a scenario I wonder about a lot for someone who is not a teacher and doesn't have kids! How do you encourage 'em to think and learn discernment in this emerging tech environment.

...says the woman who relies 100% on GPS. (But, I CAN read and use an actual paper map, at least, if I need to, up to and including addjng up miles along a route and such.)

I'm teaching an online calculus class now, where the students have to take their exams in-person. It's painfully obvious that nearly the entire class is using some sort of AI for their homework assignments, and then completely failing the exams because they haven't learned anything because they didn't do the homework. And none of them seem to figure this out.

Also, ugh. There's a guy on Facebook (I'm friends with him there, but I don't really know him too well -- he's a friend of one of my high school friends) who keeps posting these "I am horrible misogynistic trash and the worse ally ever" comments to any of my posts about the US men's hockey team, and I don't know him well enough to tell if he's being sarcastic or not, but either way, it's incredibly annoying. And it seems like he's looking for attention specifically on posts that are about how women shouldn't have to clean up men's messes, which is definitely a choice. (If anyone feels like responding to him, feel free to, but don't feel like you have to or anything -- I'm not.)

It's painfully obvious that nearly the entire class is using some sort of AI for their homework assignments, and then completely failing the exams because they haven't learned anything because they didn't do the homework. And none of them seem to figure this out.

Argh. So depressing.

The class is year one of a two year research track for AP. They learn all of the usual research skills explicitly and the paper they are working on is actually part of their AP Exam so I am not allowed to give feedback.

It's been extremely eye opening to see how long things take them. Like peer reviewed articles are no one's idea of a good time, and in previous years before I went analog, I'd give a 3 days + a weekend to research, annotate and create an APA style annotated bibliography. And good lord, in class, they take SO LONG to read and annotate and take notes (not even for the bib!). And then outlining -- again, another full week for something I think should be 3 days tops.

My students are all over the map on AI use. I have given them explicit okay-to-use-in-these-circumstances-and-ways instructions and I require each kid, whether or not they use an AI LLM to submit an AI log. Lots of kids hate AI, think it's dangerous and bad and look down on all use (like maybe a third). Some have sophisticated uses where they get it to look at samples and rubrics and get it to tutor them. And some just flat out cheat. It makes me tired. I don't want to be a forensic teacher.

Edited to add.... you know what totally gets them in trouble though is grammarly. Which most don't think of as AI but is. It pings almost every AI detector we use.

Updating to say that I'm safe here, and found other challenges in the home front: [link]

what totally gets them in trouble though is grammarly

Intersting! I thought Grammarly was mostly rule based. I am using it for grammar suggestions (and eye glaring it when it tries to add commas to my writing as if it's a persistent cosmetics steward in a pharm).

what totally gets them in trouble though is grammarly

Interesting. I have it installed and often take the suggestions, and well, often ignore it too. But it does catch stupid type stuff quite efficiently. (it had a bunch of suggestions on the pasted comment)