Reaction to Brenna’s play about artificial intelligence at school

Many teachers are critical of Education Minister Tony Brenna’s proposals regarding the use of artificial intelligence in teaching.

In recent weeks, the use of artificial intelligence in schools has been a hot spot in Norwegian teaching environments.

Male VG Andrea Holm Tandrew (18), who got Knowledge Minister Tony Brenna visits, After using the student AI ChatGPT toolAI ChatGPT toolArtificial intelligence, or artificial intelligence, is an area of ​​computer technology that focuses on developing algorithms and methods that give machines the ability to perform tasks that normally require human intelligence, such as learning, problem solving, planning, speech and image recognition, and natural language understanding. NB! For the record, this definition was written by ChatGPT. To submit a date assignment. Tandir then revealed the attempt to the school, to underscore a point.

Brenna was intrigued by the experience, and encouraged Norwegian schools to explore this type of technology.

– Such technology is a social disorder. At the same time, our teachers are always evolving, everything is changing, so I think curiosity about how we use this technology is key, Brenna told VG.

This has caused many teachers to react.

You want guidelines

– We react to the suggestion that educators who question ChatGPT are sticking their heads in the sand and don’t want to be “associated with new technology”.

This is what Kjersti Rognes Solbu says.

She is a Norwegian lecturer at Fyllingsdalen High School in Bergen, and is one of the many teachers who have come into contact with VG in recent days. She says she would like the education minister to come up with clearer frameworks for the use of AI in schools.

We’d like a little more centered guidance. This varies from province to province now. I know of schools that have said no to ChatGPT because of privacy, and that it needs to be evaluated in that context before they want to use it. Other schools say this is top notch. So what I think is problematic is that we are only asked to “find it out and be curious”. We need some tools to manage this.

This is part of a larger debate that has been going on for a long time, says Rognes Solbu. She says teachers have repeatedly demanded opportunities to limit the use of such tools where necessary, from both the Norwegian Education Directorate and the Ministry of Education.

– Then I get the feeling that we are seen as lagging behind, but this is about class management and the teacher’s ability to decide what tools to use and when.

Teachers at Chronicle: Curiosity is not enough, Brianna.

Supported by the National Association for Norwegian Education

It is supported by the President of the National Association for Norwegian Education, Sev Soros Valland. She believes there should be room for good learning processes, and the opportunity to get rid of digital disruptions.

– I was hoping ChatGPT was what sorted out the mess of digital inputs in the classroom, but Brenna’s remarks make me unsure.

She believes Brenna should have been clear that independent writing, and that students should learn to write, interpret and reason, without the help of a robot, is also important.

– I’m not saying we shouldn’t use artificial intelligence, it’s important to stress that, but I miss acknowledging that we have a problem with digital overlap in the classroom. This will be an addition that will make digital life more problematic.

Like Rognes Solbu, she believes that teachers need more tools to deal with the ongoing technological evolution.

– The teacher must use his professional judgment to control the tools and means that the pupils will be allowed to use. Technological development may also relate to giving the teacher the opportunity to control the use of tools and aids in class, so that they contribute to more learning, not less.

– But isn’t that what Brenna really says? That she wants this to be up to the schools and the teachers?

– Yes, but we need an infrastructure that makes it possible to have that control in the classroom. Then there must be political will, because it requires resources, says Soros Valland.

She asserts that when it all comes down to it, the students’ writing and reading skills are what this is all about.

– That’s the primary concern. Writing is a unique medium that we must care about.

responds to criticism

The criticism was submitted to the Ministry of Education.

In an email to VG, Tonje Brenna wrote the following:

Reading and writing are a very essential part of what students learn in school, and it should remain so. I understand that many are concerned about how ChatGPT and other systems with artificial intelligence and other technologies will affect this. I fully understand that this affects both the teachers and the student and the training.

The Directorate of Education is now looking at how we can ensure that all students receive a reliable and fair assessment and how we can support training in this area. The government is taking measures in several areas so that schools can handle AI in classrooms and in assessment and exams.