“Do kids not get taught writing any more?” read one post in a teachers’ group on Reddit about kids struggling with essays.
“Is it really true that school kids can’t read analogue clocks any more and they are even being removed from schools entirely?” read a question on a public Facebook page, filled with questionable anecdotes.
The encroachment of modern technology into everyday life is something teachers must constantly contend with and adapt to.
It started with texting in class and cyberbullying in the 2000s. Then came smartphones and social media, meaning young people and adults were constantly connected to the internet and its related harms.
Nowadays, AI (artificial intelligence) is a major concern.
More than half of Kiwi teachers believe AI is negatively affecting students’ critical thinking, and 54% say it is also harming creative thinking, the Herald reported last Thursday.
Teachers told the Education Review Office (ERO) they were increasingly worried students were relying on AI to complete work rather than using it to support their learning.
Using AI to complete tasks is easy. Use a device to open up an AI programme like ChatGPT, Gemini, Claude or Grok, and type in almost any request imaginable.
AI will analyse publicly available information on the internet to generate a response.
For example, a student could type in their exam question and ask AI to write a 300-word essay including references to textbooks and primary sources. And AI will do it within minutes.
There’s no guarantee the essay the AI service spits out will be accurate or well-written, of course. The information it pulls from can come from anywhere on the internet, and AI can’t always tell if it’s from a reputable source.
But a student who has grown used to AI and thinks its words are gospel might not realise that. And that points to a wider problem.
Technology can be wonderful. But it can also be harmful.
Our young people are growing up in a world where an AI chatbot is always ready with an answer. Any answer, whether true or not.
If we want our young people to think for themselves, we need to ensure they have a good grasp of researching, critical thinking and media literacy skills.
In a world of AI, those skills are more important than ever.