AI impacting students in several ways

By Aaniya Jones

Features & Entertainment Editor

The CMHS community feels strongly about AI/technology having a huge effect on kids in high school in a negative way and sometimes in a positive way,

According to teachers and students, technology is used too much in the classroom.

Cayla Gist poses for a photo, acting as if she is using ChatGPT in the Classroom. Photo by Amya Wilson.

“Most of the time, I ask students to put their phones away; they don’t want to, have an attitude about it, or argue with me,” Ms.Mhyre said.

Studies from Statista (Global student AI usage for schoolwork 2024 | Statista) revealed that 86 percent of students use AI on tests on worksheets in the classroom.

“Now, in students’ worksheets, I can tell that they’re using AI because of the vocabulary being used, or I catch students trying to snap a photo of the worksheet all the time. It’s really sad, and something should be done about the use of technology because students aren’t learning anything by constantly cheating,” Ms. Biernacki said.

Technology can also be a tool to help in the classroom. When teachers can’t get around to the student because they’re busy at the moment, they can look it up on Google or look in their Google Classroom for help.

“When I don’t know the meaning of a word or how to spell a word, I can use Google to look the word up, and that’s way faster if the teacher is busy,” Kadin Brown said. 

According to explorance.com, in an article on “Using Technology in the Classroom for Student Success,” “Integrating technology in the classroom helps students develop digital literacy, teaching them to navigate platforms, use productivity tools, collaborate online, and communicate effectively in digital environments.”

The studies from the Purdue University of College Education say technology is changing how students learn. 

“I can admit that I now have a shorter attention span than I did 3 years ago. Now, I feel like I have to be on my phone or I’m missing out on something, and that distracts me from learning,” Brown said.

The article from the Purdue University of Education admitted that AI or ChatGPT has now changed the mindset of students in this generation.

“For example, most students go to college to actually learn what they’re studying for, but now students are just using ChatGPT to write the answers for them and put it into their own words, which is bad because how will they ever really learn?” Ms. Johnson said.

The Internet can be a big issue if you use that tool to teach. What if you base your learning plan on the smart board and the Internet isn’t working? Now, you have to think of a way to work around the smartboard. The Internet isn’t always reliable.

“Once, my teacher wanted to use the SMART board to show us how to do a math problem and for a lesson. The Internet on the smart board cut out before we could get through the lesson. My teacher had to tell us to work on missing work for the day because of the Internet. The Internet isn’t always reliable because that was a waste of the day,” Brown said.