Full disclosure: you are reading the first Paw Prints article published using help from artificial intelligence (AI). Flint provided me with significant feedback during the revision process, and I even interviewed it about itself for more information, as Flint is actually the subject of this article.
The release of Flint across Westminster has been, at the least, chaotic. The Upper School has experimented with the AI since the beginning of the school year in August, while Middle School teachers were not made aware that Flint even existed until October. With MS students receiving accounts and access 3 weeks ago, teachers and students alike are taking advantage of the new technology across Clarkson.
Flint is a conversation-style chatbot similar to ChatGPT. The platform was designed to interact with and help K-12 students with their writing and other school-related projects. The AI can be used in various ways, from character analysis in English class to designing molecular structures in biology. It provides instant feedback and research from a wide range of sources, in addition to more abstract aid, such as strengthening critical thinking skills by presenting different perspectives and simulating real-world scenarios.
Perhaps the most impactful use of AI in school is that Flint can serve as a “mini-teacher” in the sense that it can have a discussion or debate with each individual student at once instead of a single teacher being spread thin trying to get to everyone. 8th-grade girls’ Grade Chair Catherine Zidow agrees that AI is a useful tool in the classroom. “The convenience is that Flint can engage all of you with that somewhat one-on-one attention,” she says. However, she also sees a downside to losing that one-on-one time in exchange for convenience. “Part of my teaching experience is I get closer to y’all as I grapple in my own mind with the word choice [when writing midterm comments],” she says. “I would be sad if AI did that time for me just because it was faster and convenient . . . That’s time I’ve spent just thinking about you.”
But despite the many academic advantages that come with using AI such as Flint, it also poses potential damage to the classroom dynamic. Using AI as an actual writer or—in the example of this story—an editor will limit communication between a teacher and student. This loss could extend to peer relationships as well if students start leaning on Flint for proofreading and help more than each other.
However, Westminster’s Chief Information Officer, Torrey Williams, says having Flint is less about the convenience and benefits of having artificial intelligence in class and more about preparing students for the future. “What I think is important is getting our students exposed to what they’re going to be seeing once they go to college or into the marketplace and. . . what [artificial intelligence] can actually do at a core level,” he says “I think awareness around these tools and how they’re available in the market and how they can be used in education, it’s really important.”
While Zidow agrees that technology is the future, she struggles with the best age to introduce AI—specifically AI that will write for you. “I definitely think that is where we are headed, but like all things that Westminster does, I want us to do it well, not just throw you into this deep, deep pool and have you figure it out,” she says. “You wouldn’t know the power of the tool because we haven’t taught it to you. So I get why they’re doing it in the Upper School because you’ve gone through our 6th through 8th programs in order to know what is word choice, dictation, sentence fluency, all those things that we teach you. I’m just hesitant.”
Despite these concerns, others see benefits to embracing the new technology. 6th grade science teacher Dana Notestine is all for Flint. “I tend to be one of those people that’s like, ‘Oh that’s so cool. Let’s just try it,’ and then I’ll start to put more parameters on it the more I know about it,” she says. “So right now, since we just got [Flint], it’s super exciting and I’m like, ‘Yeah, let’s see what we can do.’”
Notestine agrees Flint could limit learning, the way kids can no longer read physical maps because of Google Maps and iPhones. However, she raises the question, “If you don’t have to read maps, then is that really a necessary skill?” In her opinion, the convenience of AI is a benefit, one that outweighs the lost learning potential, as it provides a chance to focus on the more vital parts of a task. For example, Notestine recently assigned a video project about symbiotic relationships, and one group of students used Flint to write their script. “The point [of the project] wasn’t scriptwriting; it was learning about the symbiotic relationship,” she says, and AI allowed the students to hone in on the scientific, learning aspect.
Overuse of AI, however, can lead to underdeveloped crucial skills. I asked Flint about drawbacks regarding AI’s use for education, and Flint admitted to the dangers. “One concern is that reliance on AI might lead to a loss of certain skills . . . it’s important to remember that while I can provide these opportunities for practice, the development of critical thinking skills also heavily relies on human guidance and interaction.”