Hey friend,
By now you already know about it—in fact, you’ve probably already even tried it out.
ChatGPT.
If you haven’t tried, stop reading this and go ask it to, “write an 80s love song about medieval times in the style of Eminem.” (or maybe ask it for something more practical if that’s more your style) Click here to have your mind blown.
What do you think?
My friend introduced it to me just after it was released. In fact, I think we were part of their first million users (which by the way happened in five days and set the record for fastest tech platform to a million users).
I’ve now fallen into the rabbit hole. I’ve read over 100 articles, watched dozens of YouTube videos (Gary Vee, Jordan Peterson, Neil deGrasse Tyson, etc.), and I think people are tired of me continually bringing it up at work.
I work in a P-12 international school, advise a group of high school students, and have four kids of my own, which means my mind immediately centered around its impact on education.
It’s been roughly six weeks since it was released and the responses vary:
As I see the range of responses, I keep going back to one question:
“what are we really trying to accomplish?”
Forget everything about the current education model for a moment—schools, formal systems, teachers, curriculum, etc.
What are we really trying to accomplish?
To help young people develop the skills they need to build the life they desire.
When I was in school, they separated these skills into two buckets:
Technical Skills
These may include things like: writing, computer programming, algebra, painting, operating a piece of machinery, etc.
Soft Skills
These may include things like: communication, critical thinking, ability to lead, self regulation, ability to learn quickly, etc.
I remember in elementary school not being allowed to use a calculator because “you will never be able to carry a calculator with you everywhere you go.” To be fair, that was true until I was in my 20s and got my first mobile phone. And then, the need for me to be able to complete complex mental math problems disappeared. The skill was outsourced to a tool that made it efficient and guaranteed the correct answer.
Was it a waste for me to learn how to complete certain problems in my head?
No—why?
Because the acquisition of technical skills is not the only type of growth that occurs during that process. Gaining the confidence that I could acquire the skill represented a net gain overall for me. If I had stepped back and been taught about various learning styles I might also have come to better understand myself as a learner. The point is that the technical skill is not the only piece for us to consider as we consider skill development.
What does this have to do with ChatGPT?
As I look at what ChatGPT can do in regards to technical writing, I keep wondering, what are we trying to accomplish?
What is the difference between these scenarios:
Student who loves to write and spends hours personally crafting a 1,000 word essay
Student who hates writing but loves thinking and crafts a series of prompts for ChatGPT to generate a 1,000 word essay
Student who hates writing and takes their teacher’s essay prompt and feeds it into ChatGPT and submits the exact 1,000 word response as their own?
Which skills are we trying to develop?
A rich understanding of syntax, narrative structures, and oxford commas?
Critical thinking?
Finding ways to deliver exactly what the rubric says?
Maybe a combination of them all?
Maybe the next question is, are the tools we’re using to “measure” skill acquisition measuring the right thing?
I am excited about what a tool like ChatGPT means for both professionals and students. Once upon a time, we lived in a world where you may have had a great idea but lacked the technical skill to bring the idea to life. Now, the person stocking shelves at Uniqlo by day can go home at night and turn their wild idea into something real with a *currently* free tool that can handle a significant amount of the technical pieces.
The barriers to the technical skills are being removed which levels the playing field in many ways and also places a premium on individuals who now stand out based solely on their soft skills.
Maybe we will finally see that section of the resume where people say, “Microsoft Office” or “Google Suite” disappear!
I know, I just spent all that time on ChatGPT but this question, “what are you really trying to accomplish” can deliver powerful results across many areas of life. It’s a great tool to get you to step back and make sure you’re focused on the right end state.
What do you think about ChatGPT? Do kids need to learn to write still? Should schools ban it? How does something like this impact you?
I’m trying to stay really open to the possibilities and the implications of something like this through a variety of perspectives. Hit me up!
See you next week!
Keep Asking,
Kyle
Another great question, Kyle! I’m excited to hear more about the creative ways educators are able to integrate this tool into the classroom.