Zak's Weekly Musings (February 22, 2023)

Who is Scared of Chat GPT? Not Us! (Part V)

The launch of Sputnik in 1957 by the Soviet Union is one the defining moments of the 20th Century. The event created a significant shockwave that reverberated throughout the world, shattering long-held beliefs about the hegemonic standing of the United States in science, technology, and industry. 

The repercussions of this event were profound and long-lasting, but what is probably the best remembered and most consequential response to Sputnik is the U.S. government establishing the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) and President John F. Kennedy soon thereafter publicly committing the United States to a manned lunar landing, setting in motion the Apollo program. 

What is probably the most forgotten and ostensibly least consequential fact about Sputnik is that Sputnik was actually a really crude and primitive satellite. Its only trick is that it transmitted a simple radio signal that could be picked up by amateur radio operators. Even for 1957, the technology was not terribly advanced. 

And yet, Sputnik launched the Space Race! This cruddy 28-inch satellite fully altered the course of history. You see, the quality and capability of a new technology isn’t always correlated to the size and duration of its impact. Just think about the iPhone. When it was launched, the app store was still 18 months from being developed. What good is an iPhone without any apps? I’m not sure. And yet, the iPhone seems to have made a modest impact on our lives. Ha! 

ChatGPT, much like any other technological advancement, is far from perfect. It has its share of flaws and limitations, and its algorithms can sometimes generate inaccurate or biased responses. However, I don’t believe its shortcomings are going to render generative AI a passing fad. In all likelihood, ChatGPT represents the beginning of a new era in education and should serve as a catalyst for us to rethink even our most sacred practices.

And, these days, it could be argued that our most sacred practice is asking students to “Google it” when we don’t know the answer. 

Now, I’ve already written about why we should use ChatGPT instead of Google as our default search engine. However, let me be more expansive and explicit in my thinking, as I’ve received quite a few questions from people about how to teach students to critically evaluate the credibility and accuracy of the information obtained when searching using Chat. 

ChatGPT isn’t some panacea. Students still need to learn how to evaluate the credibility of the information that it churns out. In this sense, ChatGPT should be seen as a valuable resource, but not a substitute for developing critical thinking and digital literacy skills. And, because we know that students are not digital natives, how do we teach students to do this? It starts with corroboration. 

Corroboration is a valuable skill in research that  involves seeking multiple sources of information to support or validate a claim. This is an important step in evaluating the credibility and accuracy of information. To use the skill of corroboration in combination with the CRAAP test, students can follow the steps below:

  1. Start with ChatGPT: Begin by asking ChatGPT a question or seeking information on a particular topic. This will provide a starting point for further research.

  2. Work laterally across tabs: After receiving information from ChatGPT, students should then open multiple tabs and look for additional sources of information on the same topic. This can include academic journals, news articles, government websites, and other credible sources.

  3. Compare information: Once students have collected information from multiple sources, they should compare the information they received from ChatGPT with the information they have found in other sources. They should look for consistency or discrepancies in the information, and consider whether the information supports or contradicts each other.

  4. Use the CRAAP test: Assuming students have found consistency, the next step is to utilize the CRAAP test (Currency, Relevance, Authority, Accuracy, Purpose) as a tool to evaluate the credibility and accuracy of the information they have found. They should use the test to assess the sources they have found to ensure that these points of consistency are coming from reliable sources.

By using the skill of corroboration and the CRAAP test, students can gain a better understanding of the accuracy and credibility of the information they have found and make informed decisions about the information they choose to use in their research, surpassing and outpacing the limitations inherent to and avoidable in using Google.