At Thomas A. Edison Career and Technical Education High School, artificial intelligence has quietly woven itself into the fabric of daily learning. From ChatGPT helping students brainstorm ideas to AI-powered tools streamlining teachers’ lesson planning, the technology is reshaping how the school community tackles problems and fosters creativity.
Since ChatGPT’s official release in November 2022, many students have discovered its ability to answer homework questions and write full essays. The virtual learning generation quickly became reliant on technology, only beginning to capture schools’ attention.
According to a Campus Technology study published on August 28, 2024, by Rhea Kelly, 86% of students use AI for their coursework, with 54% using it weekly or even daily. But how pervasive is this issue among Edison students?
“I first heard about ChatGPT back in my junior year, when it was gaining a lot of popularity. But I didn’t start using it until recently. I use it quite frequently, even today to help me understand one of my assignments. Which is pretty interesting considering I said I would never use it when it first came out,” shared Margarita Paige Andalis, a senior creative writing student at Edison.
Andalis’s perspective reflects a common shift: initial skepticism turning into curiosity and regular use. However, AI’s applications vary widely, sparking debate over its role in learning.
“I use AI tools for brainstorming or to help me find better wording for projects. But I know other kids who use it frequently for other purposes. I’ve also seen kids who have used it to write or generate content for them. That’s where I see the problem with it. But I see it used in various ways,” Lux Vasquez, a Senior Robotics student explained.
While Andalis and Vasquez offer insights into how students are integrating AI into their academic lives, the technology’s impact is also being explored by teachers. At Edison, many educators have adopted AI to enhance lesson planning, streamline tasks, and foster creativity in the classroom.
“I use AI all the time! But it’s not necessarily like ‘Hey, what should my lesson be today?’ A lot of how I use it is focused on suggestions for lesson activities and questions. But I don’t use them verbatim, I modify the response. I think that is where it is most useful to me. So in terms of simplifying, I use AI for that aspect, but in terms of idea generation, there has to be a human aspect to it,” Alondra Ramos, a creative writing and English teacher said.
Ramos’s enthusiasm for AI as a creative tool contrasts with concerns raised by other educators. For some, AI presents a risk of students bypassing the learning process altogether, a concern that is becoming more prevalent as students lean on these tools to complete assignments quickly.
“I have a suspicion that some of my students have used AI to complete their coursework. I think it’s a problem when people use the tool without any active engagement with the content, the prompt, and the exercise. If they are exploiting the tool as a means to get an assignment done, rather than using it to learn, reference, or brainstorm, it is detrimental to their education,” Andrew Ferreira, a Neuroscience and AP Psychology teacher said.
Ferreira’s concerns about the overuse of AI resonate beyond the classroom. Many students admit that they are relying on AI tools more than they should, and some feel that this dependency is affecting their ability to think critically and engage with their coursework.
“I use AI every day, and I kind of rely on it. I work after school and I don’t have the time to sit down and complete every assignment I have. It becomes very difficult to do the same work on my own, and I feel like I don’t have the same brain power as I used to. I can’t just sit down and write,” one Edison junior confessed.
This candid admission highlights the struggles students face in balancing multiple responsibilities. But is this reliance on AI simply a matter of convenience, or does it stem from deeper issues, such as the aftermath of the COVID-19 pandemic?
“I think that cheating being so normalized during online schooling has definitely affected how many people rely on AI now. I mean, it was a completely different time, and it was so hard to learn. I think we still carry that with us. At least for me, I was thrown into freshman year as my first class back. We had barely experienced middle school. What choice do you have but to cling to your resources? Sometimes you had to cheat a little bit,” Vasquez explained.
The rise in AI usage prompts an essential question: Is AI a revolutionary tool that enhances problem-solving skills, or is it dulling students’ creative instincts?
“I know some kids that can’t complete any assignment without it. They’ll see a quick assignment and just copy and paste. I think that affects them negatively. You can’t remain creative and keep your brain working if you don’t exercise it. If you don’t use it, you lose it. Your automatic reaction will be to use ChatGPT, Gemini, or Perplexity instead of thinking for yourself,” Andalis stated.
This growing dependence on AI raises significant questions about its impact on students’ ability to truly learn and retain information. While tools like ChatGPT can provide quick answers, they often bypass the critical thinking process necessary for deeper learning.
Vasquez said, “If you have AI writing answers, you aren’t actually learning. You’re just letting the tool do the work for you. You will never grasp it. When you have to sit for a test, then what? It’s like skipping the workout but expecting to get stronger—it doesn’t work that way. Learning is about the process, not just the outcome.”
Vasquez’s analogy underscores the danger of over-reliance on AI: students may bypass the learning process and fail to develop the skills they need for future success. Without fully engaging with the material, they may not recognize gaps in their understanding until it’s too late, leaving them unprepared when tests or assessments arrive.
As educators grapple with how to address AI usage, the challenge is not just about enforcing limits, but about fostering a healthy relationship with technology that promotes creativity and critical thinking.
“It is difficult to come up with a punishment for AI usage. Where do we limit AI use? How do we prove that a student used AI if even checkers are inaccurate? We could incorporate the idea of having multiple online drafts to be able to prove that the work was written and worked on by the students, but that slows things down and puts us behind in the curriculum,” Ferreira shared.
This raises the larger question: how do we balance the benefits of AI with the need for students to learn, think critically, and engage meaningfully with the material?
“AI has so many great uses, including to help students study. I think we need to come up with a way to help guide all students away from reliance and rather make sure they know how to use it as a helpful tool, rather than focusing solely on punishing them,” Ferreira added.
Ultimately, the key lies in guiding students to use AI as an aid rather than a crutch—ensuring that it complements the learning process and helps students reach their full creative potential.
