The Future of Education

In the age of AI, there is a growing concern about the relevance of educators in the educational landscape. While AI tools can be both beneficial and harmful, it is crucial to examine the role of educators in the modern world of AI. Teachers may feel left behind and outside the realm of cutting-edge educational and self-study tools and techniques, leading to frustration, lack of motivation, burnout, and even depression. Writing is a fundamental skill that is often overlooked in our educational goals. Students tend to rely on various digital tools to avoid writing themselves, but writing is a form of thinking. Online translators, embedded text editors, and ChatGPT can be viewed as shortcuts to completing writing tasks, which undermines the educational process as a whole. With all these technological resources, students are no longer studying but trying to bypass the process to simply obtain grades. To stay informed means being empowered in today's world. Educators must continuously step out of their comfort zone, learn new and cutting-edge techniques, and think outside the box. Without doing so, it is impossible to detect whether a text has been plagiarized or generated by AI. Hence, it is crucial to keep abreast of the fast-developing and constantly changing world of digital education. In light of these concerns, this study conducted a semester-long investigation on the pros and cons of using ChatGPT inside and outside the classroom. The study integrated this AI tool into both classroom activities and homework assignments, conducted several polls, and had students complete topic-related questionnaires to gather statistics and feedback. Additionally, colleagues were asked to fill out a form about their usage of ChatGPT to receive answers from both learners and educators. The results of this study provide valuable insights into this new digital challenge. The findings, practical experience, and recommendations presented in this study aim to bridge the gap, help educators turn "this enemy" into a "friend," and add another tool to our professional toolbox to make our teaching practice more diverse.