Holiday Door Contest
It’s beginning to look a lot like….a Winter Wonderland!!!
Congrats to all the participants in adding some fun holiday cheer to our hallways this season
The winners are:
* Most Festive: Mr. Shepherd
* Most Creative: Mr. Lamb
* Most Immersive: Ms. Huyler
* Student Favorite: Mr. Sanders
* Student favorite runner up: Ms. Tanguay
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Artificial Intelligence
by Anaelle Tadros
Artificial intelligence isn’t a new concept; in fact, in 1956, John McCarthy coined the term at Dartmouth College. However, the topic of AI has become more common and has been popping up in a lot of conversations recently. There have been lots of questions about whether or not AI is beneficial for our society, or if it’s going to ruin and deteriorate the community. It has been especially controversial in terms of its uses in education. Lots of AIs are ones we are familiar with, like Apple’s Siri, Amazon’s Alexa, and Microsoft’s Cortana. Some other systems use AI too, like Tesla and the latest models from BMW. The car companies use AI algorithms for their self-driving models. Other situations where AI is used are in content creation in marketing, advertising, and movies.
Recently, it’s also been used to help with natural disasters. California’s main firefighting agency is using AI to find visual signs of wildfires. They’re using over a thousand high definition cameras to locate where fires are happening and determine how fast they are spreading. When signs are apparent, the AI models send alerts to the state’s fire department control center to prevent the fires from spreading. The only issue is that human confirmation is required to make sure that these alerts are true and not just false alarms. According to ArsTechnica.com, this has been a problem, with the alerts being frequently set off by fog or by steam from geothermal plants. Setting up these systems also takes a lot of time and effort, and could therefore take away resources and focus from other important emergency initiatives.
AI has a bit of a negative connotation, with many people worried it may soon be able to take over the world. However, our school has used it for a lot of great projects, such as informational posters in the hallways, and many are hoping to incorporate it into our learning environment even more. Because AI is guaranteed to be a part of our generation’s future, our school held a meeting on November 13th to discuss ways our school district could better incorporate AI in the classroom. During this meeting, several people discussed how they use various AI software, while others explained how they use AI in appropriate ways for their own artwork and in drafting college essays. One person used AI for help in compiling their resume and another proposed the idea of using AI to make team shirt designs.
In this meeting, problems from AI were also discussed, with some mentioning that the suitability of AI’s usage really depends on the person using it. AI can be thought of as a harmful resource because lots of individuals use it to cheat and plagiarize. However, if given to the right person, they will use it as a way to improve their work and learn more deeply. For example, one person may use AI to write an essay, giving them either no benefit in learning how to write effectively themselves or giving them an unfair advantage in the system, while another person may use AI responisibly to give their essay more polish, maybe using it to find stronger phrasing or correct grammar mistakes. A student mentioned using AI to ask questions about a topic they were unclear on from their science class, thus showing how AI allowed them to deepen their understanding. Speaking of cheating, AI is also useful in finding instances of plagiarism. Applications like Turn It In and Grammarly have AI softwares that are used to make sure students aren’t just copying and pasting another person’s work.
Recently, Principal Mr. Lauchu, Asst. Principal Mr. Rosenthal, Computer Science teacher Mr. Bradfield, and SciFi parent and STEM adviser Mr. Tsao sat down together to discuss the implications of artificial intelligence in the classroom, and LAUSD has released their discussion as a podcast.
Listen here: https://www.lausd.org/Page/16535
To prove the point that AI is quickly being incorporated into so many settings, I used ChatGPT for the first time in my life to write this concluding paragraph:
In conclusion, the advent of artificial intelligence has ushered in a transformative era, reshaping the landscape of industries, society, and human interaction. As AI continues to evolve, its potential for innovation and efficiency is undeniable, offering solutions to complex problems and unlocking new possibilities. However, the ethical implications and potential risks associated with AI demand careful consideration and responsible development. Striking a balance between harnessing the benefits of AI and safeguarding against its potential pitfalls is crucial for a sustainable and inclusive future.
If you have ideas about how AI can help improve our learning, don’t be afraid to share them with our teachers and administators!
Sources:
- What is Artificial Intelligence in 2024? Types, Trends, and Future of it?
- What is Artificial Intelligence (AI) ? | IBM