The use of artificial intelligence has reached an all time high when it comes to school work. For teachers, it is easy to insert a document into an AI detector and evaluate essays online. As more essays are assigned, new adjustments have been made by teachers to the process of writing, possibly because of imprudent behavior that some students display. Some teachers have started to have students write their essay rough drafts on paper, challenging the student to write what comes into their mind before it goes on the computer. This comes with some cons, as it may be hard for teachers to try and decipher certain students’ handwriting. Nonetheless, handwritten work also can bring out the immediate creative ideas that a student may have, showing the real writer inside of them without being behind a screen where they can use grammar checkers.
It is evident that AI is unwise to use when writing an essay and that applies to everyone. English teacher Thomas Duffy feels that it is important for students to write a rough draft on paper before transitioning them onto the computer. “I think that there’s something to trying to develop some baseline kind of foundational skills and confidence in your writing before it goes to someone else…everything changes very quickly, but I do feel that trying to struggle a little bit with how you want to phrase something and how to put it into your own words as clearly as possible, I think that’s a worthwhile task,” Duffy explained.
When asked about whether he inserts essays into AI detectors, Duffy said he dislikes this idea, “I have seen with Turnittin, which is the one that is attached to Canvas, some very high, including 100%, probability that there was some AI assistance. And then when I spoke to the students about it, I really doubted that it was [true].” Trusting a student’s word over an AI detector is a very rare occurrence when it comes to evaluating essays, as those types of assignments are where students are more likely to use AI. While if the student’s work is 100% their authentic work and comes up with red flags with the detector, having a conversation with a student who mostly has reliable and legitimate work overall in the classroom seems like the right way to navigate these situations.
A challenge Duffy sometimes runs into is trying to decipher a student’s handwriting. Duffy shared, “The students that don’t have very legible handwriting, they’re going to have to make it as clear as they can, because if the reader can’t read it, it’s very difficult to evaluate it in a positive way or even in a fair way. And so, that’s another challenge.” This leads to an important question: if you can’t make out what the student is writing, then how will you know if it has completely changed online?
While some students may dislike writing their essays on paper, senior Samy Djamaa thinks differently. “I am more of a creative person and fluid when it comes to my writing on paper, but on a computer, it’s about grammatical errors, and it’s easier to avoid grammar and mispunctuation,” said Djamaa. When writing online, of course the computer will recognize the grammar issues you may have missed when writing on paper, but on the other hand, Djamaa feels that he can really highlight his writing abilities with just a pen and paper.
Djamaa also mentioned that his opinions are not for everyone: ”I feel like it depends on the person. We all have different writing speeds and typing speeds. It is a preference. Some people are more used to typing, and some are more into pen and paper.” Djamaa takes into account how everyone’s different, and one may favor writing differently in contrast to their other classmates.
Sitting alongside a computer all day is not ideal for any student – something both students and teachers will most likely agree with. Learning Skills teacher Holly McCarthy shared, ”I think we’re learning that more time spent on devices is not beneficial for anyone. I think there should be a balance of device free-work and the use of some technology.” McCarthy’s statement ties back into how Duffy likes having his students use both technology and paper to write their essays, and McCarthy acknowledges this idea, “I like how some teachers have you do the rough draft on paper then have you type it. I think it’s a good balance of essay writing because it lets you use your own thoughts on paper.”
There are mixed viewpoints on writing essays on paper, but McCarthy, Duffy, and Djamaa feel like it is a positive approach to writing. Just letting your thoughts flow onto a piece of paper is when your true creative side shines, as no AI device or grammar checker is over your shoulder eager to fix those missing commas and misspelled words. In today’s world, we are so used to typing away on our computers and then clicking submit right after we finish. Redirecting ourselves to start off the old-fashioned way of writing (pen and paper) and then transitioning onto the computer may be a novel idea, but is a more effective solution for students.
