South Auckland school using ChatGPT 'game-changer'

A Māngere school is embracing the power of artificial intelligence (AI) technology to improve teacher-student communication as well as reducing paperwork.

Principal Jerry Leaupepe has implemented ChatGPT, a natural language processing and content generation tool, to let teachers focus on teaching while automating some of their daily tasks at the Sir Douglas Bader Intermediate School.

Its ability to process student data and generate reports has proved a game-changer for the school, saving teachers valuable time by streamlining administrative tasks.

The AI programme's language-processing capabilities, which use deep-learning algorithms to generate responses to natural language input, have also made it easier for teachers to communicate with students and parents who speak a variety of languages.

Leaupepe says ChatGPT has already delivered significant benefits to the school.

"The teachers have been able to cut down on paperwork and focus more on their core responsibilities of educating our students. It has been a real game-changer for us."

But it's not just teachers who are benefiting from ChatGPT's capabilities. Students like Rico Simpson, from Sacred Heart College, are using the tool as a "super-powered search engine" to sift through vast amounts of information.

"It helps me to find information that is relevant to what I'm doing and filter out what is not,"

The move towards AI technology is part of a broader trend in education, as schools seek to leverage technological advancements to improve teaching and learning outcomes.

While there are many in education who will be cautious of ChatGPT and similar AI tools, Leaupepe believes it is the way forward for the profession.

“The use of ChatGPT means we can be a lot more agile in our planning and delivery. Where we used to plan in terms we can now plan in weeks and days, so if we see something we can adjust in real time and not be bogged down by a strict lesson plan.”

Considering recent strikes, Leaupepe believes teachers all over the country could halve their workload by automating many of their tasks through Artificial Intelligence.

“One problem the education sector faces is how inefficiently we approach our work,” he says. “If we can use these tools to streamline the workload, therefore improving teacher morale and work-life balance, then it’s a win for us.”

As of March 14, paid users can access GPT4, an even stronger and more intelligent version of the original ChatGPT.