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5 June 2023
Read time: 5mins23
‘geography and technology go hand in hand, and this places geographers in good stead for embracing ChatGPT, and other forms of AI in the future.’
Brian Kerr
There has been a growing buzz over the past several years, around the influence of artificial intelligence in education. Recently, most of this attention has centred around the emergence of ChatGPT which broke onto the scene last year. Educationalist technologists have heralded its arrival as revolutionary, with many advocating the platform as one of the most significant shifts since the arrival of Google.
So what actually is ChatGPT?
Amid all the hype, many are still scratching their heads and asking, ‘what does ChatGPT actually do?’ In essence ChatGPT (or Chat Generative Pre-trained Transformer) is an open source (i.e. free) chatbot, that allows users to ask any question, on any subject.
The programme holds huge amounts of information, having had vast quantities of data input from books, websites, articles and other forms of text. The AI has been ‘trained’ on a wide range of topics, and within seconds of a question being asked, it is able provide a human-like answer in real time. Seeing it in action for the first time is both mesmerising and disconcerting in equal measure.
Geography and technology
Artificial intelligence in itself, is not necessarily a new phenomenon in schools. Geography teachers may already be familiar with AI-based platforms such as Century Tech, which uses the technology to provide personalised learning pathways for students. This is determined by their interaction with diagnostic assessments and learning modules. The platform recently introduced resources for AQA GCSE Geography in 2022, signalling a shift by the company beyond solely providing for core subjects in secondary.
It is not surprising that Century chose geography as the subject in which to widen their scope. Geographers have a long history of embracing and assimilating technology into their classrooms. The profession includes a wide body of technocrats, many of whom routinely make use of online platforms for learning. Many geographers are early adopters in emergent educational technologies.
Cast your mind back to the first time you used Google Earth, or when you first integrated any form of geographic information system, such as ArcGIS, into your teaching – you may be surprised at how long you have been using it. Indeed, geography and technology go hand in hand, and this places geographers in good stead for embracing ChatGPT, and other forms of AI in the future.
ChatGPT and geography
For those geographers who have not yet explored ChatGPT, there is much to discover. It’s potential uses in the subject are abundant, however it is the quick, precise response time that is the platform’s greatest strength.
With ChatGPT, students can access vast quantities of geographical content at lightning speed, without the need to endlessly scroll through sprawling websites or rely on dusty textbooks. Having the information at our fingertips has never been quite so literal.
As a teacher, I have already used the tool to cut workload, most notably when I asked the platform to develop a niche case study on the use of fuelwood in West Bengal – a topic in which my own geographical knowledge was lacking. Imagine how stunned I was when it provided me a neatly packed list of key points relating to the social, economic, and environmental impacts of using fuelwood in the region.
When further probed, it also provided rich, case-study specific data and examples. Following that success, I have since used it to develop knowledge organisers for a number of other GCSE case studies, a task that previously would have taken me hours, if not days, to research and complete.
You can also ask the platform to devise model answers, taking a series of bullet points directly from a marking scheme and coalescing them into a cogent answer, worthy of any A* student.
Furthermore, the platform is highly adaptable, and it can include additions, and will re-write its own work until you are completely satisfied with the outcome. Its ability to adapt to your needs and develop its responses is nothing short of magical.
The future
As ChatGPT grows in use, I anticipate the technophobes, digital laggards, and staunch Luddites bemoaning the introduction of yet another platform. Many will be fearful of the perils and pitfalls of artificial intelligence on teaching and learning. And to some extent we should listen to those fears. We are in uncharted waters and there is a need to proceed with caution. It is essential that we must consider how this new tool can be responsibly integrated into geography education.
Firstly, we must not allow the technology to become our modus operandi. We must ensure that ChatGPT becomes merely a tool for teaching and learning, not the tool for teaching and learning. This is also the message we must share, and emphasise, with our students. I have already shown many of my classes what ChatGPT does and how it works; more importantly, I have also demonstrated some its shortfalls to them.
A few basic questions relating to Ordnance Survey map symbols soon showed that the AI can state incorrect information as geographical fact. It should therefore must not be viewed as the font of all knowledge, and its assertions should be checked before using those ‘facts’ in written answers or when building case studies.
Furthermore, when it comes to homework or GCSE coursework, for many of our students the desire to copy and paste directly from the platform will be too strong an urge for some to resist. This is no new battle, but we must counter this with an even stronger focus on academic integrity to supersede possible plagiarism down the line.
Whatever the future holds in relation to AI in education, it will certainly be a very interesting and exciting journey. The technology is moving faster than ever, but no matter how it develops, geographers will be at the forefront.
Written by Brian Kerr
Geography Teacher at Kellett School, The British International School in Hong Kong where he also runs the Eco School Committee.
He is currently completing an MSc in Digital Education with the University of Edinburgh and is currently researching online courses for asylum seekers and refugees and their impact on transnational mobility.
X (Twitter) – @BrianKerrEdu
LinkedIn – https://www.linkedin.com/in/briankerredu/
©Brian Kerr, Geographical Association, 2023
