Yesterday I talked about my adventures with the ChatGPT artificial intelligence app for iPhone. I noted that it’s really good at constructing outlines for essays, and that professors are going to have to download the ChatGPT app to make sure students didn’t use it.
But would it really be so terrible if they did?
I taught math and computer classes at the University of Memphis from 1994 to 1999. One class I taught was College Algebra. Some faculty who taught that class allowed students to use calculators on tests, while others didn’t.
I let my students use their calculators. I figured, those devices are facts of life, and besides, College Algebra is not a basic arithmetic class. I made them show their work. They had to set up their equation and show me how they solved it, step by step. If they let the calculator do all the work and wrote down nothing but the answer, they didn’t get credit.
ChatGPT is great for generating outlines for high school and college essays. Why not just accept that as a fact of life too?
Yesterday I gave a sample essay question: List some reasons the Beatles broke up. Let’s say I ran it through ChatGPT and one of the answers it supplied was George’s emergence as an equally gifted songwriter to John and Paul, creating competition for album space (that was actually one of my answers, not ChatGPT’s, but play along with me here).
If I simply put that down without offering any supporting evidence, I would expect to receive a bad grade on my essay, even though the answer was technically correct.
In actuality, I’d supply the following supporting points:
- “Taxman” on 1966’s Revolver was perhaps George’s breakout song and fit right in with other late-moptop-era Beatles recordings.
- Then I’d mention the songwriting maturity shown in his 1968 song “While My Guitar Gently Weeps.” I’d be sure to mention that Eric Clapton, not George, played lead guitar on that one.
- Next I’d mention his twin masterpieces on Abbey Road, “Here Comes the Sun” and “Something.”
- I’d also mention some of his lesser-known but fantastic Beatles songs such as “Old Brown Shoe” (the B-side to “The Ballad of John and Yoko”) and “I Me Mine” (from the Let It Be album).
- I’d close up by discussing George’s post-Beatles song “My Sweet Lord” and how you can hear the freedom of George no longer having to conform to the band’s musical style.
If a student can supply supporting arguments, who cares if AI generated the outline for his or her essay?
On to the news…
Today is Waiters and Waitresses Day. Be sure to tip your servers extra generously.
Deep Roots plays Loflin Yard today at noon.
A Memphis Tigers alumni team is headed to The Basketball Tournament (TBT). TBT offers $1 million in prize money to the winner. It uses a modified version of college rules, including 9-minute quarters, 6 fouls to foul out, and the Elam Ending. TBT will feature a bracket of 64 teams and will be played in July and August on ESPN. The U of M alums team will include
- Shawn Taggart
- Chris Crawford
- Will Coleman
- Willie Kemp (coach)
- Jeremiah Martin
- Adonis Thomas
- Alex Lomax
- … and they say there are big names yet to be announced.
The team will be called The Beale Street Boys.
Ribdiculous Bar-B-Q became the first rib team in 22 years to win Grand Champion at BBQ Fest. Sweet Cheeks took first in Shoulder, and Hometown BBQ won Whole Hog. Congrats to the winners. Congrats also to my friend Bones who cooked for Moe Cason’s BBQ team (3rd in Shoulder) and my friends on Too Sauced to Pork (3rd in Ribs) and Heath Riles BBQ (9th in Ribs). Full list of “Big Three” category winners
Battle Brothers Que won the Patio Porkers division at Handy Park. They’re a group of military veterans from Jackson, TN. Patio Porkers winners
Check out the new tiger cubs born at the Memphis Zoo.
Grateful Web has a review of Beale Street Music Fest.
Today looks to be a fun day. This morning I’m having brunch at Slim’s with a friend from out of town, then tonight I’m attending a birthday party for one of my favorite people. It’s entirely possible I will take the day off from blogging tomorrow, because I plan to go to Bardog and spend what’s left on my gift card. Back Tuesday, if not sooner, with more news.