Over the summer, Gemini became more integrated into the Google tools used by Milpitas Unified School District, changing the way students and teachers interact with technology in their classrooms, science teacher Glen Barrett said.
The change came as Google incorporated its AI model into its search engine and other Google products used by the district, Barrett said.
“As far as I know, that was Google forcing it through because they dumped their search engine and they’re pushing AI through,” Barrett said.
The integration has created new challenges for teachers trying to monitor how students use AI, Barrett said. Because Gemini is part of Google’s system, teachers cannot simply block it in the same way they could block separate websites or applications.
“So we are forced now to deal with that, by either blocking it or fully rewriting everything from research reports to tests,” Barrett said.
Junior Alexis Lee stated that she has not personally noticed a major change in Google Classroom since Gemini was incorporated. However, she believes the change could affect how both teachers and students use the technology.
“I personally think AI is a double-edged sword,” Lee said. “Even though I personally do not see the change, I can imagine it must be irritating for teachers,” Lee said.
Students have already been using AI before its integration into Google products, but the change has made it so that using AI is unavoidable, Barrett said.
“AI usage has come to a point where students don’t realize they are cheating,” Barrett said.
The increased dependence on AI has affected the way Barrett approaches assignments and grading, he said.
“I don’t ever count homework or things that they do outside of the classroom,” Barrett said.
Several teachers have changed their grading practices because of AI, Barrett said.
“Most of us have been forced to change our grade weighting,” Barrett said.
The people who are the most impacted are unfortunately the talented writers of this generation, Barrett said.
“They now need to prove it’s their writing by doing drafts they might not actually need to do,” Barrett said. “Instead of doing drafts to improve, students are now doing it for defense.”
Despite several concerns about AI, there are situations where the technology can be useful in education, Barrett said.
“AI is good for Lexile levels and good for translating different languages,” Barrett said.
Social science teacher Danilo Escobar also stated that AI can be helpful when used for repetitive tasks, he said.
“If there’s something that you want to improve on, build a skill or build a wealth of knowledge on, then don’t use AI to replace that activity,” Escobar stated.
The switch in Google has not significantly changed Escobar’s own use of Google Classroom because he does not regularly use Google products with students, he said. However he believes that teachers who rely more heavily on Google products may have to take additional steps to restrict Gemini.
“I haven’t noticed it too much of an issue because I tend to block almost all Google in class anyways,” Escobar added.
One concern with AI is that students may focus more on completing work quickly than actually learning the material, Escobar said.
“Learning requires friction, and AI removes that friction,” Escobar said.
While some students may be able to use AI independently as a learning tool, many students still benefit from learning with other people, Escobar said.
“I think the majority of students need the social aspects of learning,” Escobar said.
Students should learn how to use AI without allowing it to replace the basic skills they are expected to develop, Escobar said.
“You have to learn the basics in order to move on to the next step,” Escobar added.
