Hi, and welcome to “Teaching World Language with Technology.” I am Guy Trainin, a professor in the Department of Teaching Learning and Teacher Education at UNL. And I am Crystal Liu, the World Language Specialist at the Nebraska Department of Education. This is the final episode of our series, and we hope it becomes popular enough to have a second season. The use of ChatGPT in the world language classroom is the newest trend that is making waves in the education world.
As world language teachers, we can utilize ChatGPT for various purposes. It can be used for teaching, searching for information, and generating ideas for teaching. It is important for us to be aware of its capabilities and limitations, as it is publicly available and can potentially be used by our students for their homework. By understanding what ChatGPT can and cannot do, we can effectively incorporate it into our teaching practices.
One way to use ChatGPT is to generate short dialogues in different languages. For example, I asked ChatGPT to create a short dialogue in French between Philippe and Jacque about going to a party, and it quickly generated the dialogue. Additionally, ChatGPT can be used to generate cultural information, such as descriptions of Chinese food and decorations for Chinese New Year. It can also provide writing samples and topic ideas for students.
However, we must also consider the challenges that arise when students have access to ChatGPT. They can use it at home to create similar texts, which raises questions about the authenticity of their work. To address this, we can adopt a flipped classroom approach, where the creation of content happens in class while consuming information occurs at home. This way, we can monitor and guide students’ use of ChatGPT while ensuring they develop their own language skills.
In the classroom, we can engage students in open discussions about ChatGPT and demonstrate our own use of it. By involving students in the decision-making process, we can create a collaborative learning environment. For homework assignments, we can encourage students to use ChatGPT as a resource for generating ideas and expanding their vocabulary. It is important to strike a balance between utilizing technology and maintaining the essential aspects of language learning, such as spelling and character creation.
Overall, ChatGPT offers exciting opportunities for language teachers and students. It can assist in generating content, providing cultural information, and stimulating creativity. By understanding its potential and integrating it into our teaching practices, we can enhance the language learning experience for our students. Thank you for joining us in this series, and if you enjoyed it, please leave a like and comment. We appreciate your support and may consider creating another series in the future.
