The flexibility of LLMs requires that we be especially thoughtful about the user interface decisions we make in order for them to be fruitful in education
I'm thinking about another aspect of flexibility of LLMs that we need to be mindful of. That is the flexibility of TIMING. Do we assume that as soon as our students have access to a keyboard, they then be latched onto the nipple of the LLM? I'm thinking about my own writing journey, which included making a bunch of mistakes for decades: spelling, grammar, poor word choice, disorganization, weak arguments, missing the point, etc. and then learning how to overcome those mistakes the next time around. Today, I am a fairly confident writer, only because I've struggled with the process for years and sought to perfect the skill. The LEX WP you described sounds like the perfect tool to ensure that I only produce "perfect" writing as long as I invoke it. I suppose I might never have truly learned to write if I always had good ol' LEX to lean on from early years onward. Is there any way to make LLMs so that they recognize the development stage of the user and either help provide assistance to a more perfect result, or hold back and let the user make mistakes from which they will later have to learn? (Oh, I try so hard to suppress the Luddite in me, but alas).
I'm also glad you made it through the cornfields to visit us at Taylor! :)
Thanks for hosting me!
I'm thinking about another aspect of flexibility of LLMs that we need to be mindful of. That is the flexibility of TIMING. Do we assume that as soon as our students have access to a keyboard, they then be latched onto the nipple of the LLM? I'm thinking about my own writing journey, which included making a bunch of mistakes for decades: spelling, grammar, poor word choice, disorganization, weak arguments, missing the point, etc. and then learning how to overcome those mistakes the next time around. Today, I am a fairly confident writer, only because I've struggled with the process for years and sought to perfect the skill. The LEX WP you described sounds like the perfect tool to ensure that I only produce "perfect" writing as long as I invoke it. I suppose I might never have truly learned to write if I always had good ol' LEX to lean on from early years onward. Is there any way to make LLMs so that they recognize the development stage of the user and either help provide assistance to a more perfect result, or hold back and let the user make mistakes from which they will later have to learn? (Oh, I try so hard to suppress the Luddite in me, but alas).