1/3 of my class used AI on the most recent paper in my Critical Thinking class.

Reply to 1/3 of my class used AI on the most recent paper in my Critical Thinking class. on Sun, 12 Apr 2026 16:02:41 GMT

rjblaskiewicz@mstdn.social — Sun, 12 Apr 2026 16:02:41 GMT

@oblomov @wim_v12e @PH7831 @drahardja @lastofthem I guess it knows where the zip code is and the street address and that's a big hint.

Reply to 1/3 of my class used AI on the most recent paper in my Critical Thinking class. on Sun, 12 Apr 2026 15:13:22 GMT

ericlawton@kolektiva.social — Sun, 12 Apr 2026 15:13:22 GMT

@rjblaskiewicz

Most days, I spend an hour or two writing about something I'm trying to learn, because I find it the best way to make the long-term changes in my brain that constitute learning.

IDK if your students know how unimportant grades are. I have never been asked for grades; at most for the degree certificate. I have never asked people I hired for grades. Maybe they will be asked for their first job when they don't have employment history. Or maybe to continue in academia.

But having those skills matter. Most jobs have a probationary period and they won't keep the job if they don't have the skills.

It seems AI usage is going to force major changes in our education systems. I hope we apply some critical thinking to the purposes of education from the points of view first of students, then of wider society, then of employers.

@blogdiva

Reply to 1/3 of my class used AI on the most recent paper in my Critical Thinking class. on Sun, 12 Apr 2026 15:08:56 GMT

jimluther@techhub.social — Sun, 12 Apr 2026 15:08:56 GMT

@rjblaskiewicz My English teacher from 1984 assumed using a computer to write papers was cheating - she thought it was writing papers for me. I explained it was just a writing tool like a typewriter that made editing easier.

42 years later and she is correct.

Reply to 1/3 of my class used AI on the most recent paper in my Critical Thinking class. on Sun, 12 Apr 2026 14:56:52 GMT

oblomov@sociale.network — Sun, 12 Apr 2026 14:56:52 GMT

@rjblaskiewicz @wim_v12e @PH7831 @drahardja @lastofthem for a very specific set of possible texts

Reply to 1/3 of my class used AI on the most recent paper in my Critical Thinking class. on Sun, 12 Apr 2026 13:11:46 GMT

forestfern@mastodon.social — Sun, 12 Apr 2026 13:11:46 GMT

@traecer.

I loved listening to Teletypes print at a radio station I was at back in the mid-80s. Weather reports, sports, etc. Essentially a newsfeed printed on paper. Still with issues with the ink ribbons and paper jams. One typist could blast reports out across the world.

@rjblaskiewicz

Reply to 1/3 of my class used AI on the most recent paper in my Critical Thinking class. on Sun, 12 Apr 2026 12:58:06 GMT

ph7831@pouet.chapril.org — Sun, 12 Apr 2026 12:58:06 GMT

@rjblaskiewicz @wim_v12e @drahardja @lastofthem I guess some would call it an handwriting recognition AI now, and will charge it thrice the price.

Reply to 1/3 of my class used AI on the most recent paper in my Critical Thinking class. on Sun, 12 Apr 2026 12:57:28 GMT

traecer@techhub.social — Sun, 12 Apr 2026 12:57:28 GMT

@rjblaskiewicz @forestfern
teletypes are essentially just typewriters attached to a computer...could one post to Mastodon from a teletype?

Reply to 1/3 of my class used AI on the most recent paper in my Critical Thinking class. on Sun, 12 Apr 2026 12:13:30 GMT

technothrasher@universeodon.com — Sun, 12 Apr 2026 12:13:30 GMT

@rjblaskiewicz That was my general conclusion as well. I can sympathize with the frustration of trying to deal with an incoming class of students who have all been using AI through their entire high school career now, but just giving up is not the way.

Reply to 1/3 of my class used AI on the most recent paper in my Critical Thinking class. on Sun, 12 Apr 2026 11:59:58 GMT

rjblaskiewicz@mstdn.social — Sun, 12 Apr 2026 11:59:58 GMT

@capnthommo @Legit_Spaghetti

Right. It used to be that extensive plagiarism meant doing as much work as writing the damned paper. Not anymore.

Reply to 1/3 of my class used AI on the most recent paper in my Critical Thinking class. on Sun, 12 Apr 2026 11:59:06 GMT

rjblaskiewicz@mstdn.social — Sun, 12 Apr 2026 11:59:06 GMT

@xgebi @flipper I had a little training on the job with manuscript studies. Deciphering handwriting sucks.

Reply to 1/3 of my class used AI on the most recent paper in my Critical Thinking class. on Sun, 12 Apr 2026 11:57:38 GMT

rjblaskiewicz@mstdn.social — Sun, 12 Apr 2026 11:57:38 GMT

@wim_v12e @lastofthem I'm sure LLMs are a powerful force, but I'm not sure we know what they're a powerful force for yet.

Reply to 1/3 of my class used AI on the most recent paper in my Critical Thinking class. on Sun, 12 Apr 2026 11:56:37 GMT

rjblaskiewicz@mstdn.social — Sun, 12 Apr 2026 11:56:37 GMT

@wim_v12e @PH7831 @drahardja @lastofthem Haven't national mail services used handwriting recognition for decades?

Reply to 1/3 of my class used AI on the most recent paper in my Critical Thinking class. on Sun, 12 Apr 2026 11:51:14 GMT

rjblaskiewicz@mstdn.social — Sun, 12 Apr 2026 11:51:14 GMT

@technothrasher That instructor is in the wrong business.

Reply to 1/3 of my class used AI on the most recent paper in my Critical Thinking class. on Sun, 12 Apr 2026 11:47:11 GMT

technothrasher@universeodon.com — Sun, 12 Apr 2026 11:47:11 GMT

@rjblaskiewicz My son was recently told in his college freshman English class that he was probably "too advanced" for the class when he told the professor he'd rather *not* use AI to help write his papers, after it was suggested the whole class do so. He's definitely not "too advanced", he has a diagnosed learning disability with writing. Professor has just given up.

Reply to 1/3 of my class used AI on the most recent paper in my Critical Thinking class. on Sun, 12 Apr 2026 10:23:16 GMT

spanghero@ioc.exchange — Sun, 12 Apr 2026 10:23:16 GMT

@rjblaskiewicz 1/3 amusing at the lack of even a basic understanding of thinking, critical or otherwiae and 2/3 quiet desperation that this may be our collective future as these people and thousands like them are turned loose on an unsuspecting public with ever more damaging tools that they consider aids to boost their own cleverness.

Reply to 1/3 of my class used AI on the most recent paper in my Critical Thinking class. on Sun, 12 Apr 2026 09:44:35 GMT

jaypeach53@mastodon.social — Sun, 12 Apr 2026 09:44:35 GMT

@rjblaskiewicz @forestfern growing up, we had an Olympic manual. I hated that machine and I still don’t do touch typing.

Reply to 1/3 of my class used AI on the most recent paper in my Critical Thinking class. on Sun, 12 Apr 2026 09:21:55 GMT

xgebi@hachyderm.io — Sun, 12 Apr 2026 09:21:55 GMT

@forestfern @rjblaskiewicz Do you know if there are typewriters with Dvorak layout? I'm not going back to QWERTY based layouts...

Reply to 1/3 of my class used AI on the most recent paper in my Critical Thinking class. on Sun, 12 Apr 2026 09:21:02 GMT

xgebi@hachyderm.io — Sun, 12 Apr 2026 09:21:02 GMT

@flipper @rjblaskiewicz Have ever tried to decipher dysgraphic's handwriting?

At school we were taught https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/9/9c/Psac%C3%AD_p%C3%ADsmo.gif

I had to customize it to be able to read what I've written...

Reply to 1/3 of my class used AI on the most recent paper in my Critical Thinking class. on Sun, 12 Apr 2026 08:45:50 GMT

wim_v12e@scholar.social — Sun, 12 Apr 2026 08:45:50 GMT

@PH7831 @drahardja @lastofthem
You'd have to train it on an extensive sample of the writing of every individual student to get reasonably accuracy. We have hundreds of students per class.

Reply to 1/3 of my class used AI on the most recent paper in my Critical Thinking class. on Sun, 12 Apr 2026 08:43:57 GMT

wim_v12e@scholar.social — Sun, 12 Apr 2026 08:43:57 GMT

@lastofthem @rjblaskiewicz
My university has gone back to invigilated pen-and-paper exams.

Reply to 1/3 of my class used AI on the most recent paper in my Critical Thinking class. on Sun, 12 Apr 2026 08:21:13 GMT

capnthommo@c.im — Sun, 12 Apr 2026 08:21:13 GMT

@rjblaskiewicz @forestfern ferocious addiction to white-out. My first band name.

Reply to 1/3 of my class used AI on the most recent paper in my Critical Thinking class. on Sun, 12 Apr 2026 08:18:03 GMT

capnthommo@c.im — Sun, 12 Apr 2026 08:18:03 GMT

@Legit_Spaghetti @rjblaskiewicz and we will now dissect Timmy's paper phrase by phrase to examine why he has failed.
When I was at uni the main, and very minor, concern was occasional light plagiarism. Now it seems as if it's a whole fiction industry.

Reply to 1/3 of my class used AI on the most recent paper in my Critical Thinking class. on Sun, 12 Apr 2026 08:08:10 GMT

ph7831@pouet.chapril.org — Sun, 12 Apr 2026 08:08:10 GMT

@drahardja @lastofthem I wonder if it would not be useful, for deciphering handwriting, to use ... an AI...
🤪

Reply to 1/3 of my class used AI on the most recent paper in my Critical Thinking class. on Sun, 12 Apr 2026 08:00:13 GMT

drahardja@sfba.social — Sun, 12 Apr 2026 08:00:13 GMT

@lastofthem Because you’d have to read their godforsaken handwriting later?

These are kids who probably haven’t written anything since kindergarten.