Students use ChatGPT and an AI image generator to explore how phone use shapes attention and learning. They compare AI answers and images about distracted vs. focused classrooms. Then they reflect on what kind of class they want to be part of.
Phones are a big part of our lives. But in class, they can pull our focus away from each other and from learning. This activity uses AI to show how phones affect what we see, hear, and remember. It helps students ask: Who’s really in control — me or my phone? And what kind of classroom do we want to build together?
Instructions
- Open ChatGPT and start a new chat.
- Ask: “What happens in a high school classroom where everyone is on their phone during a lesson?”
- Read the response. Highlight anything that sounds true for your experience.
- Then ask: “What happens in a classroom where students are focused and talking to each other instead?”
- Compare the two answers. Which classroom sounds better? Why?
- Now go to an AI image generator (like Bing Image Creator or DALL·E).
- Enter two prompts:
- “A high school classroom where every student is on their phone”
- “A high school classroom where students are talking, working together, and focused”
- Look at both images. Which classroom feels more like a place where you’d want to learn?
- Write a short reflection or journal entry:
Conscientization
Reading the world through this activity
- What did the AI show about phone use in class?
- What parts felt true to your life?
- What do phones make harder in school?
- Who might benefit when students are distracted?
- Who might lose out?
Praxis
Reflection leading to transformation
- What kind of classroom do you want to be part of this year?
- What needs to change to make that happen?
- How could phone use help — or hurt — that goal?
- What agreement could we make as a group to stay more present together?
Dialogue
Ongoing discussion
- Share the AI images and answers with a partner or small group.
- What did you notice across everyone’s results?
- Did the AI responses or images surprise you?
- What kind of classroom culture do you want to help create — and how can we support each other?