Students blog

Education is a vital resource for our technical and social interaction with the communities around us. As technology progresses, K-12 and Higher Education find themselves at the behest of new tools and avenues of learning in our contemporary world. Computers, calculators, and mobile devices drastically changed how we learn in the classroom. What used to be bound to a physical location has become available 24/7 through digital technologies. The internet gave us easy, quick access to the expanse of human knowledge at the click of a button. Now, there is a new digital tool sweeping across the world, useful in every point of life: generative AI. 
 

Having become popular in the past couple of years, generative AI chatbots specifically have taken over the news with their dramatic changes to industries, everyday life, and the classroom. A controversial topic as well by the way it learns and the validity of its output, this new technology has yet again flipped the table concerning certain practices and learning objectives. Within the classroom, generative AIs like Chat GPT, Perplexity, and Claude have found themselves to be useful tools for completing assignments and education. By simply asking the AI chatbot, you are given an answer based on the information bestowed. This technology, however, has also been used for academically dishonest tasks. That doesn’t mean that this new tool is immediately the worst product to come out. Like a calculator, AI is a tool, and like every tool, you use it to better your work. If you rely on it too heavily, you will get nowhere in the end. 
 

Taking computer science classes in AI allows me to expand my programs beyond an assignment’s basic requirements. With AI, I have been able to understand more deeply the complex concepts I apply to my code, making me a more well-rounded computer scientist and computer programmer. However, when I used this tool, I didn’t ask the chatbot how to do the assignment. If I ran into issues I couldn’t solve or questions I would like to learn more about, I fed information to the AI detailing. In response, you can get not only an answer but detailed feedback that leads up to that answer and possible information beyond.  
 
Now, this isn’t entirely a computer science tool. As a writing assistant, chatbot AI models can assist with small tasks in your writing. By utilizing the chatbot as a tool and a reference, we can come to understand the interaction as a conversation; you want to balance out the back and forth to not be so one-sided. The more one-sided it becomes, the more you might not find what you want from that AI. Or you might find you’ve taken too much and are coming up with something you do not understand. 
 

An amazing contemporary technology, generative AI has completely changed the different stages of the world. Like a tool, it is good to start using it early. By understanding AI, you can further develop your skills and become more productive in whatever facet of your life you are working on, remembering that you work alongside it, not for it. 

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Creative hobbies can be some of the most influential pieces to maintaining a healthy balance within your life. Having a creative outlet is human nature, it is how we have all the things that exist around us.

Avoid comparisons

Through our hobbies, we express ourselves by putting our passion into what we make. It is important when you are creating to avoid comparing your work and output to others, as every process is not the same. Even if we follow directions step-by-step, the end will never be the same result as others. It is important to keep in mind that regardless of what you create, you are learning and exploring just like everyone else. As you continue to advance into your practice, you’ll find that you start making the patterns that help you tie together a community that grows from the simple fact of creation itself.

Be open to exploration

Sometimes it can be difficult to keep creating; things in life come up and the world seems to spin faster than it did before. It is okay to then branch out into new things. When you find yourself in a rut you might feel lost, but it is thinking and learning outside of what you know that will get you going again. As humans we were not meant to stay in one place forever, our brains won’t allow it. Simply exploring one corner for all time will leave you there. It is only when you turn around that you find a whole space full of your interests. And don’t think that you must give up on the medium you love if you need a break. Sometimes it is those breaks that enhance our comeback to our creations.

The world is full of countless crafts; whether physical, digital, auditory, etc. You can find creative practices all over. When creating, we become attuned with the world around us, taking a break from the pressures of our environments and allowing us to escape into a world of expression.

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A sketchbook allows you to create a visual and textual imprint of your thoughts. Image-making is an inherent fascination of the human mind. Through sketching, you can wholly render and express your thoughts. Like a journal, a sketchbook is a key to your consciousness; keeping one on your person always allows you to communicate emotion.

You don’t have to be an artist; a sketchbook can simultaneously be notes and images of your environment. You could be jotting down notes in class or drawing while waiting outside.

Sketchbooks offer consistent mental exercise. The dynamic between the visual and textual speaks to how we comprehend information. It relaxes us; it empowers us to take what we see, hear, and feel, and communicate it through ourselves. Keeping a sketchbook allows you to connect with yourself and your environment.

Like Journaling with a Twist!

Sketching is commonly associated with an artist or a designer; however, you don’t need to be one to do it! Having a sketchbook gives you a visual diary of your life. We are connected to a visible environment: I love to sit outside and sketch my surroundings; however, I also use my sketchbook as a facet of internal comprehension. Whether through words or putting pen to paper and expressing myself on the page, I write and draw my feelings and frustrations.

You don’t have to be a master at drawing to sketch; you don’t even have to make art: sketching is about getting an idea, feeling, or emotion onto paper. When you journal or write, you describe your life in words; however, in a sketchbook, you can use form, line, or even color to lay out your thinking.

Like a journal, a sketchbook can be a private diary, but it can also be a place to take notes and observe (you can even write in it like a journal). There are no bounds to your imagination!

Doodle All the Time!

Doodling keeps your brain relaxed and communitive. We have so many distractions: lights, sounds, etc. When you sketch, your hand glides across the paper's surface. You're not thinking about the final product; you ease back, and your thoughts start to clear. The agitated atmosphere within your head drifts away.

It’s easy to find yourself bored in class. It happens to me quite frequently. The notes seem to fade away and you find yourself drifting into the background. However, in front of you, that notebook or homework sheet, you have a piece of paper. What can bring you back out of your mind can be doodling across the borders of your paper. Surprisingly, this focuses you back into the world and your environment. By giving your mind time to relax, you actively retain knowledge presented by the professor.

So, when you find yourself drifting away into the realm of boredom, try doodling in your sketchbook or on your paper. You can even sketch and take notes, which is my favorite thing to do in lecture classes!

Our mind is a significant part of us. Stretch your brain and give it some time to breathe. We’re a visual culture: by creating images, we can communicate our thoughts, feelings, and emotions into the perceivable world.

Do you have a compelling story or student success tips you’d like to see published on the Pearson Students blog?  If you are a college student and interested in writing for us – click here to pitch your idea and get started!