Latest news with #UniversityofPugetSound
Yahoo
11-05-2025
- Yahoo
‘Help me write': AI can jump start your kid's writing, but beware of the dangers
As I type this, a little gray message keeps popping up. 'Help me write,' it offers whenever I pause for a certain length of time. It makes me chuckle, because writing is my job, and then grumble. I don't need the help to get started on a writing assignment, but this wasn't always the case. Even though teachers complimented my writing, I struggled with getting started for years. But I practiced starting, and eventually finishing, writing assignments over and over again until it stopped being so hard. More than almost any skill I've learned to do over the years, I consider getting started my superpower. Now, I'm concerned that fewer people could learn it as ChatGPT and other generative AI becomes a beacon for students who are staring down a blank page on a deadline. Not wanting to sit at my desk fretting about kids these days, I reached out to experts in AI and higher education. They too have their eye on the way students use AI in writing assignments. The good news is that instructors are making the potential pitfalls of AI as much a part of the curriculum as its possible uses. It comes down to teaching students the value of being human. Gareth Barkin, Dean of Operations and Technology at the University of Puget Sound, said professors there have a lot of discretion in how they limit or encourage the use of AI. It's a balancing act, because writing an original essay or research paper teaches students critical thinking skills. But banning the tools altogether could leave graduates unprepared to work in a world where AI tools are prevalent. 'We don't want to live in denial and imagine that these tools won't be available,' Barkin said. It would be hard to say how much genuine writing ChatGPT and its ilk are replacing, since there have always been ways to get words on the screen without putting much thought into it. When it comes to outright cheating, the difference now is that a software program is doing the writing instead of another student who's earning some money on the side (RIP to that income stream). There's also old-fashioned, copy-paste plagiarism, and the dishonorable tradition of 'BS-ing' your way through a writing assignment. The students I'm worried about are the ones who have a spark inside them, but find the process intimidating. Maybe they feel overwhelmed by an assignment that's asking a lot more of them than they're used to. Maybe they're putting a lot of pressure on themselves, and need the courage to start even though the first few drafts won't meet their own standards. Barkin's colleague, Julie Christoff, teaches rhetoric and composition at UPS. She agrees that students lose something by using AI tools to get started, which may be tempting because they're worried their arguments aren't strong enough. 'That really short-circuits the thinking process,' she said. Alternatively, free-writing and brainstorming with other humans can help students discover and refine their own ideas. In addition to making time for students to do these activities, teachers can make it clear during class time that they care about what their students have to say, Christoff said. Improving is humbling. You have to be at least a little bad at something before you can be competent. Personally, I've dealt with a cycle of perfectionism, procrastination and self-loathing. That sounds something like, 'I need this piece of writing to be amazing. I'm avoiding starting because the fear of failing is deeply unpleasant. Now I have even less time to make this amazing, it's my fault, I'm a piece of garbage.' Rinse and repeat. A little gray message offering to 'help' me write might have been all too tempting as I learned to overcome this. And maybe it would have made my life a little better in the short run. There's an argument to be made for using generative AI to write a first draft that you then write over to include your style, stronger arguments and important details that got left out by the machine. But most professional writers will tell you that they already do the equivalent of ChatGPT's job in this scenario. They smash out a first draft, turning off their inner critic as much as they can and getting something on the page. Then they write over it. (Some people claim writing just comes out of them onto the page in its final form. Those people are the worst.) By making this process an ordinary part of my life, I've made huge personal progress in breaking that cycle of procrastination and, frankly, mean thoughts about myself. I still avoid some things that feel extremely important to me, but the level of pain this causes in my life is much lower than it once was. Barkin points out that students need to learn to push through this process if they're going to go on to use AI effectively in the workplace. Maybe they'll need to bring a human eye to something written by ChatGPT, giving it a thorough edit to catch random errors and add nuance and clarity. You can't do a good job of editing something written by AI, Barkin said, 'until you learn to write convincingly and clearly yourself.' To do that, you have to get Hautala is the opinion editor for the Tacoma News-Tribune.
Yahoo
09-05-2025
- Yahoo
AI could jump start your kid's writing. Why that could hold them back
As I type this, a little gray message keeps popping up. 'Help me write,' it offers whenever I pause for a certain length of time. It makes me chuckle, because writing is my job, and then grumble. I don't need the help to get started on a writing assignment, but this wasn't always the case. Even though teachers complimented my writing, I struggled with getting started for years. But I practiced starting, and eventually finishing, writing assignments over and over again until it stopped being so hard. More than almost any skill I've learned to do over the years, I consider getting started my superpower. Now, I'm concerned that fewer people could learn it as ChatGPT and other generative AI becomes a beacon for students who are staring down a blank page on a deadline. Not wanting to sit at my desk fretting about kids these days, I reached out to local experts in AI and higher education. They too have their eye on the way students use AI in writing assignments. The good news is that instructors are making the potential pitfalls of AI as much a part of the curriculum as its possible uses. It comes down to teaching students the value of being human. Gareth Barkin, Dean of Operations and Technology at the University of Puget Sound, said professors there have a lot of discretion in how they limit or encourage the use of AI. It's a balancing act, because writing an original essay or research paper teaches students critical thinking skills. But banning the tools altogether could leave graduates unprepared to work in a world where AI tools are prevalent. 'We don't want to live in denial and imagine that these tools won't be available,' Barkin said. It would be hard to say how much genuine writing ChatGPT and its ilk are replacing, since there have always been ways to get words on the screen without putting much thought into it. When it comes to outright cheating, the difference now is that a software program is doing the writing instead of another student who's earning some money on the side (RIP to that income stream). There's also old-fashioned, copy-paste plagiarism, and the dishonorable tradition of 'BS-ing' your way through a writing assignment. The students I'm worried about are the ones who have a spark inside them, but find the process intimidating. Maybe they feel overwhelmed by an assignment that's asking a lot more of them than they're used to. Maybe they're putting a lot of pressure on themselves, and need the courage to start even though the first few drafts won't meet their own standards. Barkin's colleague, Julie Christoff, teaches rhetoric and composition at UPS. She agrees that students lose something by using AI tools to get started, which may be tempting because they're worried their arguments aren't strong enough. 'That really short-circuits the thinking process,' she said. Alternatively, free-writing and brainstorming with other humans can help students discover and refine their own ideas. In addition to making time for students to do these activities, teachers can make it clear during class time that they care about what their students have to say, Christoff said. Improving is humbling. You have to be at least a little bad at something before you can be competent. Personally, I've dealt with a cycle of perfectionism, procrastination and self-loathing. That sounds something like, 'I need this piece of writing to be amazing. I'm avoiding starting because the fear of failing is deeply unpleasant. Now I have even less time to make this amazing, it's my fault, I'm a piece of garbage.' Rinse and repeat. A little gray message offering to 'help' me write might have been all too tempting as I learned to overcome this. And maybe it would have made my life a little better in the short run. There's an argument to be made for using generative AI to write a first draft that you then write over to include your style, stronger arguments and important details that got left out by the machine. But most professional writers will tell you that they already do the equivalent of ChatGPT's job in this scenario. They smash out a first draft, turning off their inner critic as much as they can and getting something on the page. Then they write over it. (Some people claim writing just comes out of them onto the page in its final form. Those people are the worst.) By making this process an ordinary part of my life, I've made huge personal progress in breaking that cycle of procrastination and, frankly, mean thoughts about myself. I still avoid some things that feel extremely important to me, but the level of pain this causes in my life is much lower than it once was. Barkin points out that students need to learn to push through this process if they're going to go on to use AI effectively in the workplace. Maybe they'll need to bring a human eye to something written by ChatGPT, giving it a thorough edit to catch random errors and add nuance and clarity. You can't do a good job of editing something written by AI, Barkin said, 'until you learn to write convincingly and clearly yourself.' To do that, you have to get started.
Yahoo
19-03-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Stock up on local sweets, art, vintage wares at fundraising festival Saturday in Tacoma
Fieldhouse Flea Market, an annual festival at University of Puget Sound, returns this Saturday with more than 80 vendors offering vintage goodies, local art, jewelry, gifts and lots of food for lunch on site as well as snacks for later. The university's Women's League, which celebrates its 125th anniversary this year, has hosted the event since 1968. The entirety of each $5 entry fee helps fund student scholarships. There will be seven broad categories of vendors: ▪ Antique, vintage and repurposed ▪ Candles, soaps and salves ▪ Clothing ▪ Creatives and makers, including terrariums, macrame and Tacoma-themed gifts ▪ Jewelry ▪ Letterpress, paper and print ▪ Food, drink and baked goods, including packaged foods Kris Hay, who recently retired from a nearly 20-year career on her alma mater's administrative staff, has once again curated the robust food court. She is also the woman behind Tacoma Aroma Flavor on Instagram, where she highlights local restaurants and other small businesses, and is working on a book highlighting recipes from area chefs. Head to the outdoor food court for Big Dawgs Hot Dogs; vegan burgers, hoagies and snacks like elotes from Chubby Plant 253; and Trinidadian specialties from Trini Plate. There you'll also find Purdy Good Pickles, Pop Kettlecorn, Thirst Killer Lemonade and coffee pop-up Cafesito con Ruby. Stop by the booths of Girl Loves Cake Desserts for the city's best macarons and The Common Cookie, a gluten-free baker with recipes like Key Lime Pie, Almond Frangipane and Brown Butter Triple Chocolate. A few indoor food vendors include Bootsie's Sauce Co. (barbecue sauces), The Brown Pecan (candied pecans with a whisper of heat), Jammin on the One (jam in flavors like Ginger Peach and Mango Habanero), Liberte du Monde Gourmet (teas, seasonings, spices and other culinary ingredients), Alpenglow Cocktail Co. (nonalcoholic cocktail mixers), and Baltic Crumbs (Eastern European-focused bakery). ▪ When: March 22, 10 a.m.-4 p.m. ▪ Where: University of Puget Sound Memorial Fieldhouse, 3326 N. 11th St., Tacoma, ▪ What: vintage and makers market with 70+ vendors, including 15 food booths ▪ If you go: tickets $5 at the door ($6 in advance online, no charge for kids under 5) — proceeds support student scholarships; cash encouraged for vendors but cards accepted at many
Yahoo
31-01-2025
- Yahoo
King County deputy, first to identify Ted Bundy, retires
BURIEN, Wash. - Burien's police chief recognized King County Sgt. Henry McLauchlan for his 46 years of service on Wednesday. Sergeant McLauchlan joined the sheriff's office in 1979 and spent 25 years working in Burien. King County Sheriff Patti Cole Tindall presented him with a certificate of retirement, along with a cake, thanking him for his service. McLauchlan says he was going to retire a few years ago, but got the opportunity to supervise the Crime Reduction Unit, teaming up with mental health professionals. "I told myself when I got to the point that it was difficult to get up in the morning, it's now time, and there is a piece of me that you go, 'I've got to be able to take care of my people,' so if something happens, you got to be able to support them. I can still do that, but I am not sure how long I'd be laid up in the hospital if I did," McLauchlan said. The ceremony was held in the same room where the Green River Task Force was set up. McLauchlan worked on the Gary Ridgway case, and was the first person to identify Ted Bundy while working security at the University of Puget Sound. He ran the license plate and got all of Bundy's information for investigators. McLauchlan now plans to turn off his phone and sleep, as getting up at 3:30 a.m. every day has been a little too much. Where migrant ICE raids, arrests are already happening: List Oldest running movie theater in WA closing, hoping to relocate Toto, Christopher Cross, Men at Work to rock WA State Fair What are the chances of a February snow storm in Seattle? Here's what we know Is it illegal to warm your car up unattended in WA? Here's what you need to know To get the best local news, weather and sports in Seattle for free, sign up for the daily Fox Seattle Newsletter. Download the free FOX Seattle FOX LOCAL app for mobile in the Apple App Store or Google Play Store for live Seattle news, top stories, weather updates and more local and national coverage, plus 24/7 streaming coverage from across the nation.
