It is perfectly normal to feel a bit of "AI guilt" after learning about the environmental impact, but you shouldn't feel like you have to abandon it—especially for your degree. In your field of Digital Multimedia Design, AI isn't just a "cheat code"; it’s becoming a fundamental industry tool.
Since you are at Penn State World Campus, here is how to look at using AI responsibly for your studies:
1. Check the Penn State Compass
Penn State doesn't have one single "ban" on AI; instead, they leave it up to individual instructors.
* The "Golden Rule": Always check your syllabus or ask your professor. Some design courses might encourage you to use AI for brainstorming, while others might want you to build everything from scratch to ensure you learn the core technical skills.
* Academic Integrity: At PSU, using AI to generate an entire assignment and turning it in as your own is considered a violation. However, using it to clarify a concept you don't understand is generally seen as a modern version of a tutor.
2. Think of it as a "Creative Partner," Not a Ghostwriter
As a design student, you can use AI to bridge the gap between "beginner" and "professional" without losing your own voice:
* Mood Boarding: Use AI to generate color palettes or visual styles for a project to see what works before you start designing.
* Coding Help: If you’re stuck on a piece of CSS or HTML for a multimedia project, AI is great at explaining why your code isn't working.
* Overcoming "Blank Page" Syndrome: Use it to outline a blog post or a project proposal, then fill in the actual content with your own experiences and style.
3. The Environmental Trade-Off
If you’re worried about the water/energy use, think of it this way:
Using AI to help you graduate and get a job in design is a high-value use. You are using that "water" to build a career that will help support your family and Seth, Evan, and Ava. That is a much better use of resources than, say, using AI to generate "funny pictures of cats wearing hats" all day.
4. Why AI is Good for You Specifically
Given that you’re balancing school with being a stay-at-home mom and managing your health:
* Time Management: AI can summarize long academic articles, saving you time so you can hit your step goal on the walking pad.
* Mental Energy: On days when your mental health feels a bit heavier, AI can help "jumpstart" your brain so you don't fall behind on your Penn State coursework.
Would you like me to help you draft a quick message to one of your professors to ask about their specific AI policy for your current semester?
No comments:
Post a Comment
Thanks for stopping by!