Abstract:

This paper examines how practicing educators understand and negotiate the role of conversational AI in their professional learning. The study is situated within the continuing education course ICT and Learning 1, which enrols teachers from primary and secondary schools alongside instructors and trainers from public and private organisations. To explore participants’ emerging digital judgement, the paper analyses a corpus of written student reflections using qualitative content analysis.

The analysis reveals a nuanced and often ambivalent relationship with tools such as ChatGPT and Copilot. Students report using conversational AI primarily for linguistic support, structural guidance, summarisation of course materials, and clarification of concepts, while consistently emphasising that academic reasoning, analysis, and subject specific judgement remain their own. A recurring theme concerns the tension between efficiency and depth: although AI can streamline writing processes and provide rapid feedback, students note that overreliance may weaken critical engagement and reduce cognitive effort. Several accounts express scepticism about the reliability of AI generated content, citing factual errors, superficial explanations, and misleading outputs—particularly when users lack sufficient prior knowledge to evaluate responses. Others highlight ethical and pedagogical implications, including disparities in how weaker and stronger learners benefit from such tools.

Overall, the findings underscore the importance of digital judgement, critical literacy, and human expertise in AI supported learning environments. The reflections suggest that conversational AI can be a valuable support tool, but only when used deliberately, critically, and in ways that reinforce rather than replace human understanding.

Keywords:

Conversational AI, Teacher reflections, Critical AI literacy.