Dream It, Build It

A couple weeks ago, I wrote about how NOT to use AI. How using it to replace your own creativity and innovation is a bad thing. This week, I want to talk about how AI can be used to take that creativity and innovation and expand it exponentially to create some incredible things that you never would have thought you were capable of. Everything shown here was created by me in just the last couple of months. In each case, I began with a "problem" and I imagined what the best possible solution could be.

The Staff Directory

The Problem: Our staff directory was in a static spreadsheet that someone had to manually update as new staff were added or removed - and that person wasn't always made aware of newly added staff members. It also wasn't searchable or filterable.

The Goal: I wish there was a way to automate this process while also making it more user friendly and modern-looking.

The Process:

1. Thanks to the help of the district IT department, we found a way to automatically update the staff list every night by exporting from our personnel software. But I still needed to have someone manually enter our school-specific data like room number and extension. So what if there was a way for the spreadsheet to notify someone via email when new staff members were added? Enter Gemini. I won't bore you with my full prompt, but basically I asked if there was a way to send an email notification whenever new names are added AND include the name of the new person added (so we can find them more easily). Gemini provided me with some nice Apps Script code and how to set up the trigger for the code. Now, any time someone new gets added, the next morning I get an email that looks like this:

2. The next step was making that sheet something easy to navigate for staff. Again, I prompted Gemini, asking for a "widget" for our Google Site. I told it that I wanted a search bar, a filter dropdown, and specific data included for our internal website, our public website, and our student website. Gemini provided me with the code that I just copied and pasted into an "Embed Code" object in Google Sites. Here's the result:
   

   

Frequently Asked Questions

The Problem: We built a student-facing website called "Basecamp" to be a one-stop information hub for the students. We wanted to include a FAQ section, but wanted a way to make that list searchable, filterable, and with dropdown answers. We could do the dropdown answers with a Google Site, but none of the other pieces.

The Goal: What if I could make a Google Form for students to ask their own questions and then use the response spreadsheet to build the content for the FAQ page? Could I make it so the questions and answers only appear once someone goes in and approves and answers the question?

The Process:

1. I started with a simple Google Form that pulls the students' email and has one field for them to ask a question. I linked a response spreadsheet to the Form. Then I started pre-populating it with questions I thought students might have. I added in answers and in some cases, links to tutorial videos. I also added a "category" and "tags" section to help with sorting and filtering later:

   

2. Next, I went to Gemini. I requested that it take the content from the spreadsheet and create the widget code for my Google Site. I asked for a search bar and filter buttons based on the categories from the spreadsheet. Moments later? Copy/pastable code that I put into that same embed code object in Google Sites. The result:

Classroom Teacher Examples

Okay, I'm a building-wide Digital Learning Specialist, so these were super helpful to me, but what about you, the classroom teacher? You don't need a directory or a FAQ page. How does this apply to you? Let me give you a couple of examples with some quick prototypes.

Let's say you're an English teacher and you have your own classroom library. Wouldn't it be cool if you could have your book inventory in a spreadsheet where you can mark which student has which book and then have something on your own website where the students can see which books are in and which books are out? You could even have it show the book cover and a summary of the book.

Want to take it to the next level? Add tags for each book for genre and add the ability to sort. Not a fan of working in spreadsheets? Maybe you build a starting point and then you build yourself a widget to enter new books and check books out to students in a more visually appealing way. The possibilities are endless. If you can think it, you can probably find a way to do it.

What about a science teacher who wants students to practice with vocabulary? Maybe your spreadsheet has the list of terms and definitions. Ask for the code to generate an interactive flashcard widget:

Want to take this one to the next level? Try something with matching or fill in the blank. What if you could have students "sign in" and you could get their results? It's possible!

Want to try to build something yourself, but don't really know where to begin? I've got your back. I built a SchoolAI Space specifically designed to help teachers build anything they want from content in a spreadsheet. You can do something simple like the flashcards or you can try to push for something more complex. But remember, if ever something doesn't work, don't be afraid to question the AI!