A Brief Reflection on Learning and a Little More ChatGPT

Today was an amazing learning day. It started out pretty powerfully but ended even more so as I got to spend some time with my manager closing some knowledge gaps that I had around data.

Even as a person with a background in mathematics and applying data analysis skills to K-12 technology use, those transferrable skills are only as good as the vocabulary gaps are closed so that one can apply them in the best way possible. I feel so empowered, refreshed and excited so much so that I'm even more thankful that a member of my favorite band released new music this weekend or I would be online playing with data instead of taking a much needed weekend break.

That said, there's something powerful that happens when you have strong managers who commit to supporting the growth of the people they manage and I think that is what I love the most about being at Linkedin. When you are asked where you wish to grow, it's nice knowing that expressing those perceived shortcomings lead to action to support your desire to learn.

Now, On to the Bots...

Speaking of powerful learning experiences, I had yet another with chatGPT yesterday. Similar to my experience in the last newsletter, I wanted chatGPT to help me to brainstorm an upcoming presentation where I will be working with teacher leaders on personal branding to support amplifying their voices and work.

My non-negotiables are still the same, chatGPT is used to help sort and brainstorm through my input and ideas. I do not have it write or create for me but instead help with deriving questions to stimulate my own creativity. Yesterday I decided to push it even further because of creators on tiktok.

As algorithms work, I opened my tiktok and the first video that I saw was of a creator who had used chatGPT to generate quotes, converted them to a csv and then after selecting a theme, used Canva and its bulk upload feature to create a months work of social shares for IG stories.

Needless to say, I tried it to bulk create presentation slides and while it worked once, I couldn't get it to work again but I'll keep trying I'm sure.

The second tiktok is what kept me on my computer for hours doing something that I could have done myself in about 20 minutes of manual labor but in the name of doing something cool from tiktok with chatgpt, I persisted. In this video, this creator shares how to use chatgpt to generate code to automate PPT with VBA.

It did not work right away and the next few exchanges with chatGPT were us going back and forth with me sharing errors and it providing solutions and explanations. This was the first exchange after it helped me to develop an outline for writing the presentation as well as minimal slide content to build from.

As a VBA newbie, I asked why I was being prompted to use excel instead of PPT. This was the response along with the block for new snippets of code.

After a few exchanges of error reporting and correcting, I finally had a snippet of code that worked on PC.

This is where it got fun because after doing this on PC, I wanted to try on Mac. Not only did it explain why my code would not work but it also provided suggestions for automation. I've used Python but never Apple Script but chatGPT made that a non-issue as well.

This exchange created about 15-20 more minutes of error reporting and regeneration but also frustration. Why was I doing this task that I could just do manually in much less time???

I'll spare you the extensive back and forth that it took to create an automated keynote using Apple Script but in the end it worked.

As always, I asked chatGPT to summarize our entire session. This is what it created in response and the extent that I am just fine with it writing.

Next week, I plan to talk about the overlap of my former work with High School CTE programs and robotics as related to my new role of managing AEC (architecture, engineering, construction) content..unless something mind blowing happens with GenAI between now and then.

???

A summary of my work session from chatGPT in the most chatGPT language possible.

In this session, we worked together to design a training program for teachers on developing their brand and voice. The training aims to help educators create a strong personal brand, leverage online platforms, and share their expertise and passions with a wider audience.

We started by discussing the objectives of the training and proposed an initial outline for the session. After considering your specific requirements and preferences, we refined the outline to better suit the time constraints and focus on key areas. The final outline covers topics such as identifying passions, crafting a unique value proposition, creating a professional website or blog, leveraging social media platforms, and optimizing LinkedIn profiles.

To create a visual aid for the training, we explored various methods for generating a presentation with the outline's content. Initially, we encountered some difficulties while working on a VBA script to create a PowerPoint presentation for PC. However, after troubleshooting the issues, we successfully developed a working VBA script that creates the desired PowerPoint presentation with titles and content for each slide.

We then moved on to create a presentation for Mac using AppleScript for Keynote. After facing some challenges, we ultimately crafted a working AppleScript that builds a Keynote presentation with the desired titles and content for each slide.

Throughout the session, we collaborated closely to address your concerns, adjust the training outline, and provide technical assistance for generating the presentation materials. In the end, we crafted a comprehensive training program that covers essential aspects of personal branding and online presence for educators and successfully created PowerPoint and Keynote presentations for both PC and Mac users.