Brainstorming with AI
You don't have to come up with the perfect idea on your own. You can use AI as a brainstorming partner.
We are going to use ChatGPT (or Claude) to help us generate ideas, make them more interactive, and even make them playful.
Tier 1 — Sensible first ideas
- • Pre-submission checklist
- • Quick self-check quiz
- • One-page decision tool
- • Simple financial calculator
- • Review tool with feedback
Tier 2 — Small interactive upgrades
- • Checklist that explains what is missing
- • Quiz with a countdown timer
- • Cost sorter with instant scoring
- • Scenario tool with branching responses
- • What-if slider for financial analysis
Tier 3 — Imaginative and memorable
- • A monkey chases students if they misclassify costs
- • A zombie auditor appears when internal controls fail
- • An audit escape room where students find red flags to unlock the exit
- • A budget defense game where students justify variances under time pressure
How ideas evolve
Prompt 1 — Brainstorm ideas
Copy and paste this into ChatGPT to brainstorm ideas for your specific subject:
"I teach [YOUR SUBJECT]. I want to build a very small, single-page interactive web app for my students to practice a core concept.
Give me 5 ideas. Make them simple (no logins or databases needed). Include one basic idea, one highly interactive idea, and one playful/gamified idea."
Prompt 2 — Make it more engaging
"Take this teaching app idea: [paste your idea]. Give me three variations: one very simple and straightforward, one that adds interactivity like scoring or timed challenges, and one that is playful or game-like. Keep all three as one-page apps a beginner could build."
Prompt 3 — Make it smaller
"This is my idea for a teaching app: [paste your idea]. It might be too complex for a first project. Help me simplify it into the smallest possible version that still works as a useful learning tool. One page, one purpose, achievable in a single session."
Tip: Try all three in sequence. Start with Prompt 1 to get a list, pick your favourite, use Prompt 2 to explore variations, then Prompt 3 to make your chosen idea realistic.