Building with AI
When I started experimenting with AI, I wasn’t trying to build a brand.
I was trying to build a better worksheet.
I’m a secondary maths teacher. No computer science degree. No formal coding background. Just curiosity, patience, and a willingness to break things and fix them.
What began as a small experiment has quietly changed how I think about teaching — and about myself.
From PDFs to Living Pages
The first real shift was simple.
I started creating single-page HTML worksheets and uploading them directly to my content management system.
Instead of static PDFs, students got interactive pages:
- Instant feedback
- Live score updates
- Unlimited retries
- Immediate self-assessment
No waiting for marking.
No guessing whether they were right.
It wasn’t flashy AI. It was structured logic.
But it worked.
That shift — from document to system — changed everything.
AI as a Creative Multiplier
Once I realised I could build interactive pages, ideas stopped feeling expensive.
Projects like:
weren’t essential curriculum tools. They were experiments.
Before AI, they would have stayed ideas. The technical barrier was too high.
With AI, ideas became prototypes.
Prototypes became usable tools.
AI didn’t replace creativity.
It reduced the cost of testing it.
Imagery Changed the Experience
When AI image generation matured, I stopped thinking in terms of “worksheets” and started thinking in terms of experiences.
Escape from Pentades isn’t just questions. It has atmosphere. Theme. Visual identity.
Previously, custom artwork meant budget or compromise.
Now, I can iterate visuals as quickly as I iterate code.
That changes what’s possible in education.
The Skills I Didn’t Expect to Learn
This journey didn’t stay at the surface.
To build multiplayer games like Maths Melee Online, I had to learn:
- APIs
- Hosting
- Deployment
- Version control
- Rate limits
- Automation
It wasn’t smooth.
There were frustrating evenings. Broken builds. Dead ends.
AI didn’t remove the struggle.
It made the struggle navigable.
That’s the difference.
The Identity Shift
I still teach full-time.
But I don’t only see myself as a teacher anymore.
I build systems.
I design interactive tools.
I experiment in public.
AI hasn’t replaced my role. It’s expanded it.
What Comes Next
The next stage is structured progress tracking.
I want students to:
- Record completed worksheets
- Store percentage scores
- Track topics over time
- See when it’s time to revisit something
And teachers to see the bigger picture.
Nothing glamorous.
Just feedback at scale.
A Quiet Realisation
You don’t need to be a developer to build anymore.
You need direction.
AI fills knowledge gaps.
You provide intent.
That combination is powerful.
I’m documenting this because I suspect many people are sitting on ideas they assume are “too technical”.
They aren’t.
The barrier hasn’t disappeared.
But it’s lower than it has ever been.
And that changes behaviour.