Summary
I am leading a practicum where each student builds a single‑file static website that ranks birds for birders, using ChatGPT to generate the HTML/CSS/JS. I start by emphasizing that the prompt must specify a single‑file static site to avoid irrelevant output, then I describe the project concept (a bird‑ranking page) and ask students to be creative—any theme is allowed, but a nature‑inspired “treetop” style is suggested. I explain the benefit of a one‑ or two‑shot prompt that asks ChatGPT clarifying questions before producing code, which yields more accurate results than a pure zero‑shot request. After a brief login hiccup, I demonstrate using the browser‑based ChatGPT to generate an index.html that includes real bird images, local ranking storage, and optional features like a reset button and export screenshot. I walk students through copying the generated code into vscode.dev/index.html, replacing the existing file, and testing the page. I remind them to iterate, commit their work to GitHub today, and push the repository so we have a baseline for the next session. Finally, I note that the most creative implementation earns extra points, which can add up to 15 % of their practicum grade, encouraging originality and effort.