Hey there, fellow tech writers, educators, and content creators!
Lance here, back from a whirlwind summer of design thinking across North Carolina and consulting with teachers on integrating AI into classrooms. A recurring theme in these conversations has been the art of prompting.
How can we get students or coworkers to engage more meaningfully with AI?
The answer lies in prompt design.
One exciting idea that emerged is creating a prompt library for classrooms. This isn't just a static resource; it's dynamic, allowing students to build, test, and revise prompts, helping them understand the nuances between different models and contexts.
To facilitate this, I've been showcasing Microsoft Loop to teachers. It's an excellent tool for creating simple, collaborative prompt libraries, especially for those already within the Microsoft ecosystem. Think of Loop as a streamlined alternative to Notion, making it ideal for educational settings and workplaces without complex systems for prompt tracking.
For those of you in the workplace, this is also a great way to get started on a prompt library for your team, especially if you don’t have many resources, but have access to the Microsoft ecosystem.
Here's a quick rundown of how to set up a prompt library in Microsoft Loop, but check out the video for more details:
1. Create Workspaces and Pages: Start by creating different workspaces and pages. Add text, tables, and other elements as needed.
2. Design Tables for Prompts: Add tables to organize prompts. Include columns for the prompt itself, student name, sample output, notes, and categories.
3. Voting and Rating: Use the voting and rating features to allow students or co-workers to rate prompts. This can help identify the most effective ones.
4. Filtering and Sorting: Utilize Loop's filtering and sorting capabilities to manage prompts by rating, student, or category.
5. Structured Prompt Library: For those exploring structured prompting, break down prompts into components like role, goal, task, and process. This allows for reusability and fine-tuning.
One limitation of Loop is the inability to link individual entries directly, but you can create Loop components from tables to share across the Microsoft ecosystem. This feature is handy for collaborative environments.
Starting a prompt library might seem daunting, but focus on specific types of prompts initially, like those for Adobe Firefly or chatbots. This targeted approach makes it manageable and effective.
This method isn't just about efficiency; it's about enhancing creativity and deeper engagement. By organizing prompts effectively, students and teams can focus on higher-level thinking and strategy.
Stay tuned for more insights on machine rhetorics. If you're keen to dive deeper into prompting, check out the lessons I'm developing under Prompt Ops and my class at Firehead Digital Communications.
Happy prompting!
How To Use Microsoft Loop as a Prompt Library