Saxon CTFs

This is the playground for Saxon CTFs.

In 2024, I (Mr. Birkel) attended a conference for Career & Technical Education teachers. In one of the workshops, the focus revolved around what AI can do for us and our programs. I was very impressed by the possibilities that AI offers and how it can be used to add interest to my computer science program.

In early 2024, a program that I enjoyed exploring with my students called CyberStart - a cybersecurity CTF aimed at educating students on introductory cyber concepts - disbanded. One of the things I enjoyed about their challenges was they revolved around this alien encounter theme. I've seen other educators adopt a Zombie theme in their classrooms, and I thought it would be cool to do something similar.

With the dissolvement of CyberStart and seeing impressive things with AI, I thought I'd try my hand at working with AI to create an interesting story for my computer science projects, also revolving around aliens. I also have added a Sasquatch themed set.

All the stories in here and all the programming exercises - they all come from AI responses to prompts I gave to chatGPT. I performed some modifications or ask it to regenerate with modifications, but the bulk majority of these challenges and stories were all AI generated.

I asked Microsoft Copilot to think about its role as a GPT then to generate a pixar-inspired representation of that. This was what it came up with:

I asked ChatGPT what I should do to add a Sasquatch theme to my curriculum. The response was:

Incorporating a Sasquatch-themed story into your programming classes can add an exciting narrative element to your lessons. Here's a suggestion for integrating the Sasquatch theme into your curriculum:

1. Introduction to Sasquatch Story:

Start your class by introducing the Sasquatch story to your students. You can explain that they will embark on a coding adventure with Sasquatch, where they'll help him solve various programming challenges.

2. Coding Challenges with Sasquatch:

Design coding challenges that are related to Sasquatch's adventures. For example, you could create challenges where students help Sasquatch navigate through a forest maze using programming concepts like loops and conditionals, or where they help Sasquatch gather treasures using data structures like arrays or dictionaries.

3. Sasquatch-themed Projects:

Encourage students to work on Sasquatch-themed projects throughout the semester. For game design, they could create a Sasquatch-themed video game where players help Sasquatch overcome obstacles in the forest. For web design, they could design a website dedicated to Sasquatch sightings and folklore, complete with interactive maps and stories.

4. Storytelling in Code:

Encourage students to incorporate storytelling elements into their code. For example, they could add comments or documentation that narrate Sasquatch's journey through the code, or they could use variables and functions named after characters and locations from the Sasquatch story.

5. Sasquatch-themed Resources:

Provide students with resources and materials related to Sasquatch folklore and mythology. This could include books, articles, videos, and documentaries that explore the history and legends surrounding Sasquatch.

By integrating the Sasquatch theme into your programming classes, you can make learning more engaging and memorable for your students while also fostering their creativity and problem-solving skills.