If you would have told 16-year-old me—the one hunched over a keyboard typing 10 PRINT “HELLO” and 20 GOTO 10 in BASIC—that I’d eventually be presenting at the Ohio Educational Technology Conference (OETC), I probably would’ve asked if we had flying cars yet. (Actually, since OETC didn’t even exist back then, I probably would have asked how I managed to travel through time!)
Well, we don’t have the flying cars, but we do have Google Apps Script (GAS), which feels like a superpower in its own right.
A Journey Through the Syntax
My path as a programmer hasn’t been a straight line; it’s been a series of upgrades. I started with the foundational logic of BASIC, moved into the rigid (but satisfying) world of Visual Basic and VBA, and eventually danced with JavaScript, HTML, and Python.
But for over a decade now, Google Apps Script has been my go-to powerhouse for solving complex problems efficiently.
Why? Because it’s the ultimate “low floor, high ceiling” tool. It is accessible enough for a beginner to automate a spreadsheet in minutes, yet powerful enough to build full-scale web applications. It’s about taking those “annoying” manual tasks—the ones that make you want to face-plant into your keyboard—and solving them with a few lines of logic.
OETC 2026: The “Fan Favorites”
Out of the six sessions I’ve shared at OETC26, two stood out this year as clear winners. These were the sessions where I saw the most “lightbulb moments” in the room:
- Automate, Customize, Conquer: Rebooting STEM with GAS – This was all about the “Get, Change, Set” pattern. We looked at how to turn a boring spreadsheet into a document-merging, score-calculating machine.
- Google Apps Script Web Apps – We went beyond the sheet and built actual web interfaces. Watching educators realize they could build their own custom tools without a $50/month subscription was the highlight of my week!
Why Teach Coding? (Hint: It’s Not Just About the Code)
I love the algorithmic nature of programming. It’s a puzzle that demands you sharpen your problem-solving skills every single day.
When people ask me why we should teach students to code, I tell them it’s not just so they can become software engineers. It’s because coding is the ultimate workout for the brain. Want students to get better at deconstructing complex problems? Teach them to code. Want them to be more resilient when things don’t work the first time? Give them a script with a missing semicolon.
Grab the Resources!
If you missed the sessions or just want to dive into the “how-to,” I’ve made both of these guides available for you. They are designed to be “plug-and-play,” so you can start making your life more efficient and productive before your second cup of coffee tomorrow.
Click on the buttons below to access the resources!!
Programming has changed my life, my classroom and what I do now. I can’t wait to see how it changes yours. Let’s stop doing “busy work” and start Resolving Everyday.
Did you attend my OTEC sessions? I’d love to hear which automation you’re planning to tackle first! Drop a comment or reach out.