Module 2: Free AI Coding Tools

Course: Programming with Free AI Tools — Build Real Websites and Apps | Audience: Ages 15–25, beginners | Module Goal: Learn to set up and use free AI coding tools, and compare their strengths.

Lesson 2.1 — Getting Started with ChatGPT and Gemini

Duration: 50 minutes

Learning Objectives

• Create a free account on ChatGPT and Gemini.
• Understand the difference between a chat AI and a coding assistant.
• Write your first coding question to an AI.
• Compare ChatGPT and Gemini for code help.

Instructor Notes

Walk students through sign-up live. Use school email if allowed. Show the chat interface. Warn about sharing passwords or personal data. Keep prompts simple and specific.

Presentation Outline

1. Overview of free AI chat tools (5 min).
2. Live sign-up for ChatGPT (10 min).
3. Live sign-up for Gemini (10 min).
4. Anatomy of a good coding question (10 min).
5. Side-by-side comparison (10 min).
6. Safety and privacy tips (5 min).

Demonstration

1. Go to chat.openai.com and create a free account.
2. Go to gemini.google.com and create a free account.
3. In ChatGPT, type: "Write a hello world program in Python."
4. In Gemini, type the same prompt.
5. Compare the two answers with the class.
6. Show how to copy code into a file and run it.

AI Prompts

• "Write a 'Hello, World!' program in Python and explain each line."
• "Compare ChatGPT and Gemini for helping a beginner learn coding."

Starter Code

# Starter: write a program that prints your name
# TODO: use the print() function

Final Code

# Final
print("Hello, World!")
print("My name is Alex")

Exercises

• Exercise 1: Create accounts on both tools and save the links in your notes.
• Exercise 2: Ask each tool the same coding question and note one difference.
• Exercise 3: Ask an AI to explain the print() function in Python.

Homework

• Assignment 1: Write 3 coding questions you plan to ask AI this week.
• Assignment 2: Use Gemini to generate a short HTML snippet and paste it into a file named test.html.

Quiz

1. Which is a free AI chat tool?
   • a) ChatGPT ✅
   • b) Microsoft Word
   • c) A calculator
   • d) Notepad
2. Before trusting a free AI tool, you should:
   • a) Assume it is unlimited
   • b) Verify the current free offer on the official site ✅
   • c) Pay immediately
   • d) Ignore updates
3. What should you NOT share with an AI chat tool?
   • a) A coding question
   • b) Passwords or personal data ✅
   • c) A math problem
   • d) A poem
4. A good coding question is:
   • a) "Do my homework"
   • b) Specific and clear, e.g. "Write a Python function to add two numbers" ✅
   • c) "Fix everything"
   • d) One word: "code"
5. Gemini is made by:
   • a) OpenAI
   • b) Google ✅
   • c) Apple
   • d) Microsoft

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Lesson 2.2 — DeepSeek and Qwen

Duration: 50 minutes

Learning Objectives

• Set up free accounts for DeepSeek and Qwen.
• Understand that multiple free models exist worldwide.
• Compare DeepSeek and Qwen with ChatGPT and Gemini.
• Choose the right tool for a task.

Instructor Notes

DeepSeek (China) and Qwen (Alibaba) are strong free alternatives. Show their web interfaces. Mention they also have open models. Encourage students to try several and pick what works best.

Presentation Outline

1. Why use more than one AI tool (5 min).
2. DeepSeek overview and sign-up (10 min).
3. Qwen overview and sign-up (10 min).
4. Live coding comparison (10 min).
5. When to use which tool (10 min).
6. Tracking free limits (5 min).

Demonstration

1. Open chat.deepseek.com and create a free account.
2. Open chat.qwen.ai (or the official Qwen site) and create an account.
3. Ask all four tools: "Write a JavaScript function to reverse a string."
4. Display answers and compare clarity and correctness.
5. Run the best one in a browser console to verify.

AI Prompts

• "Write a JavaScript function that reverses a string and explain it."
• "What are the differences between DeepSeek, Qwen, and ChatGPT for coding?"

Starter Code

// Starter: reverse a string
function reverseString(str) {
  // TODO: return the reversed string
}

Final Code

// Final
function reverseString(str) {
  return str.split("").reverse().join("");
}

console.log(reverseString("hello")); // "olleh"

Exercises

• Exercise 1: Create DeepSeek and Qwen accounts and bookmark them.
• Exercise 2: Ask each tool to explain "what is a variable" and compare answers.
• Exercise 3: Pick one tool as your "default" and write why.

Homework

• Assignment 1: Solve one coding problem using DeepSeek and one using Qwen; note which you preferred.
• Assignment 2: List 3 tasks where a free AI chat tool helps you most.

Quiz

1. DeepSeek is:
   • a) A paid-only tool
   • b) A free AI model/tool ✅
   • c) A programming language
   • d) A database
2. Qwen is developed by:
   • a) Google
   • b) Alibaba ✅
   • c) OpenAI
   • d) Meta
3. Why use multiple AI tools?
   • a) They are all identical
   • b) Different tools may give better or clearer answers for different tasks ✅
   • c) It is required
   • d) To waste time
4. Before relying on a free tier you should:
   • a) Never check
   • b) Verify current free limits on the official site ✅
   • c) Assume it is forever
   • d) Pay secretly
5. The best way to choose a tool is to:
   • a) Guess
   • b) Try tasks and compare results ✅
   • c) Use only the most famous one
   • d) Ask a friend randomly

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Lesson 2.3 — GitHub Copilot Free

Duration: 50 minutes

Learning Objectives

• Understand what GitHub Copilot Free offers.
• Set up Copilot Free in a code editor like VS Code.
• Use AI autocomplete while writing code.
• Know the difference between chat AI and in-editor AI.

Instructor Notes

Copilot works inside your editor and suggests code as you type. It needs a GitHub account and VS Code (free). Show autocomplete live. Explain it is different from chat tools: it is context-aware inside your files.

Presentation Outline

1. What is GitHub Copilot (5 min).
2. Creating a GitHub account (5 min).
3. Installing VS Code and the Copilot extension (10 min).
4. Live autocomplete demo (15 min).
5. Copilot Chat vs Copilot completions (10 min).
6. Free tier limits and ethics (5 min).

Demonstration

1. Create a GitHub account at github.com.
2. Install VS Code from code.visualstudio.com.
3. Install the "GitHub Copilot" extension.
4. Sign in with the free plan.
5. Type function add( and watch Copilot suggest the body.
6. Accept, then read and run the code to verify.

AI Prompts

• "Explain how to set up GitHub Copilot Free in VS Code step by step."
• "What is the difference between GitHub Copilot and ChatGPT for coding?"

Starter Code

// Starter: let Copilot suggest the body
function add(a, b) {
  // TODO: Copilot may suggest: return a + b;
}

Final Code

// Final (with Copilot suggestion accepted and verified)
function add(a, b) {
  return a + b;
}

console.log(add(2, 3)); // 5

Exercises

• Exercise 1: Install VS Code and enable Copilot Free (or use the chat tool if unavailable).
• Exercise 2: Write a function with Copilot's help and explain every line yourself.
• Exercise 3: Compare a Copilot suggestion with a ChatGPT answer for the same task.

Homework

• Assignment 1: Use Copilot (or a chat tool) to write a small script and submit the code plus your explanation.
• Assignment 2: Write 2 pros and 2 cons of in-editor AI vs chat AI.

Quiz

1. GitHub Copilot mainly works:
   • a) In a web browser only
   • b) Inside a code editor like VS Code ✅
   • c) On a phone call
   • d) As a game
2. To use Copilot Free you need:
   • a) A GitHub account ✅
   • b) A Facebook account
   • c) Nothing
   • d) A paid certificate
3. Copilot "completions" means:
   • a) Finishing your sentences in email
   • b) Suggesting code as you type ✅
   • c) Compiling code
   • d) Deleting code
4. You should accept Copilot suggestions:
   • a) Without reading
   • b) After reading and verifying them ✅
   • c) Never
   • d) Only on Fridays
5. Copilot Free is different from ChatGPT because it is:
   • a) More expensive
   • b) Context-aware inside your editor files ✅
   • c) A different language
   • d) Not AI

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Lesson 2.4 — Practical Tool Comparison and Workflow

Duration: 45 minutes

Learning Objectives

• Compare all five tools in a table.
• Build a personal AI-assisted workflow.
• Decide which tool to use for chat vs editor tasks.
• Practice verifying output across tools.

Instructor Notes

Synthesis lesson. Have students make a cheat-sheet. Remind them free tiers vary by region and time. The goal: a repeatable workflow, not tool hopping.

Presentation Outline

1. Recap the 5 tools (5 min).
2. Build a comparison table together (15 min).
3. Define a starter workflow (10 min).
4. Live multi-tool verification challenge (10 min).
5. Wrap-up and cheat-sheet (5 min).

Demonstration

1. Open a comparison table on screen.
2. Ask the same bug-fix question to ChatGPT, Gemini, DeepSeek, Qwen.
3. Pick the clearest fix, paste into VS Code or Copilot, run it.
4. Show that verification is the same no matter the tool.

AI Prompts

• "Create a comparison table of ChatGPT, Gemini, DeepSeek, Qwen, and GitHub Copilot for beginner coding."
• "Suggest a simple workflow for a beginner using free AI tools to build a website."

Starter Code

My AI Workflow Cheat-Sheet
- Ask concept questions in: ___________________
- Generate code in: ___________________
- Autocomplete in editor with: ___________________
- Verify by: ___________________

Final Code

Example Cheat-Sheet
- Ask concept questions in: ChatGPT or Gemini
- Generate code in: DeepSeek or Qwen
- Autocomplete in editor with: GitHub Copilot Free
- Verify by: running the code and reading errors

Exercises

• Exercise 1: Fill in your own cheat-sheet and save it.
• Exercise 2: Solve one problem using two different tools and note which was clearer.
• Exercise 3: Teach a classmate your workflow in 1 minute.

Homework

• Assignment 1: Write a 200-word reflection: "Which free AI tool fits me best and why."
• Assignment 2: Build a bookmark folder with all five tools and your editor.

Quiz

1. Which tool gives in-editor autocomplete?
   • a) GitHub Copilot Free ✅
   • b) Gemini chat
   • c) A web browser
   • d) Notepad
2. A good beginner workflow includes:
   • a) Only one tool forever
   • b) Ask, generate, autocomplete, and verify ✅
   • c) Copy without testing
   • d) No planning
3. Free tiers should be:
   • a) Ignored
   • b) Verified on official sites as they change ✅
   • c) Assumed permanent
   • d) Paid secretly
4. Verifying output means:
   • a) Trusting the tool
   • b) Running code and checking results ✅
   • c) Deleting it
   • d) Posting online
5. The main point of this module is:
   • a) Use one tool only
   • b) Learn several free tools and verify their output ✅
   • c) Avoid AI
   • d) Pay for everything