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Pre-work

This section covers the prerequisites and setup needed before attending the IBM Bob workshops.

Getting Started: Launch Bob and Set Up Your Workspace

Before the workshop, familiarize yourself with launching Bob and creating your workspace:

Don't have Bob installed yet? Download and install Bob from the official installation guide.

Step 1: Launch Bob

On Mac:

  1. Open Spotlight Search by pressing Cmd + Space
  2. Type "Bob" and press Enter
  3. Wait for Bob to fully load - you'll see the Bob interface in the sidebar

On Windows:

  1. Press the Windows key or click the Start menu
  2. Type "Bob" in the search box
  3. Click on Bob from the search results
  4. Wait for Bob to fully load - you'll see the Bob interface in the sidebar

Step 2: Create Your Workspace Folder

Create a dedicated folder for workshop projects:

  1. In the left sidebar, click the "Open Folder" button
  2. Navigate to where you want to create your workshop folder (e.g., Desktop or Documents)
  3. Click the "New Folder" button
  4. Name the folder with a meaningful name for your projects (e.g., bob-workshop or my-projects)
  5. Select your new folder and click "Open"

You're now ready to explore Bob! 🚀

Prerequisites by Workshop

TechTrek Workshop

No technical setup required! This is an instructor-led demonstration workshop where:

  • The instructor operates Bob on a projected screen
  • Students work in teams to create prompts
  • No individual computers or Bob access needed
  • Just bring your creativity and imagination!

High School Workshop

Students will need:

  • Laptop with internet connection (provided by instructor/school)
  • Bob access (provided by instructor/school)
  • Web browser (Chrome, Firefox, Safari, or Edge)
  • Basic computer literacy (file management, typing)

IBM Employee Workshop

IBMers will need:

  • Employee Laptop with internet connection
  • Employee Bob access (If you don't already have Bob access, you'll need to request and sign up.)
  • Web browser (Chrome, Firefox, Safari, or Edge)

Optional (for advanced examples):

  • Git (for version control examples)

For IBM Employees

What You Need

Required:

  • Your IBM laptop
  • Bob is already available to you as an IBM employee (if not installed, see Getting Started section above)
  • Internet connection

Optional (but helpful):

  • Think about a current work challenge or project you'd like to explore with Bob
  • Review the workshop agenda to see what we'll cover
  • Bring questions about how Bob could help your specific role

Verify Your Bob Access (Optional)

If you want to test Bob before the workshop:

  1. Open Bob (you already have access as an IBMer)
  2. Try a simple prompt like: "Introduce yourself and explain what makes you different from ChatGPT"
  3. If you have any issues, contact the workshop facilitator

Optional: Prepare Your Exploration Topic

The workshop includes 30 minutes where you'll use Bob to work on something relevant to YOUR role. Consider bringing:

  • A current coding challenge
  • Documentation that needs writing
  • A technical proposal or architecture you're working on
  • Code that needs review or refactoring
  • Any work problem where AI assistance could help

Don't have something specific? No problem! We'll provide plenty of example scenarios during the workshop.

Pre-Workshop Checklist

TechTrek Students

  • Assigned to a team (instructor will do this)
  • Ready to brainstorm creative ideas
  • Excited to see AI in action!

High School Students

  • Laptop charged and ready
  • Bob access verified
  • Web browser working
  • Thought about what you'd like to create

IBM Employees

  • IBM laptop ready with internet connection
  • Bob is available (already included with IBM access)
  • Optional: Thought about a work challenge to explore with Bob
  • Optional: Brought code or documentation to work on

Learning Resources (Optional)

Want to learn more before the workshop?

About AI and Agentic AI

About Prompt Engineering

For Developers (IBM Workshop)

Ready to Go!

Once you've completed the appropriate pre-work for your workshop, you're ready to experience the power of agentic AI with Bob!

See you at the workshop! 🚀

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