Nov 28, 2025 / 2 min read
Django To-Do App First Impressions: Module 1 at AI Dev Tools Zoomcamp
Building my first Django app with zero prior experience, using AI tools to scaffold a working TODO app in 10 minutes, experimenting with custom interfaces, and learning by reverse-engineering the generated code.
I decided to join AI DevTools Zoomcamp and was genuinely curious what I’d be able to build.
In the first module of the course, we build a TODO app using the Django framework.
Side note: I knew nothing about Django before starting the course.
For someone who doesn’t come from a classic software engineering background, AI tools are a huge unlock. They don’t magically make you a senior developer overnight, but they do lower the barrier so you can build real projects, see how things work under the hood, and learn by doing.
Insane, but: It took about 10 minutes for Cursor to scaffold a working Django TODO app. I followed the homework instructions, asked the AI to build the project, and watched it piece everything together.
While the model was generating code, I tried to reverse-engineer what it was doing:
- Django app structure
- Component connections
- File responsibilities
That alone was a great learning experience.
Then I started experimenting a bit more and created a girly-pixelated version (pushed to the extreme 😂🌸) with a calendar view and repeated tasks.
It definitely needs work (the font is unreadable and repeating events don’t actually repeat yet). But it was a fun way to explore how far I could push the interface with AI assistance.
Overall, I had a lot of fun with this module!
Not sure if I “built” it or “watched it build itself,” but both felt equally fascinating.
You can find the code for the simple version on my GitHub.