Slides from my App Development = Skills Development presentation at FETC 2015

1. S
App Development =
Skills Development
How Coding to Learn Makes It Happen
Presenter:
Susan Bearden
@s_bearden
@tweechmeapp

2. Agenda
S Our Mobile World
S WHY students should be learning about
mobile app development
S HOW students should be learning about
mobile app development
S The MAD-Learn Approach

3. S
Our Mobile World
Meet the New “First Screen”

4. Source:
http://www.digitalbuzzblog.
com/infographic-2013-
mobile-growth-statistics/

5. S
WHY Students Should
Be Coding

6. Voices from the Top
S President Obama: “…the next language students will need to
learn…”
S Bill Gates: “Learning to write programs stretches your mind, and
helps you think better, creates a way of thinking about things that I
think is helpful in all domains.”
S Stuart Silberg (VP-Hotels.com): “…schools also need to educate
children on the advantages of learning those skills and how to
implement them in both business and day-to-day life…Schools
need to educate pupils that technology is much more than just
Java, HTML5 and Excel – it gives them the tools to turn any idea
into reality.”
Why students should be coding

7. Source: http://www.computerweekly.com/news/2240163065/Estonia-teaches-students-as-young-as-year-1-to-code-
web-and-mobile-applications

8. • Confidence in dealing with complexity
• Persistence in working with difficult problems
• Tolerance for ambiguity
• The ability to deal with open ended problems
• The ability to communicate and work with others to achieve a common goal or
solution

9. “Vital & Transferable” Skills
S Problem-solving
S Using Technology
S Working on Teams
S Making Connections
S Communicating
Like many states, the Illinois
State Board of Education
emphasizes skills development
as part of its learning standards
for mathematics and
English/language arts.

10. Add the “ISTE Connection”
S Problem-solving
S Using Technology
S Working on Teams
S Making Connections
S Communicating
S Creativity and innovation
S Communication and collaboration
S Research and information fluency
S Critical thinking, problem solving,
and decision making
S Digital citizenship
S Technology operations and
concepts
International Society for
Technology in
Education’s Skills
Development
Expectations for
Students

11. Add Real World Marketable Skills
S Creative ideation & design-based learning
S Product based/project based thinking
S Presentation skills
S Entrepreneurship
S Marketability!

12. Value added proposition for schools
S Application to other STEM areas
S Opportunities for certifications
S Students building apps for school
S Students building apps for community/groups connects
school to community
S Monetizing app development offerings

13. S
HOW Students Should
Be Coding
Coding to Learn vs. Learning to
Code

14. What does “Coding to Learn” Mean?
S When students learn to code, they learn to code
S When they “code to learn” they learn much more
S Learning by Design approach
S Coding to Learn begins with a problem that needs to be
addressed
S Students work to find a solution, using a conceptual approach
S Students learn vital & transferable skills

15. Source:
www.youtube.com/watch?v
=9UqyVUxitDA

16. Phases of App Development
S Ideation Phase: “What’s the problem?”
S Planning Phase: “How should the app be organized?”
S App Building Phase: “How should the app function?”
S Content Building Phase: “What should the end user
know?”
S Testing Phase: “How can the app be better?”

17. S
App Development =
Skills Development

18. Problem-Solving
S Questions, questions,
questions…
S What’s important?
S How is it arranged?
S Which templates should I use?
S How do I get my audience to
care?
S How do I fix things?

19. Using Technology
S How are the app’s parameters set?
S How does the CMS work?
S Which templates are best suited to the development?
S Why does the app BEST serve the purpose?
S How much time is spent “offline?”

20. Working on Teams
S What is my role/what
are my roles?
S What is our system
of “checks and
balances?”
S How do we ensure
that every team
member is valued?

21. Making Connections
S How is the app’s content logically interrelated?
S What is its connection to my class, school,
community, world?
S Why is my app relevant?

22. Communicating
S Am I giving due credit to my
sources?
S Am I making the information
accessible?
S Am I using proper form?
S Am I effectively communicating
with…
S My team?
S My audience?

23. Considerations
S Mindset shift
S from “Let’s learn coding” to “Want to make something? We can use this to do it!”
S Developmental, “structured lack of structure”
S built on previous lessons, but driven by students’ ideas
S Age appropriate goals
S from changing colors to changing the world
S Role shift
S from instructor to facilitator
S Fun work with quick payoff

24. Integration Options:
Curriculum to Camps
S As part of the curriculum
S As part of a computer science or technology class
S As an elective or exploratory class
S As a club or afterschool offering
S As part of a weekend “family engagement” event
S As a summer camp offering

25. S
The MAD-Learn
Approach

26. What is MAD-Learn?
S Mobile App Development
Learning
S New approach to teaching
coding
S Two-phase system
S Aimed at “the other 98%”
S Adaptable program
Creators of Technology with
MAD-Learn

27. Operating Platform (CMS)

28. MAD-scout Apps
A 5th Grade Girl at HTEA 6th Grade Student at Auburn
Ryan is a 5th Grader at
HTEA
4th Grade Boys at Auburn

29. S

30. S

32. Crescerance.com
@Crescerance MAD-learn.com
@MADlearn