Tim Stahmer’s blog post, How to Make a Great App hits on two important and very distinct points.
First, he introduces Kevin Hoctor, whose business founded and developed software that young adults can use to make Apps. I was not nearly that technologically able as a teen, but for those students who are this is such a great idea. My generation, I think, is under the impression that it is the technology generation, that we are all tech savvy and know how to do everything with computers. I disagree. That generation will be our children and they are the students I’ll be teaching in about 10 years. Who knows what technology will be like then, but there’s no doubt in my mind that they’ll know what they’re doing with it. For the students who are on that track now, I think it’s great to have the ability to develop an Application for the tools that we’re using every day. Because they will be the ones working to develop future technology and they (and following generations) will be using it even more heavily, it’s important for those students to utilize their imagination in conjunction with practical knowledge in order to get started on the next “best thing” to fulfill their (future) needs.
Second, he takes a quote from Mr. Hoctor that reads
“Find something in your life that is broken and build software around that. Don’t just build an app for money, you won’t enjoy maintaining it. Instead, create apps that you are passionate about and strive to make the experience using your apps delightful for your customers”
and points out that schools should be developed in the very same way. Schools should meet the specific needs of students and society. Teachers should be there because they have a passion for it, not to make money (but making money as a teacher in the US is a joke, anyway), and the experience that students have in your classroom should be useful, applicable, and enjoyable.
Picture from http://www.aware.org.sg/2012/08/aidha-schoolhouse-manager/
