Photo: Seth Meranda - Flickr
A tale of two classrooms: a fortunate group equipped with access to resources yet they know not where to begin overwhelmed by a panoply of choices. The second group is not so lucky - operating day-to-day without the necessary supports to move forward an instructional agenda that integrates advances in education technology. What they have in common, though, is the challenge to figure out how to maximize learning experiences. Given the tools, what choices would they make to create engaging content and meaningful classroom discussions that would lead up to planned as well as spontaneous instructional moments?
The growing mobile learning market presents an opportunity for faculty and students to create, collaborate and flourish. App development can mobilize learning. Faculty can come together (no coding skills required) to create apps that align with course objectives. Similarly, faculty guided, student-led app creation can immerse students in unparalleled, exciting problem-based learning experiences. And the knowledge is transferable...one app at a time.
The 2013 Horizon Report noted that "Apps range from games to banking services that allow users to check their credit card balances to science and art apps that enable users to explore outer space, the Louvre, and many other places that they may not ever get to see in person in their lifetimes. It is this transformative nature of apps that has helped tablets become popular and powerful tools in higher education." So, in the spirit of the paradigm shift, why not move from being an app consumer to a developer?
