Do your students know how to build Apps?

Today I participated in a live professional development session titled "Let Students Build Their Own Apps- It's Easier than you Think". This session was led by Michael Braun on February 19th at 2PM. I found this PD session on this website. At first I was a little confused because Mr. Braun was going a bit too fast for my level of expertise. When I caught up I was able to understand the platform better. TouchDevelop is a collaborative tool that provides a rich experience regardless of device or platform. It allows its users to store, share, and showcase apps. It is user-friendly and integrates easily with social media. This is a great tool to use in CTE classes for upper grades; however since it requires every user to have an email address, it may be a bit difficult for elementary-aged students to use. I guess this is why Mr. Braun suggested this tool for grades 4-12. Once I got to really play with TouchDevelop I was able to complete an entire coding session! I felt accomplished because I am not familiar with coding. This is a tool that would definitely keep students engaged and allow them to create apps on their smartphone, tablet, or computer for FREE. The best part is that it does not require any type of downloads which can be a problem given the amount of sites that are blocked by the county.

A plus is that CTE teachers can easily track student progress because it shows how many tutorials a student has done and classes can be organized into groups.

I would definitely love to take a coding course...if I only had the time :) Check it out and let me know your thoughts!



Video Tutorial