Courtney Carpinello ’15: As a result of the Apps Challenge J-Term course, a group of tech-savvy EA students will soon have their original apps available to the public in the App Store. Taught by Technology Department member Matt Memmo and Math Department member Kelly Edwards, this J-Term provided students with a unique opportunity by integrating technology with entrepreneurship.
Photo courtesy of appschallengejterm.blogspot.com
The students began the course by creating cover letters and résumés to apply for a position either as an app programmer, marketing manager, or project manager. Next, the students were put into teams of three or four with at least one member of each position. The teams presented their ideas in a “Shark Tank” setting to the faculty board before being allowed to proceed with creating their app. The next two weeks were spent designing their apps and using various social media outlets to promote them.
Students recorded their progress during the two weeks by keeping a blog at appschallengejterm.blogspot.com. On the last day, they presented their projects to a group of students and faculty, including Dr. T.J. Locke and Dr. Delvin Dinkins. The finished apps cover a variety of functions, which range from games to virtual attendance sheets for teachers. The winning group will be determined by whichever app is the most sold and downloaded.
“This J-Term was a great experience,” stated Tristan Dudek ’15. “We all came out of the course having learned something we didn’t already know. Now we understand what it means to be an entrepreneur. It also helps that we learned a little bit about programming since we are growing up with technology all around us.”
Perry Avgerinos ’15 form, added, “This course taught me beneficial skills such as writing a cover letter and job résumé, public speaking habits, teamwork and organization, and marketing strategies that translate to entrepreneurship.”