10 Steps to Build an App: Teacher & Student Edition

TLDR; Build an app, or not. Learn some skills. Empower some learners. Be awesome. ​

I was just at a tech conference and despite our best efforts to stay on a lofty conceptual level when talking about EdTech, some of the best attended sessions were when an app was being showcased. In fact, after his session​, one of my teacher-tech friends  leaned over and said, “Today, I discovered apps are like crack for teachers…”
This may be true because as a digital learning coach what I often hear is:
Is there an app for that?

Probably, but despite being superfly, I don’t want to be your pusher, man.
What I really want to do is empower the learners around me to be able to take their ideas and make them reality. One way is to enable teachers and students to create and curate the content that they interact with. 

For instance: do you want an app based on a story created by IB International teachers; aligns with IB Learner Profile and teaches values, mindfulness and empathy while empowering kids to solve problems independently and while playing fun games? Do you want a story that kids can’t put down because every page has interactive animations, which makes the narrative come to life? Me too!

Well, lucky for you there is an app for that. Because two PYP teachers made it! ​​

And you can too, more importantly, so can your learners.
​Here are ED-ucations 10 steps for creating an app, as a teacher or as a teacher supporting students: ​

Step 1: Define Your Goal

Having a great idea is the starting point to every new project. Before you start to map your app and get lost in the details, you must clearly define the purpose and mission of your app.
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What is it going to do? What is its core appeal? What concrete problem is it going to solve, or what part of life is it going to make better? What is it that you want it to teach, or inspire or help create?

For ED-Publishing, Jeff and I sat down and realized that although our Learner Profile books were uber cool, what we really had envisioned was an interactive book- full of games and different adventures so kids could read and learn about the attributes in a self contained learning environment, and an app was the perfect way to make that vision a reality. ​

Step 2: Research

Use the most powerful tool we have, and Google the app out of your app idea. Start following similar developers or products on Twitter, reach out to people who may have product that you like or use. Start conversations. Ask questions. Don’t be embarrassed by what you think you don’t know. Be fearless in your inquiry because this initial research has four main purposes:

1. Find out whether there are other apps doing the same thing
2. Find design inspiration for your app
3. Find information on the technical requirements for your app
4. Find out how you can market and monetize your app

Step 3: Get your community on-board (including parents and leadership)

Parents are the people who will release and allow your learners to publish their app to a distributor. Be sure you have the conversations with them about how this process will play out. Who profits? Who owns the idea? The learner will have an on-line presence, be sure they are attributed and credited clearly.  Does your leadership understand the value of personalized and PBL learning? Where will tensions arise? Be sure to have those conversations early before you are knee deep in the project. ​

Step 4: Storyboard the narrative

Jeff and I know, if you don’t have a path- you get lost pretty quick. You don’t have to stick to the path all the time, but you have to have a good idea of where you are going. This is where your storyboard comes in. Jeff and I needed a complicated storyline that would continue over 10 books and so we created a ongoing map for the entire 10 Learner Profiles, weaving each attribute through the plot. It was a long process, but we needed to think like teachers; how would we get kids to think, how would the story flow, and what Easter eggs of grown-up humor would we throw in so that even parents or teachers would enjoy the read? ​

Step 5: Start Sketching the app

Developing sketches allow you to lay the foundation for your interface. In this step you visually conceptualize the main features and the approximate layout and structure of your application. This is where Jeff and I started to think of the educational added value of each app. As teachers how would we have extended this story in the classroom- how could we extend the learning in the self contained environment of the interactive app- what kind of immediate feedback would be needed? Basically, how could we gamify the story?

Step 6: Create a Wireframe

Wireframing is the process of creating a mockup or prototype of your app. Without a developer this is difficult, however there are a few paid app creation tools that you can try out with your learners. Click on the images to access the tools. 

Step 7: Define the Back End of Your Mobile App

Your wireframes and storyboard now become the foundation of your back-end structure. Draw a sketch of your servers, APIs, and data diagrams. Not sure about this? Go back to that the research step- as a teacher go talk to your tech team ask them about what would be needed to run your app at your school. Get them to draw it for you. Still lacking a developer AND your school has no tech team? No worries, skip to un-step 11.

Step 8: Start talking

Once your app has been defined pretty clearly, it is time to get started on the back end of your system. Jeff and I realized we lacked the tech skill for the back end of our project so we began to make relationships with other app developers who may be interested in our content. We forged those partnerships based on shared vision and an ethos of learning. We found a wonderful developer PonyApp that focused on Character education through fairy tales, and thought- why not? The developer will have to set up servers, databases, APIs, and storage solutions. This is out of your control, and this is where a good relationship of trust needs to be in place. BE FOREWARNED… this may take many, many months. ​

Step 9: Test Your Prototype

So now you have an app-like creature you have collaboratively created. Revert to your wireframe and ask friends, family, colleagues, and experts to help you review your prototype. Be shameless in asking for advice, ideas, get teachers, leadership, parents to play with the app and test it. Be unafraid to take their advice. ​

Step 10: Release Time!

App marketplaces have very different policies when it comes to publishing a new app. Android, for example, does not review newly submitted apps right away.  Apple on the other hand can be a bit of a waiting/jumping through hoops game. If you need help with this step, Jeff and I can offer advice, as Apple has various vetting processes before you go live. Remember if you release the app as 'Free' it is listed almost immediately! Yae! Be sure to start thinking of marketing including; posters, blog posts and #tweets to share your cool, new learning tool. ​

UnStep Step 11: DeApp the App!

So you can't find a developer and still want to prototype without the fuss of learning an app to make an app. Learning is still happening without the tech. Think about the skills kids need to research, write, gamify, wireframe and connect with experts to help them- this is truly project based learning at it’s finest. Encourage and coach students to get to a point where they are totally unable to move forward (and you can no longer help them either) then simply ask: “So, what next?”
Give students access to social media, devices and experts and see what happens. Allow your students to amaze you. Even if they simply create a proposal for a developer to create their app, the enriched systems-thinking and problem solving they engaged in throughout the process is incredible learning in action. ​

​Don't get stuck thinking that the product is the most important part of app development. Be sure to embrace failure!  Most importantly, have fun on your learning journey. 

Tosca Killoran