Mobile Apps and Pedagogy

For the past two weeks I've been going through a process of developing a mobile application that would be used primarily as an educational tool. Throughout the process, I was struck with the
intensity of it. I guess I shouldn't have been; I should have known that behind an easy-to-use interface and appealing design come hours of hard work both in design and use.

Earlier this week I tweeted an article from CNBC about Mark Zuckerberg's Harvard commencement speech this year. The author pulled out quotes from his speech that focused on the idea that the "eureka!" moment a misconception that is a "dangerous lie."

I really connected with this concept when I was going through the app development process for my instructional technology class. (I think I Googled "myth of lone developer" to look further into it, when I found Zuckerberg's comments). The process went like this:

1. Create a problem pitch that identified a difficult thing to teach and why it is important, with supporting sources
2. Create an elevator pitch covering the key components
3. Show how learning theories have played a role in developing the app
4. Create a final product pitch that tied everything together and included some visual mockups

When I first began experimenting with using technology in the classroom, I fell victim to what many do -- using tech for tech's sake. However, as I've matured in this area I have become more and more cynical when first approaching an edtech product, always asking if it is actually useful or just glittery or gimmicky. This post isn't really about edtech implementation frameworks like TPACK or SAMR, but that is definitely worth exploring at a later time.

The overall assignment would have been way easier if it had just been "come up with an idea for an app" - but adding in the need for sources and learning theories forced us to come up with something for which we saw an actual need, and also forced us to consider pedagogy and how that impacted educational technology tools. 

Of course, this sent me off on another Google search looking at pedagogy before technology (a concept I've come into contact with many times at edtech conferences). I came across two EdTech Magazine articles that could have appeared as editorial and op-ed, though they were published months apart. One questioned whether pedagogy should always drive technology use; the other outlined why pedagogy should come first, technology second. 

I like to keep an open mind, so reading the first article was interesting, but I definitely fall into the "pedagogy first" camp. This experience of developing a mobile application for education really solidified why pedagogy should come first, as the ultimate goal is to increase student learning. 

Sure - Archimedes may have had his eureka moment as he stepped into the tub, but I would argue that even that was based on an already-developed wealth of mathematical knowledge, and probably countless hours considering concepts that related to volume. What we may see as the recipients of knowledge (or apps!) belies the amount of thought, consideration, and work that goes into creating well-developed instructional tools.