Ed. note: App of the Week picks are now being curated by the editors of Common Sense Education [1], which helps educators find the best ed-tech tools, learn best practices for teaching with tech, and equip students with the skills they need to use technology safely and responsibly. Click here [2]to read the full app review.
Bloxmob [2]
What’s It Like?
With BloxMob, students and teachers can create apps and share them with others who have downloaded the BloxMob app. There’s a whole community, with user profiles and discussion forums for support and idea sharing. Users can download the app to access apps others have made, but the real fun is in creating original apps using BloxMob’s website. Students can choose to start from scratch or work with a template. They then select the features they want to include in the app, customize the look with images and colors, and share it, either privately or publicly. Features range from map-based tools, such as restaurant reviews, to sale and trade postings and polling and voting tools.
Price: Free to try, paid
Grades: 8-12
Rating: 4/5
Pros: Scaffolded design process lets students create an app quickly.
Cons: Missing some needed teacher support materials, such as lesson plans and a dashboard.
Bottom line: Create real-world apps right away and make ideas come to life.