I get asked by students and others all the time why I chose to go with iOS App Development in our engineering program. The answer lies in how well Apple has embedded crucial conversations into the process. I can't do a mediocre job, much less good job, of teaching iOS App Dev without putting time and effort into important topics such as accessibility, privacy, and security. The very nature of iOS and Swift require these conversations. All too often, we see these issues come up in the news and conversations. Privacy and security are major concerns for everyone. Accessibility should be as well. It is too easy to develop for other platforms and languages and never talk about it. I've read stories about how coding bootcamps do a great job of teaching coding skills, but never talk about these issues. Consequently, new programmers leave huge holes in their applications without realizing it. As a high school technology teacher, I feel it is my duty to teach about all three: Accessibility, safety, and privacy. These topics bring up great conversations. When we discuss them, it really makes the students think and look at the world through a different lens. We have the opportunity to see the doors that accessibility opens up for people. It may be the first time my students really thought about it. On the issues of safety and privacy, my students get a look at what it takes to make our services secure and the responsibilities that get overlooked all too often. I can't control what my students do when they leave, but I can make sure they have thought about these very important topics in their lives. I know that these discussions and my work with iOS App Development makes a difference. I see it in my students' work. They are now putting subtitles and clearer dialog in their videos. They are using better color palettes in their designs. And even bigger, they are taking on projects that open up doors to others in our community. I have a student working on an app to help our special education department. It is a communication aid to help students better communicate what activities they want to do. I have another group of students taking on a project to make announcements and other verbal events more accessible to those that are hearing impaired. As a teacher, I cannot choose the route my students will take when they leave my room. All I can control is the opportunities for discussion, learning, and exploration while they are in it. Making sure that accessibility, safety, and privacy are part of that conversation is critical to helping students becoming successful adults in the 21st century.
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About this blog pageThis is my blog covering the activities and results from my work teaching App Dev with Swift. Archives
February 2021
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