Welcome 41 New MIT Master Trainers in Educational Mobile Computing

Aug 6, 2018 karen's Blog

On July 30 - August 1, 2018, 41 educators and entrepreneurs participated in part 3 of the MIT Master Trainers in Educational Mobile Computing program, a three day in-person workshop at MIT. In the workshop, participants learned more about the inner workings of MIT App Inventor, advanced their App Inventor programming skills, and networked with their peers. MIT Master Trainers undergo a three part training to become certified. Part 1 involves taking the online MOOC Mobile Computing with App Inventor CS Principles, taught by Prof. Ralph Morelli of Trinity College in CT. Educators with App Inventor teaching experience may bypass this with proof of experience. Part 2 of the program is a rigorous online course, where participants read academic papers on App Inventor related topics such as project mission, pedagogy, CS K12 Framework, and design thinking. Participants are required to contribute to an online discussion board, as well as complete advanced App Inventor tutorials to further their skills. The Master Trainer program culminates in the three day workshop at MIT, where participants meet their colleagues in person, and continue their training via presentations from members of the MIT App Inventor team and intensive group work on design thinking, prototyping, and of course, inventing with App Inventor. This year's cohort numbers 41, hailing from 8 different countries. The largest group comes from Hong Kong, with 18 members of the Coolthink project travelling to Boston, funded by the Hong Kong Jockey Club. While the United States has the second largest contingent, 2018 Master Trainers also come from Thailand, South Korea, China, Ireland, Canada, and Germany. This energetic and enthusiastic cohort of educators is now ready to return to their respective countries and states, to pass on their knowledge, skills, and passion for MIT App Inventor as a tool for becoming a technology creator. Look for their bios to appear in the upcoming weeks on the App Inventor site.