Touting it as the first app-as-schoolwork project in the U.S., the kids at North Heights Alternative School in Amarillo, Texas are at work on an app called Amarillo 365.
Priced at $2.99 (with $1 going to a scholarship funds for the students), the app will provide visitors and locals alike with information on local attractions and events.
“We go out and we do all the research we meet with the business leaders, community leaders the kids basically are writing on their entries, they’re doing four to five entries of about 150 words,” said Mark Williams, North Heights English Teacher and project supervisor. “They’re having to do some intense research.”
They hope to finish the research and make it to the app store by Christmas, where they’ll face competition from Amarillo-focused apps like iNews Pro and Maps Offline.
Teens have long been developing apps outside school — games, for example, and some schools outside the U.S. have already incorporated app making into coursework.
