Eric
This summer, Samsung has put some of its efforts into educating the next generation on jobs in science, technology, engineering and math, by putting on their Mobile App Academies. Spanning multiple dates in multiple cities, these app academies invite 11th and 12th grade students to learn from “leaders in mobile technology and application development” and get to develop their very own applications. If they make the best application, they could get money towards college.
The Academy is located in Atlanta, GA today and next week travels up to Chicago, IL. The three weeks after that are also packed with app developing and learning as well. Samsung is shelling out $20,000 in scholarships for the grand prize, which is a lot to anyone just starting college.
It’s awesome to see Samsung putting time and effort into making sure that the upcoming generation understands mobile applications and their connection with the sciences. The full press release is below if you want to read the details on this great program or sign up for an upcoming event.
$35,000 in Scholarships Awarded to Winning Mobile Application Ideas;
Teachers Learn Skills to Increase Knowledge of Mobile Application Development and Receive Continuing Professional Education Credits
Dallas, TX – June 25, 2013 – In an effort to further encourage education in science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) among America’s youth, Samsung Telecommunications America (Samsung Mobile) will offer high school students in six cities across the country the opportunity to participate in Samsung Mobile App Academies. In its second year, the two-day mobile application academies are free for eligible 11th and 12thgraders interested in STEM, and will award $35,000 in scholarships for the students who create winning App ideas. The Mobile App Academies will be hosted in Atlanta, Boston, Chicago, Dallas, New York City and San Francisco beginning June 26.
With more than 800,000 apps available on the Android operating system and 1.7 million apps worldwide, mobile app development is one of the hottest trends in the wireless industry. The academies will expose students to the growing social and educational possibilities of mobile application development and give them the opportunity to create apps that are interesting and culturally relevant to them and their communities.
During the two-day event, students will have access to thought leaders in mobile technology and application development as well as web entrepreneurs so they can learn first-hand about the latest developments in mobile technology. Students will use the Samsung Galaxy Note™ 10.1 tablet as their portal to the program curriculum and tool for researching the digital landscape and exploring the latest trends in the mobile application industry.
Participants will be able to submit their own mobile application concept proposal for a chance to win a grand prize of $20,000 in scholarships; 2nd and 3rd place winners will receive $10,000 and $5,000 in scholarships. All winners, plus one 4th and one 5th place winner, will receive the new Samsung Galaxy S® 4 smartphone. Additionally, Samsung is collaborating with its developers group to explore building the student’s winning app.
To bring the Samsung Mobile App Academies into the classroom, Samsung will also introduce a one-day Samsung Mobile Application Teacher Workshop hosted at the Perot Museum of Nature and Science in Dallas. The free workshop will guide educators through a series of STEM related activities and lesson plans to further transform their classrooms into more interactive, technically savvy learning environments. Through lessons that connect with the Texas Essential Knowledge and Skills (TEKS) state standards, educators will increase their own mobile application knowledge, learn about new emerging software platforms and potential careers for students in the mobile device and applications marketplace. All Samsung Mobile Application Teacher Workshop attendees will receive a Samsung Galaxy Note™ 10.1 tablet and may be eligible to receive Continuing Professional Education (CPE) credits.
“Samsung Mobile App Academies aim to positively influence and inspire the next generation of mobile application developers,” said Dale Sohn, president of Samsung Telecommunications America. “By expanding our program to six cities nationwide, we have the opportunity to further connect with and further empower top performing high school students interested in science, technology, engineering and mathematics. The new Samsung Mobile Application Teacher Workshop gives educators a robust understanding of mobile application development and fuels information sharing with other STEM stakeholders in the academic community.
Samsung Mobile App Academies will be held at the following locations:
June 26–27: San Francisco, CA, University of California, Berkeley (UC Berkeley)
July 10–11: Atlanta, GA, Georgia Institute of Technology (Georgia Tech)
July 17–18: Chicago, IL, University of Illinois at Chicago (UIC)
July 24–25: Boston, MA, Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT)
July 30–31: Dallas, TX, University of Texas at Dallas (UT Dallas)
August 7–8: New York City, NY, Polytechnic Institute of New York University (NYU Poly)
Samsung Mobile Application Teacher Workshop will be held at the following location:
August 1: Dallas, TX, Perot Museum of Nature and Science
Samsung collaborated with Scholastic, the global children’s publishing, education and media company, to develop the program curriculum for the Mobile App Academy as well as online resources for teachers interested in spearheading mobile application courses throughout the school year.
In 2012, Samsung launched its first-ever Samsung Mobile App Academy (formerly known as Samsung Mobile Application Boot Camp). More than 120 high school students participated in the program and $35,000 in scholarships were awarded to the top three winners. The grand prize winner Joseph Romano, a 10th grader at Arlington High School in Arlington, MA, received a $20,000 scholarship for his Better4All volunteer application. Romano’s mobile application is a crowd-sourced service, which allows users within a specific region to report and respond to volunteer opportunities within three main categories: road hazards, off-road issues and volunteer positions.
For more information about the Samsung Mobile App Academies program, please visit www.scholastic.com/samsungacademy.
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