The men behind a locally developed app aimed at sparking an interest in programming have been invited to present the creation at Mobile Learning Week in Paris in March.
The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation’s (Unesco’s) event seeks to increase understanding of how technology can be leveraged to improve education.
The educational mobile application TANKS, designed by former Nelson Mandela University postgraduate student Byron Batteson, was officially launched in November 2017.
But the promotion of TANKS is now led by NMU’s Professor Jean Greyling.
TANKS aims to introduce pupils from disadvantaged communities to coding concepts, in the hope of enticing them to consider careers as software developers.
The app, which is designed primarily for pupils aged 10 to 14, has a tank moving through a maze, following directions provided in the form of physical tokens that form a puzzle and direct the tank when they are photographed.
Greyling, who supervised Batteson’s creation, said to date 2,400 pupils from across the country had attended his workshops.
He said their invitation to attend the international event was a substantial achievement.
“They received 250 proposals of which they only accepted 60,” Greyling said.
“Mobile Learning Week is the United Nations’ flagship ICT-in-education conference, and this app is aimed at teaching coding to learners from disadvantaged schools where there are no computers.”
The pair will have an opportunity to address an international audience of mobile learning experts including ICTin-education policy makers, development and refugee specialists as well as representatives from leading foundations, international organisations, NGOs and private companies.
Greyling said TANKS is essentially a game and an app to introduce basic programming concepts which could be implemented and be applicable across the globe.
“This is a good confirmation that what we are doing can make a difference outside of our borders. We have mainly been working in SA but we have had the vision that it can at least make an impact in the whole of Africa.
“Having done workshops with 2,400 pupils, the experience after playing for 10 or 15 minutes, when they start getting energetic and a feel for what it is about and that interaction of trying to solve the problem, is always a highlight for me,” Greyling said.
He hopes to reach 100,000 pupils by the time TANKS reaches its fifth birthday and to bring more sponsors on board.
Held annually since 2011, the Unesco event convenes experts from around the world to share how affordable and powerful advanced technology can accelerate learning.