An app that reminds the elderly to take their medicines is one of the winner at mSchools App Awards

• The 35 winning students of the second edition of the mSchools App Awards will attend the first app development camps
• mSchools issues awards to the seven best applications created in Catalonian classrooms by ESO, senior school and vocational training students
• The projects The Blocker, Mazes of Fantasy, Elderly, Ars Longa, Don’t forget it, Aprèn història and Willy and Hand Cook are the winners of the competition

June 5, 2015

This afternoon the mSchools programme recognised the seven best apps developed by students at the second edition of the mSchools App Awards, the mobile applications contest held annually amongst Catalonian schools. The projects The Blocker, Mazes of Fantasy, Elderly, Ars Longa, Don’t forget it, Aprèn història, and Willy and Hand Cook, created as part of the course “App Education” were the winners of the competition backed by Mobile World Capital Barcelona in collaboration with the Regional Government of Catalonia, the City of Barcelona, and GSMA.

The members of the seven winning groups, some 35 students, will be awarded a stay at the first mSchools Tech Camp. These technological summer camps have been specifically created to expand these students’ programming knowledge and to pedagogically build on the “App Education” course. Between 18 and 26 July, the winners will undergo a complete immersion in the world of mobile technology and application design, an experience that will be combined with recreational and leisure activities.

The camp will allow them to work with teachers who are experts in technology, programming, design, creativity, and entrepreneurship, among other specialisations.

In addition to this recognition, Zurich has given Chromebooks to the winners of the mSchools App Awards as tools to be used at the camp. And lastly, Xnergic will raffle inscriptions for some of their activities focused on enhancing technological vocations.

The Regional Minister of Education, Irene Rigau, the CEO of GSMA Ltd., John Hoffman, and the vice-president of Mobile World Capital Barcelona, Agustí Cordón, stressed the programme’s growth and the warm welcome the educational community has given mSchools.

From the classroom to the exhibition hall

The second edition of the mSchools App Awards was held at the TecnoCampus in Mataró and featured participation by more than 120 students. The 24 finalist teams presented their projects, along with their teachers, in a dynamic forum that allowed them to interact with both attendees and the event´s judging panel. The students also exhibited their commercial and business talents by presenting the potential of their prototypes and showing the judges their business sides.

The contest included finalist projects in three categories – leisure and personal management, educational applications, and services to the community and citizens. In each category two projects received awards: one developed by ESO students, and the other by Senior School or Vocational Training students.

The mSchools App Awards also included a prize chosen by a popular vote amongst event attendees.

The winning apps from the second edition of the mSchools App Awards

Listing of categories and winners

• Leisure and personal management – prize bestowed by Jordi Pagés, Sales and Distribution management for the Zurich Group

Winner ESO: Institut d’Altafulla (Altafulla). Application: The Blocker

Winner BATX-CFGM: Institut Caparrella (Lleida). Application: Mazes of Fantasy

• Services to the community and citizens – prize bestowed by Agustí Cordón, vice-president of the Mobile World Capital Barcelona Foundation.

Winner ESO: Institut Josep Vallverdú. Application: Elderly

Winner BATX-CFGM: Escola Virolai (Barcelona). Application: Ars Longa.

• Educational applications – prize bestowed by Ms. Irene Rigau, Regional Minister of Education for the Regional Government of Catalonia.

Winner ESO: SI Gurb (Gurb). Application: Don’t forget it

Winner BATX-CFGM: Institut Roseta Mauri (Reus). Application: Aprèn història amb Willy

• Audience award – bestowed by John Hoffman, CEO of GSMA Ltd.

Winner: Institut Ernest Lluch (Barcelona). Application: Hand Cook.

The consolidation of mSchools

mSchools is an initiative backed by Mobile World Capital Barcelona, in collaboration with the Regional Government of Catalonia, the City of Barcelona, and GSMA. This pioneering programme promotes work in the classroom with mobile technology through the creation and use of mobile solutions. The objective is to enhance students’ skills in the digital environment, reduce school drop-out rates, and improve academic performance.

One of the initiatives of the mSchools programme is “App Education”, a course focussing on the conceptualization, design, and development of mobile application prototypes.

During the 2014-2015 academic year more than 300 schools offered the class, and a total of 11,150 secondary school students, mainly in 4th-year ESO, participated in the programme. For the first time “App Education” was also offered at 8 Vocational Training centres, this incorporation making it possible to reach out to 500 Vocational Training students in fields related to Computer Science, Administration and Management, Commerce, and Graphic Arts. Another innovation this year was the availability of all the course contents in English.

After two academic years in Catalonian classrooms, over 17,000 secondary students have already taken the “App Education” course. As of today, 25% of Catalonian students are participating in one of the initiatives backed by the mSchools programme.