Excavating the secrets, scandals, and untold stories hiding below the surface of life, and giving voice to the characters who make or made those hiStories happen.
Career educators and life-long friends, Jayne Clare and Anne Rachel were already in the vanguard in 2009 when theirs were among the first education apps to hit the App Store.
"We knew from the very beginning that this was the future. There was no doubt in our minds that this was the way children were going to be learning. We wanted to be on the cutting edge. We wanted to be where everything was happening and maybe a few steps ahead," Jayne states in a recent interview debuting today on this blog.
"We are both dedicated to the idea that quality mobile educational apps are not only the tools of the future, but the tools of today. That with them, we can reach children well beyond the classroom," adds Anne.
Branded under their joint venture, i-Itch Inc: Apps that Delight and Develop, Anne and Jayne’s reading-readiness apps – ABC On the Go, ABC Shakedown, and ABC Shakedown Plus – were instant hits. They all rose quickly to the top of the education category.But the voices of these apps were soon shouted down by the mob of products, many (if not most) of questionable educational quality, that continue to flood into the education category, and that now number in the tens of thousands.
As Anne and Jayne watched more and more “truly educational apps” get swept aside by big-brand, big-budget bullies with little educational value, they decided it was time to stride forward again. They saw the need for a resource site where teachers, parents, and app users could reliably discover great educational content. And so they resolved to create it.
In 2010, Teachers With Apps was born with the goal of showcasing top-of-the-class apps and, later, top-of-the-class developers. The site aims to help teachers and caregivers source App Store gems that have become lost from view. The site is a safe haven for educational app developers, working on a shoestring, who are in the business of changing lives, first. But the main objective of Teacher With Apps has always been to ensure that educationally sound content finds its way into the hands of children and youth.
What makes Teachers With Apps stand apart?
Founded by educators, the company worldview is grounded in age-appropriate educational theory and practice.
All reviews are contributed by teachers.
All reviewed apps are field-tested with students.
Only recommended apps are featured on the Teachers With Apps site.
If you find an app on Teachers With Apps, you can feel confident it’s worthy of your child’s or your students’ attention.
I am honored and delighted to launch this new interview series, TEACHERS IN THE VANGUARD, by introducing you to Anne Rachel and Jayne Clare of Teachers With Apps.
Enjoy! And please don't hesitate to leave your comments for Jayne and Anne.
