The Mobile Innovation Network aims to empower youth globally by fostering their ability to create relevant mobile applications, developing skills, and promoting entrepreneurship. Through mobile innovation clubs, the initiative seeks to provide learning opportunities, raise awareness of career paths, and support community-focused app development. The project emphasizes collaboration, long-term sustainability, and the importance of understanding local challenges in the creation of technological solutions.

1. +
The Mobile
Innovation Network
building local capacity for youth workforce
development, entrepreneurship and
citizenship in the mobile world
a project of the Center for Mobile Learning
at the MIT Media Lab

2. + Background

As portable devices become more ubiquitous, youth must have
opportunities to create, not just consume mobile apps.

There are efforts, but in limited context or duration and often in
isolation.

3. +
The Mobile Innovation Network
Our mission is to empower young people worldwide to create
personally meaningful and socially-relevant mobile applications.

4. +
What does a Mobile Innovation Club do?

Develop culture of young people learning, working and
tinkering with mobile apps;

Inspire youth created mobile solutions to locally meaningful
challenges;

Provide a meaningful context for youth skill acquisition;

Raise awareness of relevant career opportunities;

Foster connections with inspiring individuals and
representatives from local companies and organizations.

5. +
MIT App Inventor:
A Tool for Innovation

6. +
MIT App Inventor:
A Tool for Innovation

7. +
Science Apps in the Field
http://notes.hfoss.org/index.php/TreeCalc:Main_Page

8. +
Apps for healthy lifestyles and fun
https://sites.google.com/a/wellesley.edu/bunnybolt/home

9. +
Apps for humanitarian and social good
With support from external agents, Haiti relief workers developed an app
to facilitate monitor food and water distribution.
How can we help others build apps
to improve the quality of life in their
own communities?

10. +
App Inventor Used in
150+ Countries

11. +
Why a Mobile Innovation Network?

Facilitate curriculum development;

Organize events to foster interactions among clubs;

Establish a mutually-supportive community, including a virtual
network;

Lead and support evaluation;

Provide feedback and make App Inventor and other software
tools more relevant to and appropriate for youth projects.

12. +
Who are current MIN members?

MIT Center for Mobile Learning: technical expertise,
partnerships

MIT Global Startup Lab: mobile technology development and
entrepreneurship in Africa and Southeast Asia

CSEV Foundation: online community and mobile entrepreneurial
ecosystem for Latin America

Global Minimum: innovation camps in Sierra Leone and Kenya

Humanitarian FOSS: student mentorship, technical know-how

Intel Computer Clubhouse Network: teens, media infrastructure
in 20 countries

Iridescent: science and technology with girls worldwide

13. +
How to make the MIN real?

Phase I

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Phase II

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
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
Develop modular guide activities
Create online hub
Start clubs
Evaluation plan & implementation
Refine & expand activity set
Improve App Inventor components
Develop sustainability plan
Implement evaluation findings
Phase III


Expand network
Implement sustainability plan

14. +
What does the MIN need?

Funding

Additional Partnerships with Local
Organizations/Companies Who Can Provide:
 Space
 Mentors
 Internships

Equipment – phones and/or tablets with data plans

Volunteers

15. +
Contacts
http://appinventor.mit.edu

Leo Burd, Research Scientist
leoburd@media.mit.edu

Josh Sheldon, Program Manager
jsheldon@mit.edu

16. +
Additional slides

17. +
We should provide local entrepreneurs and grassroots nonprofits with tools – and where appropriate and requested,
expertise – for them to create their own projects that make a
difference...
[...] we shouldn’t develop solutions to problems we don’t
understand, we shouldn’t take ownership of a problem that
isn’t ours and we certainly shouldn’t build things thousands of
miles away and then jump on a plane in search of a home for
them.
- Ken Banks, from
http://www.kiwanja.net/blog/2012/12/an-inconvenient-truth/

18. +
Research questions

What are the key technical, educational and infrastructural
elements of successful Mobile Innovation Clubs?

In what ways can App Inventor and the other technologies used
be improved to better support young people in the
implementation of their projects?

How to foster scalability and guarantee the sustainability of the
Mobile Innovation Network over time?

19. +
Curriculum goals

Technical skills (which will change over time)

Longer-lasting skills

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Computational thinking
So-called 21st Century Skills:
 Flexibility and ability to adapt to new technologies and situations
 Self-esteem
 Self-initiative
 Collaboration
 Presentation skills
 Ability and willingness to learning from mistakes
Curriculum writing
College application, etc.
Business plan writing

20. +
Monitoring and evaluation
One of the expected outcomes of the Mobile Innovation Network is to define a set
of indicators and assessment instruments to guide the evolution of the project at
the individual, club and network levels.

At the individual level

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Acquisition of basic skills, concepts and attitudes (for the mobile world;
Common challenges inherent to the participation in the initiative.
At the Club level
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Challenges inherent to the implementation and sustainability of the MIN projects;

Best practices;

Suggestions to improve App Inventor;

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How to recruit, support and keep mentors engaged?
At the Network level

Total number of clubs, participants and projects;

Level of participation and lessons learned regarding inter-club initiatives such as design
competitions, webinars, etc.;

Overall impact in the community.

21. +
Monitoring and evaluation

22. +
Technovation challenge

23. +

24. +
MIT Global Startup Labs

25. Innovate Salone 2013
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