What Education means to me.
I am a student. That means I know exactly where the friction is in learning. I know when there simply isn't a tool for the thing I want to learn, and when the existing equipment gets in the way of an experiment. Education is one of the values I build on because I'm living in it.
Clima — the first step.
Clima was the first. It started from a science project at school; the teacher wanted us to make a creative work on climate change. From the list of sub-topics, I chose climate justice; which countries are most responsible for climate change, and which suffer the most. The data exists, but it was scattered, and there wasn't a tool to show it interactively.
Clima was built on that absence, as a specific tool to explore climate justice.
Accelab - when the tool was working against the learning.
Accelab came from a tedious Physics lab. The experiment itself was straightforward; collect distance-time data of a cart on an air track. Yet, the tools were not.
Accelab was built on that friction. Using iPhone's sensors, it collects the data directly and cleanly. It doesn't carry out the calculations by itself; it only provides the data.
My principles when building educational apps.
Technology can make learning easier, but I believe these two principles must be met.
Keep it specific.
I build for one gap, one problem, one moment where learning meets friction.
Don't make the tool think instead of the user.
I build educational tools that put the right information in front of you and step back. It is a tool, not a shortcut.
Education became one of my values because I was sitting inside it. When I meet another friction in learning, I will make a tool for it.
