What it’s like teaching Apps for Good in Portugal

Apps for Good is delivered in Portugal by our partners CDI Portugal. We talked to Miquelina Vilaranda about her experience of delivering Apps for Good for the first time, and what she’d look forward to doing in her second year of teaching the courses.

Why did you become an Apps for Good Educator?

Apps for Good came to our school to present their courses. After some consideration, I realised that it could be an excellent programme for my students, alongside having to use the English language (I'm an English teacher) it would help to develop other skills such teamwork, research, creativity, decision making etc. Furthermore, it contributed to raising awareness about issues related to sustainability. And of course, we cannot forget digital literacy, it ticked a lot of the right boxes.

How easy was it for you to get started with the Apps for Good programme?

It was easy to get started because we had the support of the Apps for Good team who always answered our questions.

How have you integrated the course into your teaching schedule?

The programme was easily integrated into our English classes because the themes of the programme coincide with the themes of the programme: sustainability; technology; marketing and multiculturalism.

How useful did you find the tools and support offered by Apps for Good?

The tools were very useful because they served as a guide but at the same time we were able to adapt to our reality.

Tell us about the impact the Apps for Good course has on your students…

The students really enjoyed the programme because, as they said, it made them think about problems that surround them and at the same time they learned about creating an app. They also considered that it made learning easier and more real.

And how does your school benefit from being part of the Apps for Good programme?

Being part of the Apps for Good programme is very beneficial for the school as it helps teachers teach differently by making classes more meaningful to the students.

We are celebrating a decade of Apps for Good, if you enjoyed this we have lots more for you to explore on our 10 years page, and here on our blog.