Students lead the way with apps for ideas

The article published in the Times of India on May 21, 2014 quotes Nishant Shah.

Pratik epitomizes Gen X. Coding and decoding, these school children, barely into their teens, are developing apps drawing attention worldwide.

"I learnt coding by myself with the help of the internet. The world wants things simplified and that's why apps are a hit. The first app I made was a calculator because my dad was unhappy with the one on his phone. My work was initially rejected, but I knew that would happen. But I continued working. When I went to a Microsoft conference, they told me youngsters have ideas to change the world and we have the time," said Pratik.

He was felicitated with a Nokia Lumia 1520 at the Windows Azure Conference 2014 for his work in developing apps for Windows and Windows Phone store.

Rahul Yedida, a Class 12 student at the National Centre for Excellence, has around 18,000 downloads for the app he and his friend created. "I wasn't too happy with the amount of Maths homework. I started wondering whether an app could do it. At the same time, I had learnt a new language and wanted to test my skills. That's how I started working on it," said Rahul.

"Programming is fun. Seeing a computer work the way you want it to gives you special joy," said Vaisakh M, Rahul's co-developer. They sent a letter to Bill Gates about the app and got a reply lauding their achievement.

Quote hanger
* During my free time, I read about programming which helps me when I write programs. My friends in the colony join me when I watch videos about it. They do programs in other languages. I play games and used to wonder how they're made. My dad promised to get me a laptop if I start programming and that's how it started.

Thrisha Mohan| 12, Vidyashilp Academy, now working on a jewellery app

* Apps are the cool things to do now. With the kind of access possible thanks to smart phones, they have gone to the masses. I wouldn't be surprised at the number of apps being created. When an app is created in a college dormitory, 1,000 students in the college will download it. That's instant gratification. The ecosystem is such that with social networking sites, you become an instant hero. The question is: How many can be successful and have a long life?

S Sadagopan | director, IIIT-B

* Apps are more relevant for those growing up with interfaces which are mobile and wearable. We also need to realise there is a growing generation of people whose first point of access to the digital as well as to the connected worlds of the internet is through mobile devices. And apps are a natural way of interaction. It is a positive trend because it allows users to think of themselves not only as 'users' but as active producers of the digital world. They look beyond platforms made available by multi-national companies or private enterprises, and it allows them to build communities of interaction and learning between them. We need to make sure they are safe and not susceptible to invasive presence of others who might exploit their presence on the web.

Nishant Shah | director- research, The Centre for Internet and Society