January 26, 2020

The Making of Geogsmart

According to the United States Government Accountability Office, only 27% of 8th graders were proficient in geography in 2014, and 73% of students were below proficient. Part of the reason that the majority of 8th graders are below proficient in geography skills is because it is not a major part of the social studies curriculum, and it seems boring to many people. I concluded that people did not want to learn about geography because there was no fun and engaging way to do it. This simple idea pushed me to create my first iOS app, GeogSMART, in 8th grade. The app, while extremely basic and limited, got in the Top 5 for the Congressional App Challenge in 2017.