Workflow and App Smashing

Recently I presented a workshop to language teachers on workflow and app smashing. The term "app smashing" sounds so cool and app smashing itself is so much fun and you can really create some valuable activities with apps for your students. App smashing is also known as "app synergy" or "workflow", I also like the term "app blending", it's much softer than "smashing", but I imagine students prefer the "smashing" imagery. But whatever you want to call it, the concept of "app smashing" is nothing new to teachers.

Most agree that "app smashing" is taking at least two apps and using the functions of the apps to create something. Before digital technologies, I suppose we would have taken paper and pen plus maybe sticky taped a photo or other photocopied image to create an activity sheet. This would then be followed by photocopying or stenciling a class set and even added a audio cassette recording of the teacher and set activities to that. See, workflow, taking tools (technologies of the day) to create something is not new. In the pre-digital era, paper, pen, audio recorder, VHS recorder, even the television, were part of the "technology" of the day. Remember stencils and overhead projectors? Who would of thought these technologies would be superseded only 20 years later by digital technologies such as tablets that can mirror, laptops and smartphones? So no matter if you've been teaching 50 years or 5 years, you can already have the knowledge to do some app smashing.

App smashing is fun and can be very productive. Like taking a digital photograph, you can "app smash" as much as you like, drafting and re-drafting your creation till you have, what you judge at least, to be a worthy product for your students. If you download free apps, app smashing does not cost anything but your time. The other great thing about these digital products is that you can modify them and improve them after each time you or your students use them. It's never ending. Don't keep all the fun to yourselves either. Give your students a class activity or project based assignment and get them to smash some apps and call it "app smashing". What do you think they would prefer to call it? "App smashing", "app synergy" or "workflow"?

Any good app smashing activity needs to be well thought out and well planned. This is where I think the term "workflow" fits in. I think scope and sequence, lesson plans, teaching programs, are all different types of workflows. The content in these guide or inform us what to teach and work to cover. They can also include examples of how we can achieve to objectives of our units of work and lessons with "how to" samples. These "how to" sections could include app smashing. That's my take on "workflow" anyhow, isn't it to make "work flow"? 

There are teachers, who seem to have the talent to make apps blend effortlessly together, but for most of us, good planning and good knowledge of the apps to be smashed is essential. Use the apps you want to include in your lessons and be the "app master" of that app. Some students will catch on quick with how to use apps, but there's nothing worse than a teacher giving out an activity that includes app smashing and not being confident in using them. Here are a few ideas of basic to advance app smashing ideas I have used.