We have a lot to celebrate! We are proud to announce that the Inner Strength Mobile App has officially launched. Teens have a new way to build inner strength, check their emotional health, practice positivity, get in tune with their feelings, and explore many areas of mindfulness. A lot went into the creation of the app, so here are some things that you might not know about our newest tool!
Why choose mobile technology?
Teens and phones go hand-in-hand, but it’s not a decision that we pulled out of thin air. There’s actually a lot of science to support the use of apps to enhance education. To start with, let’s take a quick look at some usage data:
According to a 2019 Edison Research study, the use of smartphones for those 12 years and older is 84%. What’s more, another recent survey showed that almost 80% percent of online students complete some or all of their coursework on mobile devices.
That translates into a lot of opportunity to connect with teens. We can now share critical tools and support to empower youth at a time when they need it most.
We have leaderboards!
Now that we’ve established the importance of mobile technology use, let’s take a look at some of the components that we included in our app. You’ll notice that the app has a lot of fun elements, including a leaderboard:
Mobile apps can definitely help learning retention and academic performance. Did you also know that leaderboards, specifically, in game-based learning, can help academic performance? One study showed that students who learned in this way had high levels of academic identification (psychological and emotional investment in academics).
Essentially, game based learning increases motivation, resulting in a positive effect on academics!
Now, let’s see what happens when we add leaderboards to mindfulness, and letting go of stress!
Students can use the app at their own pace.
Not everyone learns at the same pace, and this can be a challenge for both students and instructors. With the Inner Strength app, the students learn in a more self-directed way. Meaning, they can determine how fast or how leisurely they want to complete tasks and challenges. If they don’t understand a concept or just want to revisit an activity, they are more than welcome to do so. They don’t have to worry about falling behind or being singled out. Remember the leaderboard? This is also where it can assist. Even though students can learn at their own pace, the friendly competition can act as a motivator. No pressure, leaderboards are fun!
The Inner Strength App supports equity of access.
Mindfulness instruction and related social emotional learning tools should be available to everyone who wishes to explore them, but, unfortunately that is not always the case. One of the goals of Inner Strength is to make sure everyone who wants to learn, can and that cost and access disparities shouldn’t have to be a consideration.
To that end, that app is free to ALL students. Many students come from low-income and socioeconomically disadvantaged families and access to technology can be a major challenge. By making our app free and mobile (remember that 84% number?) we can reach more students who might otherwise slip through the cracks.
If you would like to support teens on the app, or if you would like to download the app for yourself and the youth in your life, you are welcome to! Please download and donate. Every user costs Inner Strength $3.60 per year. A $25 donation will underwrite the cost of 7 teens! Click here to donate.
Ready to download? Here’s how!
For Androids: Google Play Store
For iPhones: Apple App Store
