When we review or feature an app here at TekRevue, we usually do so because of its functionality. Today, however, we’re featuring an app based on what it represents. App Camp Quiz Compendium for iOS might not have the visuals, mechanics, or replay value of a high-end commercial quiz game, but it represents the culmination of a critically important mission: encouraging young girls to learn to code.
App Camp Quiz Compendium is the product of App Camp for Girls, a non-profit organization founded in Portland, Oregon in 2013 that provides training in coding and app development to middle-school aged girls. Since its founding, the program has expanded to Seattle, Vancouver, and New Jersey, offering weeklong seminars that culminate with teams of campers writing, compiling, and demonstrating their apps and code. I was fortunate to attend an App Camp for Girls event during Macworld | iWorld 2014 in San Francisco, and it was incredibly encouraging to see the excitement and enthusiasm of the young ladies on stage as they explained the coding basics they had learned and put them to practice in front of a live audience.
The App Camp Quiz Compendium app is the first time that App Camp for Girls has revealed their campers’ work to the broader public. The app, created entirely by former camper teams from the Portland and Seattle sessions, features a number of “what are you” quizzes — for example, Which Planet Are You? or What Super Power Do You Have? — with answers based on your responses (in case you’re curious, I’m the planet Mercury and my super power is invisibility). There are 15 personality quizzes in all, and each one is adorably illustrated by the campers’ own drawings.
The app is obviously great for kids, but the real reason to add it to your iPhone is that the proceeds from its small purchase price ($0.99) help support App Camp for Girls. It’s no secret that there’s a gender gap in the IT and programming fields, and working to introduce coding skills and career ambitions to young girls is a crucial step to closing it.
So if you have a younger child in your life, App Camp Quiz Compendium is a fun and safe app to add to your iOS library. But even if you don’t, consider picking the app up anyway. You’ll be supporting a fantastic organization and cause, and the artwork and questions on display in the app are guaranteed to put a smile on your face.
You can pick up App Camp Quiz Compendium on the iOS App Store now for $0.99. It requires iOS 8.2 or later and, while compatible with iPad, is optimized for the iPhone. If you’re interested in learning more about App Camp for Girls, check out the organization’s website. Parents of 8th and 9th grade girls can also register to attend future sessions.
Want news and tips from TekRevue delivered directly to your inbox? Sign up for the TekRevue Weekly Digest using the box below. Get tips, reviews, news, and giveaways reserved exclusively for subscribers.
