Taking Home the Big Prizes - One App at Time

Taking Home the Big Prizes - One App at Time

Students in Stacey Claiborne’s third and fourth-grade computer science class had a secret weapon at the 2025 ACTE Annual Region 7 Tech Fair in Mobile, Alabama, and the 2025 ACTE State Tech Fair in Montevallo, Alabama: they built their own mobile apps with Thunkable.

In a field crowded with PowerPoints and static coding projects, Stacey’s students stood out — and took home big prizes — because they brought working apps to the competition. They weren’t just learning about technology. They were creating it.

Stacey, a veteran educator with over 20 years of experience, has always been ahead of the curve. “I would do a lot of tech projects in my classrooms even before it became my primary focus,” she says. “I found that my students were ahead of the game.”

When the competition challenged students to create something innovative, Stacey’s class was ready.

• One student built an app designed to help kindergarteners learn their colors.
• Several others created apps to quiz their classmates on tornadoes and geography.

These were real problems the students were trying to solve. And with Thunkable, these young creators didn’t just design ideas — they brought them to life on real phones and tablets.

And there’s a moment that Stacey says never gets old. “When they click that button and see their new app, they love it,” she says. “They’re screaming!”

That excitement is the spark that turns students from passive users of technology into creators.

Ready to unleash this magic in your classroom?

Thunkable for Education empowers students as young as elementary school to design, build, and launch real mobile apps — no prior coding experience required. Whether you're teaching STEM, computer science, or just encouraging creative thinking, Thunkable makes it easy to:

• Teach core programming and design concepts
• Support project-based learning across subjects
• Give students the thrill of publishing a real-world app

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Your students could be the next tech fair champions.

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Learn more about Thunkable for Education.