TapCoding

Reviewed by Maria Widmer
Details: Flarify LLC, June 7, 2016, iOS 9.2 or later
Cost: Free
Review: TapCoding offers users gamified, bite-sized interactive exercises to learn Swift, the programming language created by Apple and used to develop iOS, macOS, watchOS, and tvOS apps. Users complete true/false questions, drag-and-drop code building pages, code typing, and error spotting exercises to reinforce key coding concepts.
TapCoding’s chunked mobile modules could help to extend and reinforce concepts introduced in computer science or mobile app development classes by offering learners opportunities for quick practice sessions wherever they go.
While the basic read-activity-read-activity flow of the TapCoding app fails to truly activate learners’ critical thinking and creativity, the underlying practice of coding that it supports is well-aligned with the 21st Century skills of Information, Communications and Technology (ICT) Literacy. Offering learners an approachable, interactive introduction to app programming supports the development of tech literacy by revealing the logic behind, and thus demystifying apps and softwares used in everyday life. While TapCoding is a solid app for learning Swift on-the-go for now, the iPad-native Swift Playgrounds app announced by Apple at its Worldwide Developers Conference (WWDC) in June 2016 promises an even more engaging, puzzle-based approach that may soon render TapCoding obsolete.
