Adam Dickson, Langston Centre supervisor, and Dr. Audrey Depelteau, ETSU Innovation Lab director, have announced that Innovation Lab affiliate member John Cannon will be presenting a free course on developing mobile apps between Feb. 4 and March 31 at the Langston Centre. The course teaches high school students how to create mobile apps using technology developed by Glide, a San Francisco-based company.

“I want to develop an ecosystem in the Tri-Cities of young people who can develop mobile applications,” said Cannon, a local engineer and entrepreneur. “Many entrepreneurs are starting companies with an idea that will fit into an app. We need to prepare our students for the future.”

Students will utilize the Langston Centre’s computer center to create the applications but will require the use of cell phones to test their work. The Langston Centre is seeking donations of old cell phones. Both Apple and Android phones will be accepted and all phones will be factory reset to remove any personal information. To donate cell phones, contact the Langston Centre at 423-434-5785.

“Many members of the Innovation Lab have apps as a part of their product offering,” Depelteau said. “We hope individuals in the community will support this effort by donating old phones to enable the students to test their designs,” she said.

The course will conclude with an app expo that will be held at 5:30 p.m. on March 31 at Langston Centre. This event will be open to local businesses and Glide will donate free professional versions of their software for students who solve a real-world problem during this training.

“We are excited to have this course as one of our first program offerings,” Dickson said. “We use smartphones in all aspects of our lives. It will be great to teach our students a skill like this.”

Glide co-founder David Siegel said the company is delighted to support the program and wants to share pictures and stories via its social media channels.

For more about the Langston Centre, call 423-434-5785.

For more about the ETSU Innovation Lab, visit https://etsu.edu/ilab/.

For more about Glide, visit https://www.glideapps.com/.