Getting ready to apply to college? Now there’s an app for that. One that happened to be developed through AMS Pictures’ partnership with the Texas Education Agency’s GEAR UP program as a companion to its Own Your Own Future website. With a little help from this next-generation learning tool, Texas GEAR UP encourages students (many of whom will be first-generation college attendees) to pursue postsecondary education while providing some invaluable help in navigating the tricky college-application process.

Throughout its 12-year partnership with TEA and Texas GEAR UP, AMS Pictures Public Interest has been challenged to develop innovative methods to effectively connect with their target audiences—middle school and high school students, parents and educators.  As many teachers and counselors can attest to, one of the hurdles faced when reaching out to young adults in particular is that you run the risk of alienating them at the same time that you are trying to help them with something as important as getting ready for college.  Another all too common difficulty is winning teens’ attention away from pervasive technological distractions, including mobile phones, iPads and video games.

With the launch of the free iPhone- and Android-friendly app, students can now learn about college readiness with a tool they probably already have in their pocket. Among a plethora of helpful resources, the app includes a college-prep checklist, videos, quizzes, college profiles, month-by-month topics of focus for seniors, and much more. There are even opportunities for students to earn points by checking in at campus tours, admissions offices and other college-related events.

Other recent projects under the Own Your Own Future umbrella that target this student demographic include the use of interactive kiosks and QR codes to complement the on-campus college-readiness curriculum in a select group of high schools.  These new methods allow Texas GEAR UP to present information that engages and entertains students while educating them. It’s also a natural evolution of AMS Pictures Public Interest’s work in the youth-focused educational market as we keep pace with students in the age of 21^st century learning.