How to Use App Inventor in Your Classroom

How to Use App Inventor in Your ClassroomJulie FriesenPiper Middle School Technology 6th-8th Grades

Edmodo Group Code to Join for More Resources:

Group Code: m7engo

How I Got Started: Northwest Missouri State University

-Computer Science Dept. Offered free courses for teachers in

the summer sponsored by Google & Cerner in Liberty, MO

Program for teachers to encourage coding, computer programming in classes.

Steps to Begin Go to this website first to download

everything you need to begin. http://

appinventor.mit.edu/explore/setup-mit-app-inventor.html

5 steps 1. Get or log into existing gmail account 2.Prepare your system with Java 3. Install the App Inventor Software 4. Start App Inventor 5.Build your app with your Droid device or

with the Emulator.

What is App Inventor? Application was originally developed

by Google labs It is used to build mobile apps for

Android phones or tablets Apps built using web browser and

connected phone or emulator Data is stored on a App Inventor server

Currently maintained by MIT Great teaching and learning tool!

How App Inventor Works? Develop apps without writing single

line of code Use puzzle pieces that snap together

to build apps Has components and functions that

you drag and drop App contains event handlers

When these events happens, the app does something

http://appinventor.mit.edu/explore/content/what-app-inventor.html

What Can You Create? Games Informational apps Build education software

Quiz apps to help study for a test Create-a-quiz app that let the users of your app

create their own quizes. Location-aware apps-locate a

friend/colleagues at a conference or concert, football game, custom tour app of your school

SMS apps-Write an app that responds to texts-”No Texting While Driving”

Apps that can control robots-use your phone to control the robot.

Why App Inventor in K-12? Learning by creating-Active

Learning Help your students develop some

programming and computing skills Students will enjoy creating,

thinking, and learning to build apps Encourages creativity and problem

solving-STEM, Common Core

Viewer-This is where you place components and arrange them to map out what you want your app to look like.

Palette-Is a list of components you can select from.

Components-Lists the components in your project.

Properties-Details about each component that you can change.

Methodology on How to Build an App With Students

Built ItIntroduce a topic but keep it brief. Within minutes, get the students building an interesting app, using a step-by-step tutorial.

Conceptualize ItAfter the students complete the tutorial, break them into small groups to discuss conceptual questions about the app, then discuss as a class.

Customize ItAfter the discussion session, assign customization tasks in which students add interesting features to the app they just built.

Create ItAfter two or three repetitions of the Build-Conceptualize-Customize process, give the students the freedom to choose an app of personal interest to them.

App Inventor Materials Official MIT App Inventor web site at

http://appinventor.mit.edu/ Teaching with App Inventor

Contains tutorial at http://appinventor.mit.edu/explore/teach.html

Resources Contains links to variety of materials at

http://explore.appinventor.mit.edu/resources App Inventor Book, on-line at http://

www.appinventor.org/book Contains a course in a box

Are You Up For the Challenge?

Join the Edmodo Group for this presentation: m7engo

Complete this Edmodo Challenge Assignment which is: Please choose one of the topics presented today:

1. Teach students how to build an App using App Inventor.2. Share in a discussion on Edmodo on what you did in your classroom and post successes/things that didn’t work using App Inventor.

3. Use the Build It, Conceptualize It, Customize It, Create It model and post how it worked or didn’t.

Post your idea and any resources into this group. Click "turn-in" and attach a link to your post.

Thanks so much for sharing your ideas with our group!