MIT App InventorAn introduction

What is App Inventor• App Inventor lets you develop applications for Android phones

using a web browser and either a connected phone or emulator.

• The educational perspective that motivates App Inventor holds that programming can be a vehicle for engaging powerful ideas through active learning. As such, it is part of an ongoing movement in computers and education that began with the work of Seymour Papert and the MIT Logo Group in the 1960s

• Uses Open Blocks java library and Kawa Language framework• To use App Inventor, you do not need to be a developer. This

is because instead of writing code, you visually design the way the app looks and use blocks to specify the app's behavior

Starting up App Inventor• Computer and operating system • Macintosh (with Intel processor): Mac OS X 10.5, 10.6 • Windows: Windows XP, Windows Vista, Windows 7 • GNU/Linux: Ubuntu 8+, Debian 5+

• Browser • Mozilla Firefox 3.6 or higher • Apple Safari 5.0 or higher • Google Chrome 4.0 or higher • Microsoft Internet Explorer 7 or higher

• Test Device• Android phone• Android Emulator

Environment Overview

Creating a Sample Application• Catch the Longtail• Larry the Longtail displayed on screen• At regular intervals Larry will jump from one place to

another• User will get a point every time he catches Larry• Larry will say “Ouch” when he gets touched

Resources• Setting up:

• http://beta.appinventor.mit.edu/learn/setup/

• App Inventor Tutorials & Documentation• http://appinventor.mit.edu/explore/learn.html• http://android.jwtyler.com/?page_id=7 (some outdated)

• App Inventor Books• App Inventor – Create your own Android Apps - http://owen.in/PNWdE4 • App Inventor for Android - http://owen.in/PNWlU4 • Android Apps with App Inventor - http://owen.in/Tv7uKI

• My contact details: Owen Cutajar• Email: owen@cutajar.net• Twitter: @OwenC