Starting AppInventor in the Classroom

1. Starting AppInventor in the Classroom Dale Jones @spookingdorf djones@excitingICT.co.uk CAS Conference June 2011

2. Scope • Starting with AppInventor • Create a (very) simple app • Consider howthis could be developed in the classroom

3. Why Apps? • Inspiring • Computing, incorporating ICT • Challenge – to analyse needs, create and refine a solution • Creating something that works • Solving problems, Developing thinking “Solving problems creatively by using ICT to explore ideas and try alternatives” “Consider systematically the information needed to solve a problem” “Solve problems…” “Use ICT to make things happen by planning, testing and modifying…”

4. What to use? • iPhone SDK • See iOS Dev Center • Android SDK • Eg Eclipse • AppInventor • Windows Phone SDK

5. Making it real • Authentic context • Technical knowledge (of the dev environment) • Technical know-how (to make the dev environment do the right things) • Creative flair • Use stimulus cards?

6. Feasibility Analyse It Systems Life Cycle Design It Develop and Test It Check out the Ideas Cards for starting points Implement It Evaluate It

7. Feasibility/Analysis

8. Design Design It Appearance Screen layout Credits Corporate identity Splash Screens Navigation Buttons Image map Interface Sound Touch Inputs Movement Position Sound Outputs Vibration Storage Assets Sounds Images Text Movies

9. Data flow and navigation

10. Design Tools • Storyboards • Screen mock-ups (some good iPhone templates at modoku.com)

11. Make It! Our brief (though curiously unreliable) market research suggests that there is an opening for an app that changes the colour of text and its background at the press of a button. Please develop an app that will do this.

12. Using AppInventor • Get a Google Account • Works on Google Apps for Education too • Start AppInventor at http://appinventor.googlelabs.com and log in. • 3 parts to AppInventor: • Designer – where assets are compiled • Blocks editor, where you tell things what to do • Emulator, a virtual mobile device • (or connect a real one)

13. Using Appinventor • Start the designer and create a new project. • Assemble assets according to your design plan • Drag and drop AppInventor components • Give them appropriate names (eg btnBlkOnRed) • Upload other assets (images, sounds) and name them • Tell assets what to do in the Blocks Editor • See what it looks like in the Emulator (or on the device)

14. Using AppInventor – Drumkit • Assemble assets in the designer • Upload pictures, sounds • Insert buttons in a table arrangement • Tell assets what to do in the Blocks Editor • When button is clicked, play the sound • Test in the Emulator • Add other buttons • Use a vertical arrangement to add a splash screen

15. Using AppInventor – DrawKitteh Introduces use of the Canvas element to enable on-screen drawing. See tutorial at http://appinventor.googlelabs.com/learn/tutorials/paintpot/paintpot-part1.html

16. Using AppInventor - sharing • Download and publish elsewhere • Use the barcode • Download to phone

17. Some Tutorial Sources (there are others) • http://appinventor.googlelabs.com/learn/ • http://android.jwtyler.com/