How to Use App Inventor in Your Classroom Julie Friesen Piper Middle School Technology 6 th -8 th Grades Edmodo Group Code to Join for More Resources: Group Code: m7engo

How I Got Started:  Northwest Missouri State University- Computer Science Dept. 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.  app-inventor.html 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

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

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

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

Create It After 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  Teaching with App Inventor  Contains tutorial at  Resources  Contains links to variety of materials at  App Inventor Book, on-line at  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!