Position statement: App inventor instructional resources for creating tangible apps

Abstract

App Inventor is one of the most popular blockbased programming environments. Currently, there are limited instructional resources that guide students to create tangible apps using App Inventor. In this positional statement we make a case for the need for more App Inventor instructional resources related to tangible apps. We also present our proposal to address this need.

Soil Protection and Mobile Apps Created with App Inventor® - A Multidisciplinary Symbiosis?

“…® development environment has been defined in the scientific literature of the last 10-12 years as:  "(...) a Google Labs ® project that uses block editor technology and a drag-anddrop interface to enable users to create applications" [23];  "(...) a visual language based on simple blocks of programming that users can drag and drop to create applications" [24];  "(...) a new visual, drag-and-drop programming tool for building mobile applications on the Android platform" [25];  "(...) a language of visual blocks for creating mobile applications, as part of a Google ® pilot program, in a core curriculum at the University of San Francisco" [26];  "(...) a visual programming environment developed by Google ® and now available free of charge from the MIT Mobile Learning Center ® , which allows students without prior programming training to create applications for Android mobile devices" [27];  "(...) a language of visual blocks for building mobile applications; like Scratch ® , the interface of language dragand-drop blocks significantly reduces the entry barrier -beginners can immediately build applications that interact with mobile technology and create applications that have a real global impact" [28,29];  "(...) the latest visual block programming language designed to introduce students to programming by creating mobile applications" [30];  "(...) a new programming environment that allows novice programmers to build apps for Android mobile devices" [31];  "(...) a visual drag-and-drop programming tool for designing and building fully functional mobile applications for Android" [32];  "(...) a block-based visual programming language that makes sophisticated computing concepts accessible to a wide range of students" [33];  "(...) a fun and intuitive visual programming environment that allows users to quickly and easily create applications that will run on the Android platform" [34] ® and now maintained by the MIT ® " [39];  "(...) a mobile-based live development environment" [40];  "(...) a quick way to create custom Android apps for smartphones or tablets" [41];  "(...) the software development system running in your browser to create applications running on your smartphone and tablet" [42];  "(...) a visual block language that allows beginners and non-programmers to create applications for their phones and tablets. It has allowed thousands of people to create useful software in the real world and to see themselves as creators rather than just consumers in the mobile computing environment" [43];  "(...) one of the most popular blockbased programming environments" [44];  "(...) a programming environment that reduces barriers to the creation of mobile applications for Android devices, especially for people with littl...…”

Teaching PLC Timers and Counters Programming Using Mit App-Inventor

“…However, the development procedure of mobile applications can be an obstacle, particularly for teachers/students with no specific programming skills for developing such applications. For Android operating system based devices, the MIT App Inventor 2 (MITApp2) [11] is a simple software tool which can provide solutions to empower both teachers and students in this domain [12,13].…”