Teaching Programming Using Android App Inventor

Ideal for a school which has Android tablets. This is feasible as many schools are using iPads, so surely somewhere will be using something better.

Task involves students using the Android App Inventor from google, which features an interface very similar to scratch.

Year Level and Topic:

This will be taught at year 10, and fits perfectly into level 6 VELS IT. This is because the VELS interdisciplinary IT standards are so vague that pretty much anything could be taught, as long as it uses a computer and can use the words “visual thinking”, “creating”, and “communicating”. This covers these three as follows:
Visual Thinking – Students are required to visualise the task of programming by both creating an interface and usual visual representations of programming blocks.
Creating – Students are required to create their own Android app, which will both be functional and based on their own original ideas and planning.
Communicating – Students will be able to communicate with their app because they will be able to share their ideas with others students who will be given the opportunity to explore what they have created on tablet devices.

This would be an ideal learning object to teach in a school which uses Android tablets. This is feasible as many schools are already using iPads, and you would expect that some schools would be using Android tablets.

The task involves students using the Android App Inventor from Google, which features an interface very similar to Scratch. Students will be able to design their own programs, and then run them on an emulator on the computer, and ultimately run them on the tablets which they use for school. This has the benefit of them being able to see real world applications of what they have created.

Students will be able to learn how to do this from both the teacher’s explanations, as well as videos which the teacher will select for students to watch.

The mash up aspect of this task comes primarily from the two forms of hardware being used, both the computer and a tablet, but also includes different media forms, such as YouTube videos and text.

Justification for using App Inventor:

The reason I chose to base this learning object around the Android App Inventor is that not only does it provide an easy introduction to programming, it also incorporates mobile technologies, such as mobile phones and tablets, and gives students a chance to experience something a bit more real from what they produce.

Also, you may have read that Google is discontinuing App Inventor, however, MIT is taking over, as the source has been released by Google.

http://web.mit.edu/press/2011/mit-launches-new-center-for-mobile-learning.html

This is great news, especially considering their work with Scratch, another great programming tool aimed at young people. To take a quote from the article:

“The Center’s three directors have a long history of collaboration on educational technology. Resnick, who heads the Media Lab’s academic Program in Media Arts and Sciences, is famous for his work on LEGO Mindstorms and Scratch, two of the world’s best known and most influential platforms for introducing young learners to programming.”

The stages of this learning object will be:

1. Students learning what the App Inventor is and how to use it.
2. Students creating their own apps, and running them on the emulators.
3. Students sending their apps to their tablets, and being able to show it off to their classmates and students in other classes.
4. Marking of the students’ apps.

Prerequisites/Requirements:

• Computers that students will be using will have the emulator software installed and ready to use.
• The App Inventor itself is run out of the browser with ajax and java, however, students may need a Google account to access it. (http://www.appinventorbeta.com)
• Drivers installed and USB cables to allow sending the apps to students’ tablets or even their phones. (Specific to the hardware in use)

Basic lesson outline:

1. First lesson will introduce students to what the App Inventor is. Will watch the short video from google which shows the cat app being made and set to the phone.
   
2. Teacher will run the App Inventor on the projector, showing students the basic interface, explain how the design aspect of the program works, then invite students to try designing a simple interface on their own computers. Possisbly set requirements such as a picture and two buttons.
3. The second lesson will being to introduce the programming aspect of App Inventor. Depending on if students have had experience using Scratch or not, the level of explanation that goes into this will vary (This is because both programs use a very similar interface with puzzle block style pieces.) How to use the emulator will be shown, as well as how to send their programs to their own tablets.
4. The third lesson will continue on from the second, but will allow students to try out making simple programs involving buttons, text, and images.
5. The fourth and possibly fifth lesson will cover some more advanced topics such as animation and variables, as well as loops, and will have students trying out simple examples such as making a counter that increases when a button is pressed, for example.
6. From the fifth (or sixth) lesson and onwards, students will begin work on their assignment, after having it explained to them by the teacher. The assignment is detailed below.
7. Once the assignment is finished, students will be given the opportunity to share their apps with other students on their tablets.

Assignment:

The assignment for this unit of work is fairly flexible, and can be anything that tests the students’ knowledge of the basic programming concepts which have been taught and their ability to put them into practice in creating a final app. Here is one example of an assignment for this topic.

For this assignment, students will be required to make a game using the App Inventor, exactly what they make is up to them, but it must involve the following programming aspects:

• Buttons
• Text
• Images
• Variables
• Loop(s)

Students could for example, make a card game, or something like whack-a-mole, or even a simple role playing game.

Students will be assessed on whether or not their final app includes the required components, as well as whether or not it runs on the tablet.

Final Words

I think I’ve covered everything that needed to be, if not, let me know and I’ll add it in

I better make a start on this assignment…