AppInventor Mobile App Development Project Series
Mobile Apps are where the next wave of programmers will find themselves working. For every java or html based website, there will eventually need to be an accompanying mobile app. MIT’s App Inventor 2 platform does a great job of introducing students to the concepts of app development using a block style programming platform. Although the application can take some tweaking to work in your particular lab, once you have figured out what works for your particular setup, it is a great platform for introduction mobile app development.
Top 5 Tips for using App Inventor 2
- Follow these steps every time: 1) open your appinventor project 2) open the aistarter program 3) connect the emulator and wait
- If you are using the emulator for the connected testing device, experiment with it’s initial setup before leading the class through. Some labs will benefit from the “update” process, some will cause it to freeze. See our app inventor setup video below…
- The initial setup will take a few minutes of spinning and updating, and thinking, and checking….be patient.
- If your emulator setup freezes, close everything, and start over…
- Use the emulator at each student’s computer for a live view of their development process…When they have finished an app, use an android device to wireless test the new app. Hint: your device will need to be on the same IP address as the student’s computer. et. same wifi connection or network ip.
Beginner Mobile App Development Project Series Lesson Plan
Activity 1: Talk To Me – Part 1
In this activity you will need to first get your appinventor2 platform and emulator running. Give this some time, and be patient.
First, navigate to AppInventor2 and login with a Google account
Activity 2: Talk To Me – Part 2
Activity 3: Ball Bounce
Activity 4: Digital Doodle
Activity 5: Magic 8 Ball
This activity is the first one without a tutorial video. You should now be able to read and follow the written directions to create the Magic 8 Ball app. HINT: Be sure to download the sound and images files in step 3….
Magic 8 Ball Tutorial Written Directions
Activity 6: Intermediate Activity Choice
Similar to activity 5, these tutorials are text based, and require you to read the directions carefully. Choose 1-2 of the activities below to create intermediate level apps.
Activity 7: Advanced App Development Tutorials
Continue working with tutorials to help develop your mobile app development skills. Choose one of the tutorials below and challenge yourself with one of the Advanced apps.
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