David Wolber, Computer Science App Inventor for Android Do-it-yourself App Creation

David Wolber, Computer Science Talk Outline App Development (iPhone/Android) App Inventor introduction App Inventor at USF Demo: No Texting While Driving App Inventor’s Secret Sauce What you can build

David Wolber, Computer Science Smartphone market share

David Wolber, Computer Science Market share w/newbies

David Wolber, Computer Science Developing Apps iPhone –Objective C –High level tools to turn pre-existing content into an app. (e.g., ) Android –Java –App Inventor

David Wolber, Computer Science App Inventor Blocks language, like plugging in puzzle pieces. Similar to Lego Mindstorms and Scratch but for phones not robots “Hypercard” for mobile phones, “electronic napkin” for prototyping apps Democratizes app building.

David Wolber, Computer Science An App Inventor App What do you think this app does?

David Wolber, Computer Science The Brief History of App Inventor Summer 2009 –Hal Abelson of MIT and Google –Pilot program with 10 schools –Public launch July 2010

David Wolber, Computer Science App Inventor at USF CS 107: Computing, Robots, and the Web. –4th semester teaching App Inventor –Now 2 sections Students’ work cited in SF Chronicle,NY Times, Techcrunch, Wired, …SF ChronicleNY TimesTechcrunch,Wired Wolber authored App Inventor tutorials O’Reilly Video series Co-authoring book

David Wolber, Computer Science Demo: “No Texting While Driving” Three windows of environment Change title, show in emulator Add label, textbox, button for custom response Respond with a fixed message,test Use custom response of user Custom response for mom Speak it aloud

David Wolber, Computer Science Why is it so easy? No syntax. The blocks language eliminates the need to remember and type code Everything is right in front of you. Components and functions are in drawers. Just find,drag, and drop. Events at top level. "When this happens, the app does this" is the correct conceptual model. High-level components. The app inventor team has built a great library with simplicity the main goal. Only some blocks plug-in. You can't do things that don't make sense. Concreteness. Less abstract than many languages.

David Wolber, Computer Science Apps students have built Quizzes, surveys, study guides USF restaurant guides Droid Where’s my car? Broadcast Hub Next Muni Games

David Wolber, Computer Science What you can build Educational apps –Including video, images, text-to-speech Location-aware apps Games NXT Robot Controllers Web-enabled apps Personal apps

David Wolber, Computer Science Demo: Quiz App Lists for questions,answers Index to walk through questions Next button Checking the answer

David Wolber, Computer Science Try It! Go to: appinventor.googlelabs.com Register and get started –Download software –Try HelloPurr app and other tutorials –Use phone or emulator Help-- Wolber’s sites: –appinventor.orgappinventor.org –appinventorapi.com (advanced) Take CS 107 (and send students!)

David Wolber, Computer Science