Android programming family fun day
| Aim | To introduce students to programming in a mixed age group. Unlike our other workshops this session is best run as an outreach activity: some schools use it for open days, or special events. In this one, we try to demystify mobile devices not just for children but also their parents |
|---|---|
| Duration | 3-4h |
| Technology | Computers, android devices, access to http://appinventor.mit.edu, very good wifi: you need to be able to download the programs you write (APK files) to the android devices, and these can be 2+ mb in size. |
| Materials | Paper prototyping worksheets, handbook (printed). Pens, paper. There are extensive materials available on http://www.hannahdee.eu/appinventor |
| Student/teacher Ratio | 15:1 or better |
| Age of students | 7-18* |
Special information
This day was designed to be run as a "family" workshop with mixed aged groups. You can run it as a classroom activity, but it is good to have more helpers. The handout (linked below) is very useful to have printed for each participant as then they have clear instructions to follow and your helpers will not be as busy.
Step by step overview
- The day starts with the “Hello Miaow” app, which is the “hello,world” program for AppInventor: touch a picture of a cat, make the phone play a sound and miaow like a cat. [This can take an hour: it is fiddly to get the app talking to the computer]
- We then go on to discuss what is different about mobile: what can a phone do that a computer can’t? [10 minutes]
- We edit the “Hello Miaow” app to be a dog that barks (teaching code modification) then we add an accelerometer sensor, and make the app bark when the phone is shaken, and vibrate too. [20 minutes]
- The instructor then describes some sample apps, showing the students the blocks, and how the blocks fit with the design view. The apps which are showcased are (in order of complexity):
- A “farmyard” app – lots of buttons with animals on, each one makes the appropriate noise
- A photo-moustache or photo-glasses app – take a picture, then superimpose a moustache or glasses on the picture.
- A painting/drawing app.
- A “wobble table” app which uses the accelerometer. [20 minutes]
- Kids and their helpers then decide what app they want to build – if they have a clear idea then they can build what they want (if it is possible!). Otherwise they build one of the example apps. [20 minutes]
- Using paper prototyping we draw a rough idea of what the app will look like. [20 minutes]
- For the remainder of the day, usually in small groups, people code an app of their choice. This can be one of the sample apps, or something completely open. [an hour or more]
- Finish with a show-and-tell sharing the apps people have made [20 minutes]
Materials (16-page handout, presenter’s outline, presentation files, paper prototyping template, sample files, assets) are all CC licensed and available for download from http://www.hannahdee.eu/appinventor
Tips to make the workshop go smoothly
The key thing with this workshop is the need for good wifi. If you don't have good wifi then the transfer from computer to mobile device will be problematic.
If you would like to do this workshop and aren't sure about learning the content, there are "Train the Trainer" videos here for teachers and workshop leaders. These were created for a UK-wide world record attempt in June 2015. We ran the workshop in 31 different locations with over 1000 participants. http://users.aber.ac.uk/hmd1/appinventor/ttt.html
If you find yourself with less time, step 1 can be followed directly by steps 4 and 5, directing the students to created just one of the sample apps. As an example, a 2h session might be "hello meow" followed by everyone making a drawing app. This is a good session which gets the students building fun things, but doesn't allow for as much open creativity as an extended session does.
Extensions and challenges
Once the students understand AppInventor they can build anything they want - games, drawing packages, anything. You can build sessions around the idea of making a dialler app, or making a drawing app. You can look at apps as products, and investigate product design and marketing.
Sources of additional information
AppInventor has a large and active community with code samples for lots of things. If you go to http://ai2.appinventor.mit.edu and click on "Gallery" you can browse other people's projects for ideas.