Google App Inventor
Encyclopedia
Google App Inventor is an application provided by Google
that allows anyone to create software applications
for the Android operating system (OS). It uses a graphical interface, very similar to Scratch and the StarLogo TNG user interface
, that allows users to drag-and-drop
visual objects to create an application that can run on the Android system, which runs on many mobile devices. The application was made available through request on July 12, 2010, and released publicly on December 15, 2010. It is made for people unfamiliar with computer programming
. The reasoning is that if young people develop applications to fulfill their own needs and install them on their own phones, they will more likely use the phones more often, or switch to the Android OS if they are not already using a phone that runs the system.
The blocks editor uses the Open Blocks Java library for creating visual blocks programming languages. Open Blocks is distributed by the Massachusetts Institute of Technology
's Scheller Teacher Education Program (STEP) and derives from master's thesis research by Ricarose Roque. Professor Eric Klopfer and Daniel Wendel of the Scheller Program supported the distribution of Open Blocks under the MIT License
. Open Blocks visual programming is closely related to the StarLogo TNG, a project of the Klopfer's STEP, and Scratch, a project of the MIT Media Laboratory's Lifelong Kindergarten Group
. These projects are themselves informed by constructionist learning
theories, which emphasizes that programming can be a vehicle for engaging powerful ideas through active learning. As such, it is part of an ongoing movement in computers and education that began with the work of Seymour Papert
and the MIT Logo Group in the 1960s and has also manifested itself with Mitchel Resnick
's work on Lego Mindstorms
and StarLogo
. The App Inventor team was led by Hal Abelson
and Mark Friedman.
The compiler that translates the visual blocks language for implementation on Android uses the Kawa language framework and Kawa's dialect of the Scheme programming language, developed by Per Bothner and distributed as part of the GNU operating system by the Free Software Foundation.
Google App Inventor is now available for use by anyone who has a Google Account.
In August 2011, Google announced that App Inventor was discontinued as a Google product, and that the code would become open source
d. It is now going to be part of MIT Center for Mobile Learning which is at the MIT Media Lab, run by App Inventor creator Hal Abelson, along with fellow MIT professors Eric Klopfer and Mitchel Resnick (both of whom were also instrumental in the creation of the project).
Google
Google Inc. is an American multinational public corporation invested in Internet search, cloud computing, and advertising technologies. Google hosts and develops a number of Internet-based services and products, and generates profit primarily from advertising through its AdWords program...
that allows anyone to create software applications
Application software
Application software, also known as an application or an "app", is computer software designed to help the user to perform specific tasks. Examples include enterprise software, accounting software, office suites, graphics software and media players. Many application programs deal principally with...
for the Android operating system (OS). It uses a graphical interface, very similar to Scratch and the StarLogo TNG user interface
User interface
The user interface, in the industrial design field of human–machine interaction, is the space where interaction between humans and machines occurs. The goal of interaction between a human and a machine at the user interface is effective operation and control of the machine, and feedback from the...
, that allows users to drag-and-drop
Drag-and-drop
In computer graphical user interfaces, drag-and-drop is the action of selecting a virtual object by "grabbing" it and dragging it to a different location or onto another virtual object...
visual objects to create an application that can run on the Android system, which runs on many mobile devices. The application was made available through request on July 12, 2010, and released publicly on December 15, 2010. It is made for people unfamiliar with computer programming
Computer programming
Computer programming is the process of designing, writing, testing, debugging, and maintaining the source code of computer programs. This source code is written in one or more programming languages. The purpose of programming is to create a program that performs specific operations or exhibits a...
. The reasoning is that if young people develop applications to fulfill their own needs and install them on their own phones, they will more likely use the phones more often, or switch to the Android OS if they are not already using a phone that runs the system.
History
In creating App Inventor for Android, Google drew upon significant prior research in educational computing, and work done within Google on online development environments.The blocks editor uses the Open Blocks Java library for creating visual blocks programming languages. Open Blocks is distributed by the Massachusetts Institute of Technology
Massachusetts Institute of Technology
The Massachusetts Institute of Technology is a private research university located in Cambridge, Massachusetts. MIT has five schools and one college, containing a total of 32 academic departments, with a strong emphasis on scientific and technological education and research.Founded in 1861 in...
's Scheller Teacher Education Program (STEP) and derives from master's thesis research by Ricarose Roque. Professor Eric Klopfer and Daniel Wendel of the Scheller Program supported the distribution of Open Blocks under the MIT License
MIT License
The MIT License is a free software license originating at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology . It is a permissive license, meaning that it permits reuse within proprietary software provided all copies of the licensed software include a copy of the MIT License terms...
. Open Blocks visual programming is closely related to the StarLogo TNG, a project of the Klopfer's STEP, and Scratch, a project of the MIT Media Laboratory's Lifelong Kindergarten Group
Mitchel Resnick
Mitchel Resnick is LEGO Papert Professor of Learning Research, Director of the Okawa Center, and Director of the at the MIT Media Lab. Resnick currently serves as the head of the Media Arts and Sciences academic program, the academic program that grants master's degrees and Ph.Ds at the MIT Media...
. These projects are themselves informed by constructionist learning
Constructionist learning
Constructionist learning is inspired by the constructivist theory that individual learners construct mental models to understand the world around them. However, constructionism holds that learning can happen most effectively when people are also active in making tangible objects in the real world...
theories, which emphasizes that programming can be a vehicle for engaging powerful ideas through active learning. As such, it is part of an ongoing movement in computers and education that began with the work of Seymour Papert
Seymour Papert
Seymour Papert is an MIT mathematician, computer scientist, and educator. He is one of the pioneers of artificial intelligence, as well as an inventor of the Logo programming language....
and the MIT Logo Group in the 1960s and has also manifested itself with Mitchel Resnick
Mitchel Resnick
Mitchel Resnick is LEGO Papert Professor of Learning Research, Director of the Okawa Center, and Director of the at the MIT Media Lab. Resnick currently serves as the head of the Media Arts and Sciences academic program, the academic program that grants master's degrees and Ph.Ds at the MIT Media...
's work on Lego Mindstorms
Lego Mindstorms
The LEGO Mindstorm series of kits contain software and hardware to create small, customizable and programmable robots. They include a programmable 'Brick' computer that controls the system, a set of modular sensors and motors, and LEGO parts from the Technics line to create the mechanical...
and StarLogo
StarLogo
StarLogo is an agent-based simulation language developed by Mitchel Resnick, Eric Klopfer, and others at MIT Media Lab and MIT Teacher Education Program in Massachusetts. It is an extension of the Logo programming language, a dialect of Lisp...
. The App Inventor team was led by Hal Abelson
Hal Abelson
Harold Abelson is a Professor of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science at MIT, a fellow of the IEEE, and is a founding director of both Creative Commons and the Free Software Foundation....
and Mark Friedman.
The compiler that translates the visual blocks language for implementation on Android uses the Kawa language framework and Kawa's dialect of the Scheme programming language, developed by Per Bothner and distributed as part of the GNU operating system by the Free Software Foundation.
Google App Inventor is now available for use by anyone who has a Google Account.
In August 2011, Google announced that App Inventor was discontinued as a Google product, and that the code would become open source
Open source
The term open source describes practices in production and development that promote access to the end product's source materials. Some consider open source a philosophy, others consider it a pragmatic methodology...
d. It is now going to be part of MIT Center for Mobile Learning which is at the MIT Media Lab, run by App Inventor creator Hal Abelson, along with fellow MIT professors Eric Klopfer and Mitchel Resnick (both of whom were also instrumental in the creation of the project).