The document summarizes an online workshop that taught educators how to design mobile apps using App Inventor. The workshop was hosted on a learning management system and consisted of 3 modules: 1) introducing mobile app concepts, 2) building practice apps using basic components, and 3) designing original apps. Participants built sample apps, provided feedback, and discussed integrating mobile learning and apps into their teaching. The workshop aimed to show educators how to design their own mobile apps for educational purposes.

1. Empowering educators with Google’s Android
App Inventor: An online workshop
in mobile app design
Yu-Chang Hsu, Kerry Rice and Lisa Dawley
Charatsee Sombattip
TESOL 5 No.54120103135

2. Introduction
• Mobile devices, such as smartphones, are
vastly gaining popularity because of
▫ their relatively strong computing capability
built into small sizes,
▫ their Internet connectivity
▫ the availability of various types
▫ easy-to-use mobile software applications

3. Android OS
• has now caught up and led the mobile OS
market within the US with 38.1% share .
• has the advantage of being open-source,
customizable and allows formultitasking.
• there were 250 000 Android apps on the
Android Market, with a total of 4.5 billion
downloads.

4. What is App Inventor?
• a web-based tool consisted of two major
elements
▫ Component Designer, one can design the
app’s interface and integrate the nonvisible
components (eg, Global Positioning
System (GPS) or sound)
▫ Block Editor, one can program apps’
behaviors and tell how an app reacts
under certain circumstances.

5. App design workshop and online
learning environments
• mobile app design workshop was offered
through Boise State University’s
Professional Development (PD)
Portal, hosted on the Moodle learning
management system.

6. The integration of learning environments in the
online workshop in mobile app design

7. Workshop structure, facilitation, activities
Workshop structure, facilitation, activities
Module 1 Module 2 Module 3
• introduced the • basic components • built one last
mobile apps for building apps practice app
knowledge base • built practice apps • proposed an app
• concept of • feedback and of their own
interactive design engaged in • completed app
• major categories conversation on • review–feedback
of mobile apps peers’ practice
apps

8. Practice app design and customization
HelloPurr PaintPot MoleMash
ParisMapTour or
NoTextingWhileDriving
Presidents Quiz

9. Challenges and implications
• participants would be engaged in development
earlier in the process
• participants can build more practice apps and
gain more block programmingskills to be applied
in their final app design
• the shorter turn-around on the Twitter activity for
discussing mobile learning and mobile
computing could lead to more focused and
active participation

10. Conclusion
• this workshop served the purpose of introducing
visual programming of mobile apps
▫ to interested educators and individuals
▫ helped participants realize the potential of mobile
computing and mobile apps in their
teaching, learning and work settings
▫ helped participants realize they can do it —
leverage the power of mobile computing and
design their own apps to serve their needs.

11. Build Your Own App.
No Experience Required!