Thursday 13 September 2012

Android A-go-go

Been a while since I last posted, but the tinkering continues. As we're now offering Computing as a GCSE, we get to teach cool stuff like mobile app development.

The first thing we did today was a simple "virtual pet" app, which is basically the tutorial for creating Android apps using MIT App Inventor. If you fancy doing some beginners' apps, that's not a bad place to start. We also started on a Whack-A-Mole type game, which introduces graphical sprites and timers. It's a simple game, but quite fun to make. I'm not sure how advanced you can get with App Inventor, but some of the demos on the site look very interesting.

We also had the first meeting of what looks destined to be named "Code Club", where kids get together  at lunchtime each week and make cool things. First they're trying to decide what to make (web-based app or mobile "thing"), then I'll try to help them make it a reality. I can't wait, even if it means I have to learn Java.