To test the code to see what they're actually doing, students need to run a separate emulator program or connect an Android phone or tablet and run the code on this separate device. Unlike other block-based coding platforms like Scratch or Tynker, App Inventor forces students to switch back and forth between a 'Designer' screen and a 'Blocks' screen just to write the code. Can I recommend App Inventor at this point, though? No. Students love it, and it opens the door to all kinds of creative inventions, including apps that can help people who might have a hard time reading or seeing text. And, while it might take seven or eight clicks and drags of coding to get the phone to display a message on its screen, it only takes three or four clicks and drags to get the phone to use its text-to-speech engine to actually say a message aloud. when the accelerometer senses a shaking movement).

With just a few blocks of code, students can get their phones or tablets to do things when they shake them (i.e. Of all the coding tools I've used, App Inventor provides the easiest way to take advantage of phone hardware. The biggest strength of MIT App Inventor 2 is that the simplest app you can write with it happens to be incredibly fun and to have a big 'wow' factor.

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