MIT App Inventor: Design and Implementa6on of a Blocks Programming Language Franklyn Turbak Wellesley College Computer Science Dept. Lewis & Clark College March 6, 2017 Wellesley & MIT MIT Wellesley College Olin College 2 Talk Road Map o  Blocks demo: MIT App Inventor (AI) o  DemocraOzing programming with blocks o  Lowering barriers with blocks •  Syntax •  StaOc semanOcs •  Dynamic semanOcs •  PragmaOcs o  Challenges in blocks programming •  Usability •  Thinking outside the blocks •  PercepOon: blocks programming not “real” 3 Talk Road Map o  Blocks demo: MIT App Inventor (AI) o  DemocraOzing programming with blocks o  Lowering barriers with blocks •  Syntax •  StaOc semanOcs •  Dynamic semanOcs •  PragmaOcs o  Challenges in blocks programming •  Usability •  Thinking outside the blocks •  PercepOon: blocks programming not “real” 4 Simple App Inventor Example Designer Window Blocks Editor Android Device 5 Example: Raffle App In App Inventor http://ai2.appinventor.mit.edu Designer Window Blocks Editor To enter the raffle, text me now with an empty message: 339-225-0287 6 Talk Road Map o  Blocks demo: MIT App Inventor (AI) o  DemocraOzing programming with blocks o  Lowering barriers with blocks •  Syntax •  StaOc semanOcs •  Dynamic semanOcs •  PragmaOcs o  Challenges in blocks programming •  Usability •  Thinking outside the blocks •  PercepOon: blocks programming not “real” 7 Papert on ConstrucOonism "The word constructionism is a mnemonic for two aspects of the theory of science education underlying this project … learning is most effective when part of an activity the learner experiences as constructing is a meaningful product.” Constructionism: A New Opportunity for Elementary Science Education (bolding mine) 8 Maker Movement “You can innovate as a hobby. Imagine that: a nation of innovation hobbyists working to make their lives more meaningful and the world a better place. Welcome to the maker revolution.” ― Mark Hatch, The Maker Movement Manifesto: Rules for Innovation in the New World of Crafters, Hackers, and Tinkerers (bolding mine) 9 DemocraOzing Programming “What we need is a means of democra6zing programming, of taking it out of the soulless hands of the programmers and puYng it into the hands of a wider range of talents.” Chris Crawford, The Art of Interac4ve Design 10