EdTech 534 Blog

Welcome to my blog! I will be using this space to share my journey as I learn how to design Android applications using MIT APP Inventor 2. Come back each week as I share what I have been working on, what I have learned, what I may struggle with, and how the process aids in my professional career as an instructional designer.

Hello Purr: September 7th 2025 - September 14th 2025

This week I built my first app in MIT App Inventor 2, Hello Purr. While the app itself was simple, adding customizations such as adding a picture of my personal cat, adding different sounds, and changing the coloring of the text boxes made the process feel more personal and helped me get a feel for the program as a whole. Adding the customizations also led me to run into some small challenges, such as figuring out how to resize the images so they display properly.

One of my personal issues with MIT App Inventor 2 is that it only uses code blocks. While this approach makes coding more accesible for beginners, I feel limited not being able to write or experiment using traditional code. As an instructional designer, I see the value in allowing both options. Block coding can provide a good entry point for younger developers or those just starting out, removing some of the intimitation or information overload. However text-based coding allows for more flexibility and deeper problem solving.

Paint Pot: September 15th 2025 - September 21st 2025

This week I worked on building the PaintPot application in MIT App Inventor 2. The first version followed the textbook directions step by step, which helped me understand how the app is meant to function at its basic level. This process also helped me to reinforce some of the information learned last week, such as how to navigate around the interface, as well as find and edit the necessary components. For my customization, I decided to adjust the way the app changes the sizing of the dots. Instead of using buttons to change the dots to small or big, I replaced the buttons with a slider. I really liked this change as it gives the user more freedom and flexibility to choose what size they want, rather than being limited.

If I were to continue improving this app, my next step would be to add a color selector. Currenlty users only have access to three colors, but expanding this and allowing for a larger palette would make the app feel much more open and allow for more creativity.

Mole Mash: September 22nd 2025 - September 28th 2025

This week I worked on the MoleMash game in MIT App Inventor. The original version was straightforward: a mole would pop up randomly across the screen, and if you tapped it you earned a point, while a miss would increase the miss counter. Simple, but fun. For my customization, I wanted to give it a little Mario Bros flavor. I swapped in Monty Mole (again, please don’t sue me, Nintendo) and added Luigi as an extra character. In my version, hitting the mole still gives you a point, but tapping Luigi counts as a miss. It added some challenge and made the game feel more unique than just chasing a single mole.

If I were to keep improving this project, I’d definitely add a timer so the game only runs for a set amount of time. I’d also increase the number of Luigis moving around the screen to make it harder to click the right target. Another idea would be changing Luigi’s role so that if you hit him, you actually lose a point instead of just adding to the miss counter. That way, accuracy really matters and mistakes feel more costly. Overall, this project reminded me how small changes to a simple game can totally shift the experience. Even just swapping characters and adjusting the rules made MoleMash more challenging and more fun to play.

No Texting While Driving: September 29th 2025 - October 5th 2025

This week’s app development threw me for a loop. While working on my No Texting While Driving app, I ran into an unusual issue: I couldn’t test it on my phone directly from the emulator. Every time I tried, I received the following error:

"Error 908: The permission RECEIVE_SMS has been denied. Please enable it in the Settings app."

Interestingly, when I downloaded the APK to my phone, the app worked almost as intended. The only hiccup is that it doesn’t automatically send the message. Instead, it opens my phone’s built-in messaging app with the message typed out, but I still have to press send. I haven’t yet figured out a way to fully automate this, but it’s something I hope to explore further.

Since testing via the emulator was difficult, I focused my modifications on the app’s design, making it more visually appealing and user-friendly. One idea I’m excited to explore in the future is incorporating the SpeechRecognizer component. This would allow users to modify their response verbally rather than typing, and then have the app read the updated message back to them. Such a feature could significantly improve accessibility for users who are visually impaired or have limited hand mobility.

Ladybug Chase: October 6th 2025 - October 12th 2025

This week I followed the Ladybug Chase tutorial from the textbook. The base game has the player tilt their phone to move the ladybug across the screen while trying to collect aphids, avoid running out of energy, and stay away from the frog that chases you. It was a fun way to explore how phone sensors can be used in a game, but it also reminded me why I don’t always like code blocks. They’re fine for small projects, but even something like this can quickly feel jumbled and disorganized when all the blocks start piling up.

For my customization, I focused on making the game feel smoother and a little less frustrating. First, I thought the ladybug’s movement was too sporadic, so I slowed the speed down slightly to make it easier to control. I also increased the health from 200 to 500 to give the player more time to collect aphids. At 200, it felt like the game ended too quickly and didn’t really give the player a chance to enjoy the challenge. In addition, I added a simple start and end screen. The start screen gives players basic instructions before jumping into the game, while the end screen displays a short message and includes a button to restart if you lose. It wasn’t anything fancy, but it made the game feel more complete and polished compared to just dropping you into gameplay with no explanation.

If I were to keep improving this project, I’d like to spend more time smoothing out the movements of both the ladybug and the frog. Right now, they still feel a little jerky, and adding that polish would make the overall experience feel more professional. I’d also consider adding more obstacles or different difficulty levels to balance out the increased health and slower speed.

Map Tour: October 13th 2025 - October 19th 2025

This week in MIT App Inventor I created my own version of the Paris Map Tour Tutorial. It also took a bit more troubleshooting than I expected, mainly regarding the ActivityStarter component. While the book mentioned setting its properties, I felt the instructions weren’t quite clear enough about what was actually required to make it work. The final code blocks didn’t show the extra step of setting ActivityStarter1.Action to "android.intent.action.VIEW", which turned out to be essential for getting the first version running.

Just when had finally figured it out, the next step in the project told us to throw out the ActivityStarter entirely and replace it with a WebViewer component. After all that troubleshooting, I definitely wanted to throw hands. But honestly, the WebViewer ended up being a much better solution. I liked that it kept everything inside the app and let users jump straight into Street View, making the whole experience feel smoother and more integrated.

For my personal touch, I decided to swap out Paris for something a little closer to home and create a Boise Map Tour instead. My app features three local favorites: the Boise Train Depot, Boise State University, and Julia Davis Park. It was a fun way to apply what I learned while adding a local spin.