Provide students with App Inventor starter code they can modify and build on so they have an opportunity to play around in App Inventor without becoming overwhelmed by starting from scratch.
Misconception: Students have difficulty understanding how to share App Inventor projects between different computers.
Misconception: Students sometimes hard-code their apps in App Inventor instead of selecting “Fill parent” to fill the whole screen so their project does not display correctly on different size devices.
Introduce students to App Inventor by starting with buttons, images, labels, and text boxes because they tend to find these basic tools intuitive and easy to use.
Have students brainstorm project ideas in class to ensure that every student has a feasible project to pursue.
Scaffold students creativity by providing brainstorming prompts the day before a project is assigned so students can share more developed project ideas the next day in class.
Use the think-pair-share method of brainstorming to help students get the most out of class discussions.
Have students use Android devices with App Inventor to ease the process of viewing their app on a device; this provides them with meaningful motivation.