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Computational Thinking with MIT App Inventor

José Soeiro Carvalho and Beatriz Soeiro de Carvalho

The book explores basic programming concepts, like looping, aggregated data, event paradigm, problem-solution workflow, in a gradual way, consolidating by applications developed using MIT App Inventor. The core aims at developing young adult's computational thinking.

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About

About

About the Book

The book explores basic programming concepts in a gradual way:

  • program flow, conditional, looping;
  • data, aggregation, and abstraction;
  • numerical computing;
  • programming paradigms;
  • heuristics and problem-solution workflow

The focus is on computational thinking, developed by using nontrivial problems and sidelining programming skills.

Programming is done in a block visual environment, MIT App Inventor, which enhances concepts without distracting technicalities.

The writing is informal and not overly technical and not for reference.

Some mathematical knowledge is expected though.

It targets young adult students at university, with no significant previous training in programming, but can be used by any curious soul.

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AndroidComputer ScienceEducationEngineering

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Author

About the Authors

José Soeiro Carvalho

Mining Engineer, PhD

Associate Professor at University of Porto, School of Engineering (FEUP)

When not teaching or researching, I'm cycling, scuba diving, planting vegetables, or probably just lazing about.

Beatriz Soeiro de Carvalho

Contents

Table of Contents

Introduction

  1. Bikes and crochet
  2. Another iteration at an introduction course to programming for engineers
  3. Enter smartphone, Android and App Inventor
  4. Is AI2 a programming language?
  5. Approach, Goals and Targets
  6. Structure

Six days of coding #

First things first

  1. Hello
  2. Interaction
  3. Touch Me, Turn Me
  4. Summing up

Beginner’s Luck

  1. Basic AI2 Programming
  2. Toss It
  3. Flip It
  4. Conditional flow
  5. Statements and expressions
  6. Rock, paper, scissors
  7. Second day summing up

Having fun?

  1. Algorithms
  2. Repetition and Loops
  3. Recall
  4. High Low Secret
  5. High Low, the guesser
  6. Third day summing up

Prime Time!

  1. Contents
  2. Data
  3. Prime Numbers
  4. Is it prime?
  5. Is it Prime step by step
  6. FollowApp
  7. Day four final thoughts

Women and children first!

  1. What is a list
  2. Prime factorization
  3. Problem inside problems, inside problems …

Day five final thoughts

All together now.

Problems, problems, so many problems …

  1. Curiosity (killed the cat)
  2. Classification
  3. Sorting
  4. Advanced topics
  5. Sharing
  6. Assessment.
  7. Final

Coda

  1. Computation is abstraction.
  2. Computing is automation
  3. Computational thinking

Example apps #

Hello

Touch Me, Turn Me

Toss It

Flip It

Rock, Paper, Scissors

High Low Game

  1. Example game play
  2. High Low, the secret
  3. High Low, the guesser

List Copy

  1. Topics
  2. App

inRage

Straight Line

How Old

My Napp

Shake It

Triangles

  1. Classification
  2. In the repo

Shoot Down

Who Jumps Higher

Glossary

  1. Built-in blocks
  2. Component specific

Bibliography

  1. Images
  2. Other material

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