I conducted one day lecture and workshop at Seiko Gakuin High School (Yokohama, Japan). Participants were 7th and 8th grade students of the school.
Students learned basic use of MIT App Inventor in the morning by making simple but functioning mobile App on Android phones. They also learned how we can wisely use cloud services including map, music and automated translation between any languages.
After lunch break, they studied a water supply problem in Mumbai, India. Since they learned design thinking in other classes, they tried to apply empathic approach to draw out core of the problem. In order to help them think about pains and inconvenience of people in this problem, I used LEGO® SERIOUS PLAY® method and materials. The students experienced and learned LEGO® SERIOUS PLAY® already from Mr.Nashio, a mathematics teacher and a certified LEGO® SERIOUS PLAY® facilitator from the association of master trainers in the LEGO® SERIOUS PLAY® method. They built models and shared their thoughts through 3D LEGO models with four helping LEGO® SERIOUS PLAY® certified facilitators.
The students then designed their solution specifically targeted at the cores of the problem they found through LEGO® SERIOUS PLAY® exercise. The results were remarkable. With only a few hour brief introduction of MIT App Inventor, some students were able to design and develop working mobile apps. Adults in the classroom were so impressed with the students’ ideas an their capability to quickly learn mobile app design and creation.
MIT App Inventor is widely used by young people especially students of elementary to college. I am pushing myself to introduce mobile computing and hands on experience using MIT App Inventor to students, teachers, and business people with little coding experience.
On January 28th, I will run another three hours workshop in Sendagaya, Tokyo. You can sign up at following page.
“Make your own mobile app!!” workshop for business people to learn mobile app design and creation.