Ready to get started on your Maine App Challenge submission? See below for resources to help build your app, understand the judging criteria, access Innovation Workshops from the University of Maine’s Foster Center for Innovation, and more!
App Lab is a programming environment by Code.org that you can use to make mobile apps. It allows you to build applications using drag and drop code blocks or to code directly in JavaScript. Their website has instructional videos and sample applications. Get started with App Lab.
MIT App Inventor 2 is a very useful tool that puts you on the express train to building your first mobile app. Its drag and drop interface that allows you to arrange elements such as screens, buttons, text and more. You can then control those elements using logical “blocks” rather than direct code syntax. MIT App Inventor 2 also comes with its own Android emulator, so you can test the app from your computer rather than loading it on a mobile device.
As a demonstration, Tyler developed a simple Tic-Tac-Toe game for the purpose of exploring and learning how to use MIT App Inventor 2.
To get started, download MIT App Inventor 2, the sample project, and watch the demonstration video to get started using the MIT App Inventor 2.