MIT’s App Inventor team, through partnership with the Congressional App Challenge Coalition, recently offered a special hour-long webinar for middle and high schools students (and their mentors) to learn how to design, build, and submit an Android app. The live webinar was recorded using Hangouts on Air and is now available for viewing.

A team of eighth-graders at a New Hampshire middle school created a smartphone app that could make navigating the cafeteria a whole lot easier. The Hampstead Academy students took home the grand prize at Verizon’s App Challenge with their idea for “Chow Checker,” an app that identifies food allergens.

I recently teamed up with CS teacher Kristin Violette to write an article for the July issue of CSTA Voice. In the article we chronicle how Kristin's students at Newtown High School in Connecticut have used App Inventor to forge a personalized connection between CS and their local community. Kristin and I will be presenting at the CSTA Annual Conference in Quincy, MA on July 16th. We hope to see you there!