Blockly is a visual programming language that was invented to address the challenges of learning programming syntax. It has come a long way since then! Blockly is widely-used today by children and adults alike as they begin to learn to programme.
Dragging and dropping simple, colored blocks that do the same thing multiple lines of code lets you learn the ins and outs of coding without becoming bogged down by incorrect syntax and missing semicolons.
RoboGarden has adopted Blockly to be a basic language that beginners can use to achieve the platform’s themed journeys. After the students understand the basics of programming and logic, they start transitioning to scripting languages like Python and JavaScript. The syntax becomes the only issue to focus on then.
The Blockly community increases daily as an ever-growing number of applications are developed for the language. For example, MIT App Inventor is an open-source tool invented by MIT students and professors to make programming and developing applications easy for everyone, including children.
This tool allows coders to begin with learning the basics of programming and guides them through publishing their applications or game to a mobile marketplace. The apps and games work on Android smartphones and tablets. MIT App Inventor authors say that their tool enables those who are new to programming to have their first app up and running in just 30 minutes.
MIT App Inventor relies on Blockly to achieve the main routines of its mobile apps, which can range from easy to complex, multi-screen applications. The MIT App Inventor is not just for beginners and students. It is also used by mobile app developers, even experienced ones. This tool speeds up the initial development of mockup to help developers decide whether to proceed with building the app.
Visual programming fosters creativity since it leaves more room and time for thinking and creation without requiring time to worry about coding phases. There have been over two million applications built with MIT App Inventor. Imagine how many useful and fruitful ideas have originated from those millions of apps! Some of those ideas may have been delayed or derailed if it not for visual programming.
This is a tangible example of how Blockly, as simple as it is, has added to the development community and increased the number of choices in mobile app stores. Want to start working on the basics with Blockly? Start your learning journey with RoboGarden today. Register for free.
