Today’s Wonder of the Day was inspired by Jennifer from Irvine, CA. Jennifer Wonders, “How do you make an app for the iPad?” Thanks for WONDERing with us, Jennifer!
Have you ever grabbed floating coins from the air? Do you make candy explode on your screen? Do you take care of a virtual cat? If you've done any of these activities, you were probably using an app!
An app, short for application, is a program designed for users of digital devices. They're made for devices from smartphones to gaming systems. Apps have many purposes, including problem solving and entertainment.
Many popular apps are used for games and social media. That's probably not surprising! Most people use their devices for entertainment or staying in touch. Some of the best apps have been around for years, but app builders are making new ones every day.
If you've ever thought of making your own app, there's no reason to wait. Kids have made several successful apps. Are you WONDERing how they did it?
The first step to making an app is often the hardest: coming up with an idea. App builders are most successful when they use an idea based on their own interests. What are you interested in? Do you enjoy sports? Reading? Nature? Whatever your passion is, you'll give more effort to an app you're interested in. It also makes building the app more fun!
Once they have an idea, app makers decide what they want the app to do. A nature app might be able to identify flowers through pictures. A reading app might read books out loud in other languages. The only limit is the maker's imagination! This is also when app builders decide what their app will look like. Designing app graphics and choosing a color scheme can be one of the most enjoyable steps of app making. The maker finally sees their idea come together!
Do you speak more than one language? Some people speak three, four, or even five languages! Did you know digital devices use different languages, too? Instead of Spanish, Mandarin, and English, they speak programming languages like Python, Java, and Ruby. App makers need to know one or more of these languages to build their apps. If you don't already know a programming language, don't let that stop you! Many people teach themselves these languages using online tools.
With over 2 billion smartphone users in the world today, the popularity of apps will only continue to grow. Do you have an idea for the next big app? Will it help people connect to one another? Or will it provide a solution to an everyday problem? Would you rather design the next big gaming app?
Standards: ETS1.A, ETS1.B, ETS1.C, CCRA.R.2, CCRA.R.10, CCRA.SL.2, CCRA.W.2