Instructional developers and others creating
apps must choose from a wide variety of app
development tools and technologies. Some app
development tools have incorporated visual
programming features, which enable some drag
and drop coding and contextual programming.
While those features help novices begin
programming with greater ease, questions arise
about the overall utility of visual tools for app
development. Analyses and comparisons of
app development tools and technologies would
make their advantages and disadvantages
apparent, enabling instructional technologists
to make informed decisions about tool selection.
Toward that end, this work generated a new
fram ework for comparing app development
tools. The criteria that comprise the framework
were then used to compare multiple authoring
tools and technologies for creating apps.
Three app development tools, namely Corona,
LiveCode and MoSync, emerged as particularly
noteworthy for their utility and flexibility, and
because they are free of monetary cost or have a
free version.