BUILD

This Zip File contains the image files for the 26 letters needed in the American Sign Language app of the chapter 7 tutorial of Drag and Drop Code with Thunkable. 

Video Tutorial

The following video accompanies Chapter 7 of Drag and Drop Code with Thunkable. It steps through the creation of an ASL app that uses animation to sign the words you type in.

CONCEPTUALIZE

1.What do variables named “index” typically represent?

2.What is the difference between the terms, “letter” and “character”.

3. Describe the difference between a red “abc” block and an orange “app abc” block.

4. What should you first check before selecting an individual character from a text string?

5. Consider the following blocks. What will the variable letter be set to if TextInput’s Text is “AbCdEfGh” and index is 5:

CUSTOMIZE

1. Make a copy of the “ASL” app and name it “ASLAllLetters”. In the new version, instead of animating the letters, display the images all at once in separate Image components. You’ll need to place a number of Image components onto the screen. With Thunkable, you must specify a fixed number of Image components in the user interface, so you’ll need to limit the number of letters the user can enter.

2. Add a button to the “ASL” app that, when clicked, allows the user to speak the word to be signed instead of typing it. You can use the recognized speech block found in the “Speech” folder of the Blocks Editor.

CREATE

Finger spelling just touches the surface of ASL communication, and is used most often to ask someone the proper sign for a particular word. Most words and phrases have their own signs and there are also signs to indicate present/past tense, etc.

Do some research to learn more about ASL and explore the app store to see what tools already exist for communication and learning. Then design some new features to extend the “ASL” app with more sophisticated tools. You need not restrict your ideas to English—you might explore the sign languages and tools available in other languages as well.

Share your creative apps with your authors and other Drag and Drop coders:

• Use #DragAndDropCode and #MadeWithThunkable on your social media platforms.