Blockly is a visual programming language that allows people to build apps using a drag and drop format where elements are combined to produce an application. It was originally launched by Google and was called the App Inventor, but when the company abandoned it they handed the code over to MIT to continue the work where it was eventually adapted to run completely in JavaScript. The project still has a strong community and has been adapted for a variety of educational purposes. Its design is ideal to help students transition from visual programming to text-based languages and is focusing on adding support for additional languages, multi-user projects, real time collaboration, and other useful functionality.
