Computing Subject Knowledge Enhancement App Development.

ComputingSubject Knowledge Enhancement

App Development

SESSION OUTLINE

• Audit of your current position• KS3 and KS4 • Practical Investigation Of Components• App Creation• App Inventor 2 Setup• Q&A

Audit

Please complete the following audit

Audit

About Us

• Teaching 7 Years• Degree in Computing• Head of Department For 2 Years• Embedded Computing into KS3 in 2010-11• CAS Lead School for Computing• GCSE AQA Computer Science• Numbers have doubled year on year

KS3 In 2009-10

YEAR 7 YEAR 8 YEAR 9

E-Safety E-Safety DiDA Level 2

Scratch Website and Logo

Radio Advertisement Flash Advertisement

Spreadsheets Database Creation

Google Sketch Up Game Maker

KS3 In 2014-15

YEAR 7 YEAR 8 YEAR 9

E-Safety E-Safety Technology & SLC

Scratch Game Creation Database + SQL Algorithms

Spreadsheets App Development App Development

Hardware (Components) Small Basic Python

Software (OS and HCI) Networks & Structures Authentication

Authentication HTML & CSS Cryptography

Cryptography Binary (Base 2, 10 & 16)

Binary (Base 2 and 10) Binary Additon

KS4

• DiDA only qualification in 2009-10• AQA GCSE ICT introduced in 2010-11• Pilot of AQA GCSE Computer Science in 2011-

12• 48 learners in current year 10• Core Computer Science in Year 10 (1.5 terms)

Why AQA Computer Science

• Depth of problem to be solved• Choice of 2 out of 4 scenarios

– Mobile– Traditional– Game– Web Based

• Clear mark scheme and good support

Link To App Development

The mobile scenario allows you to develop an app. We tackle this problem in year 10 because;

– Experienced gained in KS3– Summer holiday mini project for option learners– Engages learners– Simplest of the 4 to complete (my opinion only)

Component Investigation

The first task we are going to attempt is to investigate the components that are available in App Inventor 2;

– State what the component does– Describe the events and actions the component

can perform

Reference Guide

List Pickers

List pickers are also known as drop down menus or lookups if you use Access databases. They;

– Are a visible component– Can be populated within the designer of blocks– Can be connected to any other data structure– Can be repopulated before or after a user has

selected an option

List Pickers Blocks

List

Unlike a list picker, a list is a data structure that can be created using blocks. Lists are;

– 1D arrays e.g. list inside of Python– Make use of index positions but starts at position

1– Can be made to 2D arrays using list within list

List Blocks

Name Selector App

We are now going to create an app that can;– Display a list of 5 names

• John, Linz, Kev, Molly and Kirsty– When you select an option from the list produce a

popup to show the value selected

Variables

There are a few rules that are important to know about variables in App Inventor;

– Variables can be local and global in App Inventor 2• Local means only accessible within a single event block

e.g. When button clicked• Global means accessible by any component within the

screen is was declared• Variables cannot be accessed by any other screen

Tiny DB

A little about Tiny DBs in App Inventor– Non-visible component– You can only use 1 per App– Accessible by all screens– Use key and value pairs

• Key is the unique identifier (primary key)• Value can be whatever you want storing

Tiny DB Blocks

Note App

We are now going to produce an app that will;– Allow a user to enter a date (key)– Allow a user to enter a note for that day (value)– Press a button and save this to a Tiny DB

IF Blocks

Selection statements (If) are fundamental to any computer program;

– Selection is the process of using conditional statements to determine the next instruction to execute

– Condition is a question e.g. Was button A pressed– True and false paths can be taken

IF Blocks

If blocks come under the Control section of App Inventor

Notifier

The notifier component is a popup in App Inventor. You can either show;

– Show a simple alert– Show a dialogue box with options– Show a prompt which can accept text

Notifier Blocks

Notifier Examples

Possible Enhancement

Tiny DB Vs TinyWeb DB

TINY DB TINYWEB DB

DB stored on device DB stored in the cloud

Global to the app installed Global to any app

Can produce list of all keys Cannot produce list of all keys

Cannot check entries manually Can check entries manually

Returns custom false value Returns empty string for false value

Does not require setup Requires web service

TinyWeb DB Blocks

App Enhancement

You are now going to enhance you app by using a TinyWeb DB.

– http://appdevske.appspot.com/– First open the URL to see what is within the DB– Update your app to use a TinyWeb DB– Check the database to see if your value has been

stored

App Inventor 2 Setup

Lets compare App Inventor version;– Does not require Java (Security Issue)– Still requires Emulator (Local Disk Permissions)– Improved performance– Additional Components– AI Starter and Companion App

Problems

Every time the Companion app is updated;– Learners need to update the app on their machine– If they use a different machine they will need to

do the same again– Takes around 2-3 minutes to update– Firewall issue connecting to TinyWebDB and URL

Q&A

?

Thank You

Email: [email protected]: 01204 333 000Twitter: @TheRealMrPearce