tools analysis framework
DESCRIPTION
Tool to measure different tools effectiveness and usefulnessTRANSCRIPT
Tools Overview
This document contains an overview of all the tools you can bring into your course. It is designed to help you discover which programming/coding tools are most appropriate for your school, your students and yourself in delivering Apps for Good courses.When reviewing these tools you will need to bear in mind the following:
What devices and platforms you will be using. School network permissions and software installation process. Your own confidence and experience with coding. Your students’ interest and ability levels.
Selecting the correct tool to use from the Tools Selection framework is based on your students’ ability to learn programming and the educators’ confidence in programming. This framework aims to help establish a starting point for the first tool to use for the course. Your course can progress to more advanced tools with fuller and more complex features for cohorts of students with mixed abilities and as you develop more confidence in programming.
4 things to consider when choosing a tool
1) Your confidence – this includes how much previous knowledge you have of the course and how confident you already are with programming.
2) Student ability – How capable do you feel students are in regards to technology skills and supplementary subjects.3) Relationship with network manager – Do you have a strong enough relationship with your network manager to be able to test
out different software?4) Your schools rules/equipment – Depending on your schools equipment and rules you may be restricted from using certain
software.
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 3.0 Unported License.That means you can edit it for your own use, or share it, but if you share it you are obliged to credit Apps for Good. You cannot use these materials for commercial purposes.
Tools selection framework
Educator confidence: Low
Educator confidence: Med
Educator confidence: High
Student ability: LowBalsamiqAppShed
App Furnace
BalsamiqAppShed
App FurnaceApp Inventor
BalsamiqAppShed
App FurnaceApp Inventor
Student ability: Med
BalsamiqAppShed
App FurnaceApp Inventor
BalsamiqAppShed
App FurnaceApp Inventor
HTML/CSS/JavaScriptFacebook integrationTrigger.IO/AppMobi
CoronaParse
All
Student ability: High
BalsamiqAppShed
App FurnaceApp Inventor
HTML/CSS/JavaScriptFacebook integrationTrigger.IO/AppMobi
CoronaParse
All All
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 3.0 Unported License.That means you can edit it for your own use, or share it, but if you share it you are obliged to credit Apps for Good. You cannot use these materials for commercial purposes.
Rapid prototyping
Tool : Balsamiq Mockups Website http://www.balsamiq.com/
Balsamic Mockups allow you to create mockups of apps (called wireframes) digitally for easy group collaboration in a team creative effort. Changes and interations can be done easily, focusing on design and content rather than programming details
Installation: http://www.balsamiq.com/download
Official resources: N/A
Our Resources: Can be found on our channel http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jhknk61ds44&list=UU2j9jV0feQ0DS_0TxxEferg&index=24
Other resources:
Programming/Technical Difficulty/skill level:
Basic/low (no programming required)
Capability N/A- prototype onlyKnown Installation issues(please notify us of others:
You will need to manually insert keys.(students can do this)Adobe air will also need to be downloaded(part of the download/installation)
Additional info Tested in over 100 venues/schools. Industry standard for wireframing.
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 3.0 Unported License.That means you can edit it for your own use, or share it, but if you share it you are obliged to credit Apps for Good. You cannot use these materials for commercial purposes.
Building blocks
Tool : App Inventor Website: http://appinventor.mit.edu/
MIT App Inventor was originally developed by Google and is currently maintained by the Massachusetts Institute for Technology. The tool uses a graphical interface for drag-and-drop functionality and is for those more familiar with programming. Creating an App Inventor App begins in your browser where you design how the app will look. Then, like fitting together puzzle pieces, you set your app’s behaviour, through a live connection between your computer and your phone, whilst your app appears on your phone.
To see how easy it is create a simple app using App Inventor: Use MIT App inventor (beware there are cats!)
Installation: http://appinventor.mit.edu/explore/content/setup-mit-app-inventor.html
Official resources: http://appinventor.mit.edu/explore/tutorials.html
Our Resources: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bsuJFPYXBO8&list=UU2j9jV0feQ0DS_0TxxEferg&index=32TOTAL : 3 videos
Other resources:
Programming/Technical Difficulty level:
Basic to intermediate
Capability Low – Minimum Viable ProductKnown Installation issues(please notify us of others:
Issues if Java 6 is not used. Works for Android phones only Java must not be blocked by
school network Blocked by many RM networks Problems with Internet Explorer Uses java, some teachers have
said that there are issues with using Java in schools.
Additional Easy to use drag and drop interface, similar to ‘Scratch’.
Tested in schools. A lot of materials online. Easy to build a mobile app and get it running on a mobile phone.
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 3.0 Unported License.That means you can edit it for your own use, or share it, but if you share it you are obliged to credit Apps for Good. You cannot use these materials for commercial purposes.
Tool: AppShed Website: http://appshed.com/
AppShed is an online app creation tool that enables design, creation and publishing of mobile apps for HTML5, iPhone and Android.
Installation No installation – 100% onlineRegister : http://appshed.com/appbuilder/login/register
Official resources: http://www.youtube.com/user/AppShed - videos on running appshed in schools.http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J3J4LXyadXU
Our ResourcesOther Resources Go to Appshed.com,
Click on Get started now, register then press the’Appshed Academy’ button at the bottom of the page and select the ‘get started course’.http://appshed.net/
Programming/Technical Difficulty level:
Can range from basic drag and drop, to HTML5. Good range of all kinds of development.
Capability Low – Minimum Viable Product to high professional apps
Known Installation issues(please notify us of others:
N/A
Additional Already used in schools - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i-b4VHNtBWcFree for students to use creativelySubscription for access to additional teacher focused tools such as monitoring student progress.
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 3.0 Unported License.That means you can edit it for your own use, or share it, but if you share it you are obliged to credit Apps for Good. You cannot use these materials for commercial purposes.
Web apps
Tool : Web Apps Website:
Web App tools use web and (web) browser technologies to create tasks or apps over the internet or intranet, typically through a web browser. As web apps do not need to be distributed and installed on computers, the apps are popular for ubiquitous cross-platform uses.-source: < http://web.appstorm.net/general/opinion/what-is-a-web-app-heres-our-definition/ >
Installation: Just a web browser. Some online tools/hosting may be needed such as JSBIN or eclipse orion
Official resources: N/AOur Resources:Other resources: http://www.codeavengers.com/
http://www.codecademy.com/#!/exercises/0http://www.w3schools.com/
Programming/Technical Difficulty level:
Easy to hard.
Capability Low – Medium (MVP and web apps)Known Installation issues(please notify us of others:Additional These skills can be used to also build mobile
apps and integrate with Facebook.
Tool : JSBin.com Website: http://jsbin.com/JS Bin allows you to edit and test JavaScript and HTML (reloading the URL also maintains the state of your code - new tabs doesn’t).
Orginally used for debugging JSBin is now a great tool for starting out web development and mobile development
How to use? Basics on JSBIN http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ybVsRFgOoHU
How to make mobile apps for android? (STEP 1)
Install a barcode scanner app on your android phone, such as - https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.google.zxing.client.android
How to make mobile apps for android? (STEP 2)
Then scan and install the following app using your barcode scanner app on this QR code - https://build.phonegap.com/apps/315665/builds
Follow this video (STEP 3)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vsmJq7tU_2o&list=PLXmT1r4krsTooRDWOrIu23P3SEZ3luIUqThis is the link to the API - http://docs.phonegap.com/en/2.7.0/index.html
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 3.0 Unported License.That means you can edit it for your own use, or share it, but if you share it you are obliged to credit Apps for Good. You cannot use these materials for commercial purposes.
Social apps
Tool : Facebook integration Website: https://developers.facebook.com/
Facebook Developers use the Facebook Platform for apps to make use of Facebook social features. Social plugins such as ‘Like’, login and registration, personalisation and analytics.
Installation Developer accounts required.
Official resources: https://developers.facebook.com/
Our Resources: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EcYDm3QH0oM&list=UU2j9jV0feQ0DS_0TxxEferg&index=6TOTAL: 3 videos
Other resources: http://freeformers.com/snippets/
Programming/Technical Difficulty level:
Medium to Hard.
Capability N/A – plugs into existing appKnown Installation issues(please notify us of others:
Students must have developer accounts as early as possible.Facebook API is rapidly changing.
Additional information Can be integrated into web apps and mobile apps to create a more social experience for the user.
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 3.0 Unported License.That means you can edit it for your own use, or share it, but if you share it you are obliged to credit Apps for Good. You cannot use these materials for commercial purposes.
Other app development frameworks/ tools
Tool : App Furnace Website: http://appfurnace.com/
Design your app with our easy-to-use page layout
tool and library of customisable components
Immediately try out your app online or on a real
phone
Make your app do whatever you want using our
JavaScript editor and extensive library of copy-and-
paste examples
Build your app once, publish for iPhone &
Android
Get started straight away for free, no installation or
credit card required.
You pay only when you're ready to publish.
Installation: N/A online register
Official resources: Not much - http://appfurnace.com/training/#webinars
Second part to a webinar - http://www.anymeeting.com/WebConference/RecordingDefault.aspx?c_psrid=E955D989884F
Our Resources:
Other resources: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zeGLR-fprHA
Programming/Technical Difficulty level:
Can range from basic drag and drop, to HTML5. Good range of all kinds of development.
Capability Low – Minimum Viable Product to high professional apps
Known Installation issues(please notify us of others:Additional Has separate code window.
Allows for debugging within the JavaScript window.
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 3.0 Unported License.That means you can edit it for your own use, or share it, but if you share it you are obliged to credit Apps for Good. You cannot use these materials for commercial purposes.
Tool : Trigger.IO Website: https://trigger.io/
Trigger.IO is a mobile development framework that enables cross-platform phone applications to be written in HTML5. You can build native mobile apps for multiple platforms from a single codebase. Some commercial app examples are Fetchnotes, Rewardjunkie, Playerpro.
Installation: Relatively easy. 3 steps.
Official resources: http://docs.trigger.io/en/v1.4/
Our Resources:
Other resources:
Programming/Technical Difficulty level:
Medium to hard.
Capability Medium to High – Industry standard appsKnown Installation issues(please notify us of others:
Uses cloud development, connection must not be interrupted
Additional information Development for iPhone and Android only.
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 3.0 Unported License.That means you can edit it for your own use, or share it, but if you share it you are obliged to credit Apps for Good. You cannot use these materials for commercial purposes.
Tool : Phonegap Website: http://phonegap.com/
PhoneGap is a free and open source framework for creating mobile apps using standardized web APIs, using HTML, CSS and Javascript. Some commercial app examples are BBC Olympics, HealthTap, TripCase.
Installation: Tricky, also depends on which platform you aim for. Clear official guides are available for all platforms. But they require time and quite a few other installations and updates.
Official resources: http://docs.phonegap.com/en/2.6.0/index.html
Our Resources: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5QeMvG_F60o&list=UU2j9jV0feQ0DS_0TxxEferg&index=2TOTAL : 2 setup videos1 basic app video
Other resources:
Programming/Technical Difficulty level:
Medium to hard.
Capability Medium to High – Industry standard apps
Known Installation issues(please notify us of others:
Quite Tricky New versions are being
released frequently, this does mean it is always up to date, but updates must be done manually, but each individual user. Can be very tricky to maintain on a large scale.
Additional information Large open source api such as using camera, accelerometer etc are all available.http://docs.phonegap.com/en/2.6.0/index.html
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 3.0 Unported License.That means you can edit it for your own use, or share it, but if you share it you are obliged to credit Apps for Good. You cannot use these materials for commercial purposes.
Tool : Corona Website: http://www.coronalabs.com/products/corona-sdk/
Corona SDK is a mobile app development framework where you can develop cross-platform apps for all major platforms and devices, build to iOS, Android, Kindle Fire, and Nook. Some commercials examples are Tonal Recall, Taiwan Railway.
Installation: Relatively easy
Official resources: http://www.coronalabs.com/resources/
Our Resources:
Other resources: http://learningcorona.com/
Programming/Technical Difficulty level:
Easy to hard.
Capability Medium to High – Industry standard appsKnown Installation issues(please notify us of others:
None yet.
Additional information Does not use HTML5. Uses Lua a popular up and coming language used in other systems such as World of Warcraft add ons and other engines .Brilliant for Games Development.Rich online resources.Brilliant device emulation, no need to test everything on devices.
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 3.0 Unported License.That means you can edit it for your own use, or share it, but if you share it you are obliged to credit Apps for Good. You cannot use these materials for commercial purposes.
Tool : Appmobi Website: http://www.appmobi.com/
http://dev.html5m.com/
AppMobi{!} has a diverse and more complex range of features including hosting, 1touch payments, in-app, live updates and gamefication. Cloud services have recently been added.
Installation: Relatively easy
Official resources: http://dev.html5m.com/
Our Resources:
Other resources:
Programming/Technical Difficulty level: Medium to hard.
Capability Medium to High – Industry standard appsKnown Installation issues(please notify us of others:
Relatively easy. Uses java, some teachers have
said that there are issues with using Java in schools.
Additional information Good video guides and well documented.Also includes a game engine.
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 3.0 Unported License.That means you can edit it for your own use, or share it, but if you share it you are obliged to credit Apps for Good. You cannot use these materials for commercial purposes.
Tool : Appcelerator Titanium Website: http://www.appcelerator.com/
Appcelerator allows the creation of native apps across the widest range of devices and operating systems (e.g., iOS, Android, BB, mobile web and more) More complex functions can be added with upgrades such as analytics, cloud services
Installation: Relatively easy
Official resources: http://docs.appcelerator.com/titanium/latest/#!/guide/Quick_Start
Our Resources:
Other resources:
Programming/Technical Difficulty level: Medium to hard.
Capability Medium to High – Industry standard appsKnown Installation issues(please notify us of others:
Unknown(not fully tested by us)
Additional information http://enricoangelini.com/2012/5-pros-and-cons-of-appcelerators-titanium/
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 3.0 Unported License.That means you can edit it for your own use, or share it, but if you share it you are obliged to credit Apps for Good. You cannot use these materials for commercial purposes.
Database tool : Parse.js Official resources: https://www.parse.com/tutorials
Additional information: Brilliant easy to use tool to add databases to your web or mobile app.
The Parse platform provides a complete backend solution for your mobile application. Our goal is to totally eliminate the need for writing server code or maintaining servers.
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 3.0 Unported License.That means you can edit it for your own use, or share it, but if you share it you are obliged to credit Apps for Good. You cannot use these materials for commercial purposes.