[Year 12 SofDev] Pondering SD U3O2

Tue Feb 13 12:38:44 EST 2007

Hi all,

My take on the issue...

Why was the task changed to be a 'portable computing device'?  The previous
study design has students creating code for a module and then (in Unit 4)
creating a program of a larger scale.  The two programs were quite similar
in terms of structure and style - varying only in scope.  There are so many
different platforms these days with different specifications, that students
need to appreciate that programming is not always done for the most highly
spec'd PC that is on the market.

In basing this task on a 'portable computing device', a lot of different
issues are introduced.  What specifications of the device will influence the
way the program is written - ie. RAM, screen resolution, etc.

Students will need to think about issues like user interface design.  What
if the device uses a stylus?  What if it is a touch screen?  What if it uses
a gaming controller?

My hope is that teachers will embrace this task and challenge students.
Yes, you could just make a program for a laptop - but this is not really in
the spirit of the task.  The program does not have to be implemented - just
modeled.  Give your students the screen resolution that they need to work to
and a list of controls or functions that they can use (or alternatively,
give them a maximum size for their program).  You could download a template
from the web and get students to use this - I am thinking or getting my
students to model a PSP application using a screen template.

Just look at the iPhone for a perfect example of programming for a portable
device.  

When I have written my SAC, I will post it to the list for others to have a
look at.

Cheers,
Adrian

Adrian Janson
VITTA President
Director of ICT, Melbourne High School
T: +61 3 9495 6836
F: +61 3 9495 6834
E: jansona at mhs.vic.edu.au
M: +61(0)407 818 037
W: www.vitta.org.au
Suite 202, 134-136 Cambridge St,
Collingwood, VIC, 3066, Australia

-----Original Message-----
From: sofdev-bounces at edulists.com.au [mailto:sofdev-bounces at edulists.com.au]
On Behalf Of Kevork Krozian
Sent: Tuesday, 13 February 2007 12:12 PM
To: sofdev at edulists.com.au
Subject: RE: [Year 12 SofDev] Pondering SD U3O2

Hi Mark and David,

    I think you can run any program on any mobile device, not only web
based. 
Furthermore, it can be a software module that is " ...capable of running on
a mobile device ..."    without necessarily actually running on the device.
Whilst we are watering things down, the mobile device can be a laptop. All
this makes one wonder why you would bother setting such conditions when they
can be ignored. Meanwhile, other teachers apply these requirements fully and
their reward is a pat on the back for all that work.

 The issue also here for a first time SD teacher is that the same language
must be used all year. So, it would pay to look at both programming tasks
together when deciding on the language and not separately otherwise there
could be grief if the language of choice in the first task does not fit so
nicely in the second.

  Sorry to be a little bit what's the word, , pointed ??  but we are either
going to write code that we will run on a portable device that must be
different to a standard device or else we are not going to bother pretending
we are doing something that does not differ at all from the standard
approach. 

 Back to class ....

Take Care

Kevork Krozian
IT Manager , Forest Hill College
k.krozian at fhc.vic.edu.au
http://www.fhc.vic.edu.au
Mobile: 0419 356 034

>>> dgdawson at mgs.vic.edu.au 02/13/07 10:55am >>>
My interpretation is that any small web-based application that can be
displayed in a mobile phone or PDA accessing the internet would be
acceptable.
If anyone thinks this is not ok - then please let us know asap.
We will be using PHP mostly.
David Dawson

-----Original Message-----
From: sofdev-bounces at edulists.com.au on behalf of Mark Kelly
Sent: Tue 13/02/2007 10:46 AM
To: Year 12 Software Development Teachers' Mailing List
Subject: [Year 12 SofDev] Pondering SD U3O2

Hi all.  Have spent a quiet time with the study design...

Can someone suggest why U3O2 would specify a software module for a 
*portable* computing device.  It seems oddly esoteric and specialised 
for a student's very first programming task.

I wouldn't be game to program for my Palm OS, or for a Nokia phone.

One would have thought a module for a traditional computing system would 
be more logical.  (Yes, I do realise a laptop is both portable and 
traditional so kids can easily write a module for a "normal" PC :-)

Just wonderin' what VCAA's motives might have been.

And while I'm here, I'm curious what languages people have chosen. My 
fallback is VB, but I am toying with Python as an alternative - and 
trying to get used to its odd punctuation and lack of endings to loops 
and IF constructs.

-- 
Mark Kelly
Manager - Information Systems
McKinnon Secondary College
McKinnon Rd McKinnon 3204, Victoria, Australia
Direct line / Voicemail: 8520 9085
School Phone +613 8520 9000
School Fax +613 95789253

Webmaster - http://www.mckinnonsc.vic.edu.au 
IT Lecture notes: http://vceit.com 
Moderator: IPM Mailing List

There are 10 kinds of people in the world: those who understand binary
and those who don't.

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_______________________________________________
http://www.edulists.com.au 
IT Software Development Mailing List kindly supported by
http://www.vcaa.vic.edu.au - Victorian Curriculum and Assessment Authority
and
http://www.vitta.org.au  - VITTA Victorian Information Technology Teachers
Association Inc

_______________________________________________
http://www.edulists.com.au
IT Software Development Mailing List kindly supported by
http://www.vcaa.vic.edu.au - Victorian Curriculum and Assessment Authority
and
http://www.vitta.org.au  - VITTA Victorian Information Technology Teachers
Association Inc