Course Description
Course Details
Do you want to make mobile apps that run on iPhone and iPad, as well as on Android, and Windows Phone? Sure you do! Do you want to learn five different programming languages? Of course you don't! Fortunately, you're about to discover a better way to build apps. In this course, you'll learn how to imagine, design, build, and optimize a cross-platform mobile app using the very latest HTML5 standards. The result will be a mobile app that's fast and runs on just about any smartphone or tablet computer. You'll also learn some of the most sought-after skills in Web and mobile development, including: HTML5 and how it's different from previous versions of HTML. CSS3, the layout and styling language of the mobile Web. Scripting with JavaScript and several JavaScript frameworks and techniques such as jQuery, jQuery Mobile, and AJAX. How to use Web services such as Google Maps in your app. How to determine an app's user location by accessing the built-in geolocation capabilities of the user's smartphone. How to use Web Application Programming Interfaces (Web APIs) to combine different Web services to create mobile mashups. How to optimize your app for performance to make sure that it runs as fast as possible for your users. How to convert your HTML5 apps into native apps that you can submit to app stores such as Apple's App Store and Google Play. By the end of the course, you'll have built your first mobile web app, and you'll be on your way to making your dream of being a successful mobile app developer a reality! Course Revised January 2014
How It Works
This course is fully online, you require internet access and an email account. The course duration is 6 weeks, followed by a 2-week period to complete the final exam (online, open book). Lessons are released on Wednesdays and Fridays of each week, for a total of 12. You are not required to be online at any specific time. In addition to the specific lesson content, there is a discussion board with each lesson and often there is an optional assignment to apply the learning. Following each lesson, there is a short multiple choice quiz. Your score on these quizzes does not count towards the final mark but completing these helps solidify your learning as well as prepare you for the final exam. The final exam is an open-book, multiple choice exam and you need to achieve a minimum of 65% on the final exam to pass the course. There is only one opportunity to pass the exam. A certificate of completion from WatSPEED is available within four weeks of successful completion of each course and can be accessed in your student portal. Many of the Ed2Go courses are eligible towards the various online certificates offered by WatSPEED.
Requirements
All additional software needed for this course is freely available on the Internet and the steps for downloading and installing it will be covered during the lessons. One of the following operating systems is required: Windows XP or later, Mac OS X 10.5 (Leopard) or later, or Linux. Note: HTML and/or programming experience will be helpful, but is not required.
Syllabus
Lesson 1 - The Basics of Mobile Apps and App Design. What are the compelling reasons for developing mobile apps with HTML5? And why are some of the Web's biggest players—including Google, Facebook, and Twitter—moving all their apps to the mobile Web? Today you'll learn four principles for designing great mobile apps, and you'll get acquainted with the concept of "mobile first" Web development. By the end of this lesson, you'll be ready to start writing an app.
Lesson 2 - Building Your First Mobile App. Today you'll follow the progress of employees at a fictitious company as they build a mobile app. In the process, you'll set up your tools and get your hands dirty with some real HTML5 code.
Lesson 3 - Introducing HTML5. HTML5 is the latest version of the markup language of the Web. In this lesson, you'll learn why Web developers and mobile developers are so gung-ho for HTML5. More importantly, you'll find out how you can use it to write your own webpages. By the end of the lesson, you'll understand the basics of markup languages and HTML5 syntax.
Lesson 4 - Formatting HTML5 With CSS3. CSS (Cascading Style Sheets) will make your Web apps workable on the largest number of devices, and it'll make your code easier to maintain. In this lesson, you'll use CSS to format HTML documents. We'll also look at the new capabilities that are possible with CSS version 3.
Lesson 5 - Scripting With JavaScript. JavaScript is the programming language of the mobile Web. In this lesson, you'll learn to use JavaScript to add interactivity to mobile apps.
Lesson 6 - Jump-Start Your App With jQuery Mobile. Today's lesson is all about getting things done faster, better, and with less effort! You'll use jQuery Mobile to make your HTML5 apps feel at home on mobile devices. You'll also use JavaScript libraries and frameworks to get more done in less time.
Lesson 7 - Accessing Device Features and Storage. By accessing built-in device features such as offline storage and location services, you can make your mobile Web apps much more dynamic. In this lesson, you'll learn what's possible and how to do it.
Lesson 8 - Web APIs and Mashups. No Web app is an island. Hundreds of app developers have made certain features of their software available using Web Application Programming Interfaces. By using these APIs to retrieve data and then combining different data sources, you can create endless combinations called mashups.
Lesson 9 - HTML5 Graphics and Animation. Graphics and animation can really spice up your mobile apps. The mobile Web has special requirements and technologies that you need to be aware of, however. In this lesson, you'll learn to optimize your graphics for the mobile Web.
Lesson 10 - Optimizing for Mobile Devices. Smartphones and tablets come in different shapes and sizes. In this lesson, you'll learn to make your Web app look good on the largest possible variety of devices. You'll also add some meta tags that will give your app more polish on iPhone and Android. Then we'll touch on touch-enabling your app.
Lesson 11 - Maximizing Mobile Performance. A responsive app doesn't keep the user waiting. In this lesson, you'll learn tools and techniques to make your app responsive.
Lesson 12 - Convert Your App to a Native App. Native apps give you access to more device features and to the distribution power of an app store. Learn how to use PhoneGap to convert your Web app into a native one for multiple mobile operating systems.
