Tuesday, June 24, 2014
Using The Mac To Create A Podcast Or Video File (MP3)
In this video I create an audio file using Garageband. This can be a great tool for use with language labs because teachers can create their questions and leave a gap of time for students to respond. The program also enables MP3 files which are flexible for use with other programs.
I try to keep this tutorial simple with just a few simple steps to get started. Garageband also enables a range of great audio editing tools which can improve audio quality and volume. The clips can also be easily deleted, copied or pasted as needed.
Podcasts can be a great tool for bringing groups together collaboratively to make an audio project or to work with world languages. This tutorial was inspired by a question from Adriana Gonzalez at Andover High School who requested a way of creating audio files for the language lab which could have the space in time for students to respond. This provides a great way of taking ownership of the language lessons by creating their own content.
Thursday, June 19, 2014
Week 5: Lesson 9: Integrating The Image Switcher Into The Application & Wrapping it Up
Lesson 9: Integrating The Image Switcher Into The Application
& Wrapping it Up
INTRODUCTION
The
process of publishing your app involves multiple steps that every programmer
and developer must follow. Your application must meet criteria for
functionality, performance and stability, and this involves necessary steps of
debugging and testing. In this lesson you will be exporting the .APK file from
your computer to the Android device for testing. You will learn how to package
the file and prepare it for distribution by creating a certificate and
exporting. You will also learn how to connect an Android device to a computer
and prepare the device for debugging an application file. Furthermore, you will
learn how to use a file manager application to easily locate the application
file and download it to the device. You will close the lesson by testing the device
and viewing its full functionality.
LESSON
OBJECTIVES
By the end of this lesson, you will be able to:
Section #1: Understanding the Publishing
Process and Managing the .APK File
1.
Explain the process of how to prepare an application
for publication and release.
2.
Recognize and describe an Android
Application File (.APK).
Section #2: Using a File Manager to Manage Application
Files
1.
Locate and employ a file manager for
Android Application devices.
Section
#3: Exporting the Application to a Device and Debugging it
1.
Name and create an Android Application
File for testing on a device.
2.
Describe and devise strategies and tools
for testing and debugging Android applications.
Section #4: Video Demonstration: Pulling
it All Together and Putting it to the Test
LEARNING SEQUENCE
|
|
|
|
Required Reading
|
Read the following:
·
Section
#1:
·
Section
#2:
· Section
#3:
|
|
Resources
|
View the
following:
·
Video Transcripts
|
|
Assignments
|
Complete the
following:
·
Describe the process of preparing your Android app to be
released and publishing. Why is it important to go through this
process?
·
How can
the “Astro File Manager” application be beneficial when storing and managing
files you are testing?
·
What are the critical components to look for
when testing an application?
|
INSTRUCTION
Section #1: Understanding the Publishing Process and Managing the .APK File
In this section you will review the process of
finally publishing your application. As a first step in the this process, you will learn about what makes up the
Android Application file (.APK) and what the process of publishing the file
includes.
Step 1.
This
resource from Google provides an overview of the considerations you need to
make before publishing an application. It includes tips for debugging before
publishing and also a list of potential ways of sharing out your .APK file.
Step 2.
This resource provides the direct definition of
the .APK file and tells you what purpose the APK serves to users. You will be
provided a brief overview of where .APK files can be downloaded from, and you
will learn tips for using them with your Android device.
Step 3.
This
resource provides a brief overview of how to download and install .APK files.
This resource can be used to assist you in seeing what the device needs for
.APK files.
Step 4.
Complete Assignment #1: Describe
the process of preparing your Android app to be released and publishing. Why is
it important to go through this process?
Section #2: Using a File Manager to Manage Application Files
In this section you will learn how to use the
“Astro File Manager” application to manage .APK files on an Android device.
Step 1.
This resource describes the tools available with the
Astro File Manager. The resources provided in this resources also point to
where this application is available on the Google Play store.
Step 2.
Complete Assignment #2: How can the “Astro File Manager” application be beneficial when
storing and managing files you are testing?
Section
#3: Exporting the Application to a Device and Debugging it
Step 1.
This
Google developer resource outlines some of the best practices for debugging
code within Eclipse. Using Eclipse with the
ADT plugin, you can access the built-in Java Debugger, along with DDMS, to perform
the debug of your application.
Step 2.
This resource provides an overview for what to
look for when debugging an application. This short article and resources
outlines the main components that
comprise a typical Android debugging environment. Use this resource as you review your application for
exporting.
Step 3.
This
resource provides suggestions for what to test for in the Android application.
Use this as a starting point for choosing items to focus on in your application
testing process. The guidance from this article will go a long way in making
sure that your app runs seamlessly.
Step 4.
Complete Assignment #3: What are the critical components to
look for when testing an application?
Section #4: Video Demonstration:
Pulling it All Together
In this final video tutorial you will learn how to
export the .APK file from the Eclipse software. You will then learn how to add
an Android device to a computer and change its setting to that of an external
device. You will be asked to download the “Astro File Manager” application to
help you locate the .APK file on the device. At the conclusion of the video the
.APK file will be transferred from the computer to the device and the “Astro
File Manager” will be used to locate and run the application for testing on the
Android device.
Step 1.
SUMMARY
This lesson concludes the course in developing a
mobile application using Java for Android. You have learned how to export the
program that you have been creating as an .APK file which can run on a Android
device and test the loading, user interface, counter, music, accelerometer and
image swiper activities located within the menu of the application. In this course
you have learned how to create an application which incorporates a launching
graphic with sound that also includes a list menu of distinct items (counter, accelerometer,
image swiper). The application you have learned to develop also has an icon that
will appear on the apps page of an Android device.
ASSIGNMENTS
· Describe the process
of preparing your Android app to be released and publishing. Why is it
important to go through this process?
· How can the “Astro File Manager” application be
beneficial when storing and managing files you are testing?
· What are
the critical components to look for when testing an application?
Week 4: Lesson 8: Integrating The Image Switcher Into The Application
Lesson 8: Integrating The Image Switcher Into The Application
INTRODUCTION
In this lesson you will
learn more about working with images, editing XML layouts for images and
parameters and creating a new class to support swiping images within the
application. This is a great lesson to review some of the core content you have
learned up to this point and refine your understanding of key concepts such as
creating classes, working with the XML, overrides and the parameters of the
layout of the application. Within this lesson you will also be introduced to
the image switcher and will learn how to integrate it into your application.
LESSON
OBJECTIVES
By the end of this lesson, you will be able to:
Section #1: Working With Images In
Java for Android
1. Summarize the use of images in mobile
applications.
Section #2: Layout Parameters
1. Summarize how to edit the layout parameters in
XML.
Section
#3: Video Demonstration:
LEARNING SEQUENCE
|
|
|
|
Required Reading
|
Read the following:
·
Section
#1:
·
Section
#2:
|
|
Resources
|
View the
following:
·
Video Transcripts
|
|
Assignments
|
Complete the
following:
·
What are the image file types which Android
supports? What are some of the locations which these files are stored to be
used in a project?
·
Describe some of the properties of an Android
Layout. What is the meaning of the Layout Parameters?
·
List the central
components to getting the image swiper to work. What new skills have you
learned in this lesson in managing this project?
|
INSTRUCTION
Section #1: Working With Images In Java for Android
In this
section you will learn how to manage the use of images and graphics within an
Android development project. You will learn how to save image resources in the
appropriate locations in resource folders and display, change and work with
bitmap graphics in Android projects.
Step 1.
This resource shows a list of the basic
types of graphics which can be brought into a Java for Android project. The
list provides an overview of the image types and how they will be attributed in
the XML.
Step 2.
This reading will
provide you with an overview of graphics and images in Android.
The folders in which images can be stored as well as the
supported files which are used with Java for Android are included. This
resource also describes the process of defining images in the XML of the
application. Addition effects are also covered on pages 2 and 3 of this
tutorial. You will review how to change the code to edit an image and also a
basic background on image processing.
Step 3.
This
reading shows you how to view an image in Android and also how to change the
image. You will understand how to edit bitmap images. This reading explains
image attributes, scaling an image and rotating images in Android.
Step 4.
Complete Assignment #1:
Section #2: Layout
Parameters
In this
section you will be provided an overview of the properties of the Layout
Parameters which will support your knowledge of how objects are viewed in the
application. You will learn how setting the layout parameters adds new views
for components of the application.
Step 1.
This reading provides the direct
description of what layout parameters are and why they are important to the
view class in Java for Android. Understanding this basic overview will be
highly beneficial as you move through this lesson and need to define the components
of layout.
Step 2.
Review this presentation that will put
the layout parameters into perspective with your current knowledge of relative
layouts and nesting of components of the layouts and common attributes.
Step 3.
Complete Assignment #2:
Section #3: Video
Demonstration
In the video tutorial for this lesson
you will learn how to integrate the image swiper into the application. You will
create the XML for the layout of the swiper page and create the ImageSwiper
class for the images to swipe. You will also learn where to place the images
into the correct resource folder for them to be linked. At the conclusion of
this video you will better understand the sequence of connecting the activities
to the XML layouts in the application. You will also become more confident
editing the code to begin new activities.
Step 1.
SUMMARY
In this lesson you have been introduced to how
to work with images in Java for Android. You have reviewed information about
how to place and save images in order for your code to work. As you worked with
organizing the creation of files within the project, you also learned how to
adjust the layout parameters of the elements you are adding. The video which corresponds
to this lesson walked you through the process of identifying and applying
skills using images, setting parameters and organizing images within the resource
folders. In the next lesson you will learn how to
export the .apk file which will be added to the Android device for testing.
ASSIGNMENTS
· What are the image
file types which Android supports? What are some of the locations which these
files are stored to be used in a project?
· Describe some of the
properties of an Android Layout. What is the meaning of the Layout Parameters?
· List the central components to getting the image swiper
to work. What new skills have you learned in this lesson in managing this
project?
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