Syllabus
The syllabus is a roadmap for the class, but there may be changes along the way based on the pace of the students. Many of the lessons may seem like they cover general web development topics, but remember we will be focusing on these topics as they relate to the mobile web.
- 1/26/2011 Class 1 - The Mobile Landscape and Intro to Web Application Architecture
We'll talk about the current mobile ecosystem for developers, and the pieces that make up a web application...and how they apply to mobiles. We'll also get into web fundamentals: the pieces that comprise web pages, some useful development tools, etc.
Assignment 1: Find an example of a well designed or intriguing mobile web app
Reading: 1) The Face-Off: Mobile Web vs. Mobile Apps (Prabhas Pokharel), 2) Understand The Web (Ben Ward...if his site is down you can get a text version here.)
- 2/2/2011 Class 2 - HTML & CSS... Tags, Classes, ID's, Oh My!
We'll delve right into HTML & CSS, as implemented in modern mobile browsers.
Reading: Designing for Multi-Touch, Multi-User and Gesture-Based Systems (Joel Eden)
- 2/9/2011 Class 3 - CSS Continued
We'll continue looking at HTMl and styling it with CSS, and we'll learn about some of the features of CSS3
Reading: Don't Be a Sharecropper (Tim Bray)
Assignment 2: You'll be assigned a partner and will use HTML and CSS to make a simple page about each other's favorite project from the first semester. Pictures, video, or some visual media please! Try making a desktop and mobile version.
- 2/16/2011 Class 4 - Javascript & The DOM
We'll look at Javascript and the Document Object Model of HTML
Assignment 3: Use Javascript to add some further interactivity to Assignment 2 (or you can make a whole new mini-app), due Class 6. Also come up with a midterm project (to be presented next class)
- 2/23/2011 Class 5 - Javascript Continued...Intro to Javascript Frameworks and jQuery
After you present your Midterm Concepts, We'll take a look at the jQuery Javascript framework. We'll cover the syntax of selectors, animating views, and transitioning the display of content, plus we'll cover some of the popular jQuery plugins.
Reading: Designing for iPad: Reality Check (iA)
- 3/2/2011 Class 6 - Javascript Continued & Midterm Workshop
We'll go over Assignment 3, continue the discussion of Javascript, and use some of the remaining time to work through some issues with our midterm concepts.
- 3/9/2011 Class 7 - Midterm Presentations
Students will present their midterm projects
- 3/16/2011 SPRING BREAK - HAVE FUN!!!!!!
- 3/23/2011 Class 8 - Physical Computing + Web Applications & Intro to jQuery
Mobile Web apps are great, but did you know you can use them to interface with your Arduino-based physcomp project? We'll look at an example project and deconstruct some code that turns your Arduino into a web server. We'll also start talking about jQuery.
Assignment 5: Rewrite a previous assignment or create a single-function web app that utilizes jQuery! (due 3/30)
- 3/30/2011 Class 9 - jQuery Continued
We'll continue talking about jQuery, and get a look at some of the new technologies available to mobile web developers known as HTML5
Reading: 37signals Chalk Dissected (Sami Samhuri)
- 4/6/2011 Class 10 - HTML5apalooza
We'll explore the cross-platform PhoneGap application framework for creating native mobile apps using HTML+CSS+Javascript.
- 4/13/2011 Class 11 - HTML5apalooza Continued
We'll continue with some of the HTML5 technologies that we can use is mobile web applications, as well as go over some other Tips & Tricks for optimizing apps. We'll finish the class with a special guest speaker, Dan Kantor, who will discuss Ex.fm's excellent mobile web app and some aspects of its development.
Reading: The Web is a Customer Service Medium (Paul Ford)
Assignment 7: Be prepared to present a final project concept next class. You will be required to utilize at least on HTML5 technology in your final!
- CLASS RESCHEDULED TO FRIDAY! 4/15/2011 Class 12 - Present Final Project Concepts & API's
Students will present their final project concepts, and we'll discuss how we can use data and functionality from around the web. Many web services today provide a way for you to access their data. This is at the heart of "Web 2.0" applications. We'll take a look at some of the more popular APIs available, and some examples of them in use.
- 4/27/2011 Class 13 - PhoneGap & Final Project Workshop
We'll take a look at the open source PhoneGap project, which allows us to use web technologies to create cross-platform native applications, which allow us to access device hardware and features we can't reach from the web browser alone. Any remaining time will be used to troubleshoot issues with students' final project concepts.
- 5/4/2011 Class 14 - Final Presentations