Mobile Application Development Internship Program
Mobile Application Development Internship Program
August 2015
1.0 INTRODUCTION A Connected Planet (ACP) is establishing an internship program in Haiti to teach college students and interested young adults how to develop software applications. The interns will assist ACP in the development of electronic book and education applications to run on Android mobile computing devices. Low cost computing devices are becoming commonplace in Haiti; however, very few software programs are written in the native Haitian Creole language. The full potential of the new technologies is not being realized, specifically in the areas of education and business. The goal of ACP’s intern program is to build capacity within the country to address this shortfall. The intern program will extend the application development work already being performed by ACP. The focus will remain on the development of education materials. Application code will be made publicly available under an open-source license. ACP will provide the computing and training resources required to execute the program. Interns will be paid a stipend for their work in the program. The ACP intern program will give participants the opportunity to both see and learn how their skills can be used to address a critical problem affecting the country of Haiti.
2.0 BACKGROUND In late 2013, ACP started its Tablet Implementation program in Haiti. Participants were education and healthcare organizations working with children between four and eighteen years old. ACP distributed over 150 tablet computers to participants. The tablets were and are still used by the children. ACP helped each organization establish their internal tablet program. ACP led the organizations through the process of developing procedures and provided training to teachers, healthcare professionals and students. ACP also worked directly with participants to identify applications which could be used in their programs. It was during the process of identifying applications that we discovered very few applications exist in the Creole language and virtually nothing existed that was free. This prompted ACP to start its Mobile Application Development program. Since that time, ACP has been developing three types of education-related mobile applications. The first type of applications are general education applications which teach basic letter, word and number recognition. ACP has produced a series of applications which cover the alphabet, animals, colors, shapes, fruits, vegetables and numbers. An example is shown in Figure 1 at the right. Touching the picture, word or letter produces an audio response in Haitian Creole. These applications are available free-of-charge on Android devices on Figure 1 - Alfabè Kreyòl App
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Google Play™ and in iTunes for Apple iOS devices. The second type of mobile application is Mother Tongue Books applications. Mother Tongue Books (MTB) is a program started by the Matènwa Community Learning Center school on the island La Gonâve, Haiti. They work with Haitian children in schools to write and illustrate short stories. They do this because very few children’s books exist that are written in Haitian Creole. MTB creates hard copy and digital Adobe PDF versions of the books which are distributed to other schools. ACP has gone a step further and turned the books into standalone mobile applications which include the book, audio, student testing and teacher guides. The applications support the Haitian Creole, French, and English languages. These book applications are also available on Google Play™ and in iTunes. The third type of application development work was recently started by ACP. We have partnered with the Haiti Futur organization to create Android and Windows applications which Figure 3 -Mother Tongue compliments digital curriculum material Haiti Futur has Book App developed for use with inter-active whiteboards. Haiti Futur is taking the standardized Haitian education curriculum and implementing it in an opensource digital teaching tool called OpenSankorè. ACP is creating a series of applications which correspond directly to Haiti Futur content. ACP is even using the same graphics in the applications that are used on the whiteboard. The teacher will be able to work with the students in the classroom using the whiteboard and then the tablet applications will be used like workbooks which the students can use independently. The applications are also compiled to run on Windows computers so the teacher can run the applications directly from the Open-Sankore interactive whiteboard tool. Figure 2 - Grade 1 Science Application
ACP application development is done using an open-source tool called LiveCode Community. LiveCode is an interactive, graphically oriented design application which lets a programmer instantly see how the application will look and perform. You add program features by dragging objects from the tool bar onto a working palate. Each object has its own code which describes how it operates in the program. LiveCode has its 2
Figure 4 - LiveCode Work Bench
own programming language inspired by the Apple HyperCard programming language HyperTalk. The language is much more natural and intuitive to use than typical programming languages. Extensive on-line training is available for LiveCode and there is an international user group and help forum. ACP has created a standardized, repeatable process to create applications of each type described above. We have created templates for each of the types of programs. The template contains all of the required program objects and the associated code. We have libraries of the graphical objects which can be used in new programs. Consequently, new applications of each type can be rapidly developed. The creation of new applications primarily involves changing the program template graphics and adding the appropriate audio files.
3.0 INTERN PROGRAM DESCRIPTION The ACP Mobile Application Development Intern Program will use real world development tasks to improve the participant’s programming proficiency. Interns will develop education related applications which will be made publicly available, free of charge, for any student, user or organization to use as they wish. The program is designed to complement a participant’s ongoing academic studies or professional work. Interns will be taught how to use the LiveCode open-source, multiplatform, rapid development environment. Interns will start out at the Novice level and during the course of the internship participants will be given the opportunity to obtain certifications denoting three levels of software development proficiency. One school semester will be allowed to obtain each certification. A participant’s internship will end if they are not able to obtain their next level of proficiency. The levels and a brief description of their meaning are as follows: •
•
•
Level I – Apprentice: Participant can develop, compile and test applications using a template program (such as a Mother Tongue Book). Participant must be able to understand the processing logic already contained in the template program. Participant must be able to follow all required configuration management processes. Level II – Journeyman: Participant must have all Apprentice skills mastered. Participant must be able to develop new programs (such as a new education application) using objects/code available in the template applications of available online. Level III – Expert: Participant must have all Apprentice and Journeyman skills mastered. Participant must be able to design and develop a new program from inception. Participant must show adequate design documentation and the resulting code must be reusable by other interns.
Software code created in the intern program will be made publically available under an opensource reuse license. The code will be made available after an application is completed, tested 3
and verified. ACP will also create a space where anyone can publish source code for education related applications designed for use in Haiti.
4.0 PROGRAM IMPLEMENTATION METHODOLOGY A preliminary methodology is provided below which details the initial approach for implementing the intern program. It is subject to change as additional details are received from funding sources, partner organizations, and additional information regarding the partner schools is acquired.
4.1 Staffing and Program Management A resident in-country coordinator will oversee the intern program. The ACP country director will manage the program. ACP will hire or partner with an existing organization to fill the in-country coordinator positon. The coordinator will be required to work for 10 hours a week. The coordinators primary duties will be to: 1) Account for and log intern participation, and 2) Ensure security and logging of laptop computers and other equipment. ACP will obtain office space where the interns will be able to train and work. The space will have suitable security so hardware and materials can be stored onsite. ACP will be onsite for two weeks at the beginning of each semester to train the new interns. Following the initial semester training, ACP will return every month to follow-up with intern progress and provide assistance as needed. ACP travel may increase or decrease depending on the needs of the program. ACP will provide overall guidance and program oversight from their US office. This group will be responsible for defining standards, quality control, source code publication and the development of new baseline templates which can be used in the program.
4.2 Participants & Timeline The program will begin with four college interns, either going to school or working in computer related fields in Port-au-Prince, Haiti. The interns must have experience and/or a concentration in programing and must have experience in graphic design. ACP will work with an in-country partner to select interns who have a high probability of succeeding in the program. The skill level required for the program is beginner but the intern must have a basic understanding of programing and have some proficiency in the English language. The first group of interns will begin the ten-month program in January 2016. Interns will have a two-month break for summer vacation starting in July, then will resume the program in September, and end in December 2016. A second group of four interns will begin the program in September 2016. A third group of interns will start in January 2017.
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4.3 Intern Stipend Interns will be given a $150 per month stipend for their contribution to the program. After training is complete, interns will be required to complete a minimum of one application per month in order to remain in the program.
4.4 Provision of Resources ACP will provide laptop computers with touch screens and monitors to be kept at the work location. The laptop computers will be used instead of desktop computers for storage and security reasons. The laptops will be equipped with Microsoft Office, Livecode, and Paint.net - a free image and photo editing software. Interns will be encouraged to find alternative ways, preferably free open source programs, to make the mobile application development process more efficient.
4.5 Program Phases The intern program will be implemented in four phases. These phases are: •
Phase I – Preparation: ACP will prepare all need documents, materials, and make additional arrangements as needed for the program. o Develop/document rules and expectations of ACP regarding intern participation o Develop Configuration Management Plan documenting how the configuration management is managed, roles and responsibilities, and how configuration item changes are made. o Develop quality assurance and ACP review will need to be developed. o Develop LiveCode training plan, including lesson plans: Online resources/training How to navigate the resources on the laptop How to navigate/use LiveCode How to build a basic application (IDE, commands, picture editing) How to build a Mother Tongue Book application Communicate processes including Configuration Management Plan o Order needed materials including laptops and monitors o Finalize partner logistics (ex: locations, interns, schedule)
•
Phase II - Onsite Introductory Intern Training: o In January 2016, ACP will provide two weeks of intensive onsite training to the four interns. o At the end of the training, interns will be able to create a Mother Tongue Book applications with minimal assistance. o ACP will oversee the interns’ continued development of additional Mother Tongue Book applications. One programming intern and one graphic designer intern are required to create at least one Mother Tongue Book application per month. o ACP will return in March to provide additional training as needed.
•
Phase III - Intern Program Advancement and Expansion:
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o In September 2016, depending on ACP evaluation, the first group of interns on to programming level 2. o ACP will provide training on how to design and build an ACP Education application (Journeyman Level II) in Haitian Creole. Examples of past applications created by ACP include the alphabet, animals, colors & shapes, fruits & vegetables, and numbers. One programming intern and one graphic designer intern are expected to create at least one ACP Education application per month. o At this time, two additional interns will also be selected to start the intern program cycle detailed in Phase 2 above.
• Phase 4 - Custom Mobile Application Development: o In January 2017, the first group of interns will have graduated from the tenmonth program. o ACP will provide training and guidance on how to design and build custom applications (Expert Level III). o Applications at this level of development will be built for-profit and will be built at the request of a client. An additional partner could be brought into phase 4 to provide the graduated interns with mobile application development clients. o The profit collected will be used for new intern stipends, materials, and ACP consulting costs.
5.0 PROGRAM FUNDING ACP estimates the program will cost $25,000 to start and approximately $85,000 per year to maintain for up to 20 interns. Annual sustainment costs will be covered by profits generated by doing paid development work once the program progresses into the fourth phase. This should occur after the second full year of program operation. ACP is currently directly funding the program startup and is seeking donations to pay for the first two years of operation.
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August 2015
1.0 INTRODUCTION A Connected Planet (ACP) is establishing an internship program in Haiti to teach college students and interested young adults how to develop software applications. The interns will assist ACP in the development of electronic book and education applications to run on Android mobile computing devices. Low cost computing devices are becoming commonplace in Haiti; however, very few software programs are written in the native Haitian Creole language. The full potential of the new technologies is not being realized, specifically in the areas of education and business. The goal of ACP’s intern program is to build capacity within the country to address this shortfall. The intern program will extend the application development work already being performed by ACP. The focus will remain on the development of education materials. Application code will be made publicly available under an open-source license. ACP will provide the computing and training resources required to execute the program. Interns will be paid a stipend for their work in the program. The ACP intern program will give participants the opportunity to both see and learn how their skills can be used to address a critical problem affecting the country of Haiti.
2.0 BACKGROUND In late 2013, ACP started its Tablet Implementation program in Haiti. Participants were education and healthcare organizations working with children between four and eighteen years old. ACP distributed over 150 tablet computers to participants. The tablets were and are still used by the children. ACP helped each organization establish their internal tablet program. ACP led the organizations through the process of developing procedures and provided training to teachers, healthcare professionals and students. ACP also worked directly with participants to identify applications which could be used in their programs. It was during the process of identifying applications that we discovered very few applications exist in the Creole language and virtually nothing existed that was free. This prompted ACP to start its Mobile Application Development program. Since that time, ACP has been developing three types of education-related mobile applications. The first type of applications are general education applications which teach basic letter, word and number recognition. ACP has produced a series of applications which cover the alphabet, animals, colors, shapes, fruits, vegetables and numbers. An example is shown in Figure 1 at the right. Touching the picture, word or letter produces an audio response in Haitian Creole. These applications are available free-of-charge on Android devices on Figure 1 - Alfabè Kreyòl App
1
Google Play™ and in iTunes for Apple iOS devices. The second type of mobile application is Mother Tongue Books applications. Mother Tongue Books (MTB) is a program started by the Matènwa Community Learning Center school on the island La Gonâve, Haiti. They work with Haitian children in schools to write and illustrate short stories. They do this because very few children’s books exist that are written in Haitian Creole. MTB creates hard copy and digital Adobe PDF versions of the books which are distributed to other schools. ACP has gone a step further and turned the books into standalone mobile applications which include the book, audio, student testing and teacher guides. The applications support the Haitian Creole, French, and English languages. These book applications are also available on Google Play™ and in iTunes. The third type of application development work was recently started by ACP. We have partnered with the Haiti Futur organization to create Android and Windows applications which Figure 3 -Mother Tongue compliments digital curriculum material Haiti Futur has Book App developed for use with inter-active whiteboards. Haiti Futur is taking the standardized Haitian education curriculum and implementing it in an opensource digital teaching tool called OpenSankorè. ACP is creating a series of applications which correspond directly to Haiti Futur content. ACP is even using the same graphics in the applications that are used on the whiteboard. The teacher will be able to work with the students in the classroom using the whiteboard and then the tablet applications will be used like workbooks which the students can use independently. The applications are also compiled to run on Windows computers so the teacher can run the applications directly from the Open-Sankore interactive whiteboard tool. Figure 2 - Grade 1 Science Application
ACP application development is done using an open-source tool called LiveCode Community. LiveCode is an interactive, graphically oriented design application which lets a programmer instantly see how the application will look and perform. You add program features by dragging objects from the tool bar onto a working palate. Each object has its own code which describes how it operates in the program. LiveCode has its 2
Figure 4 - LiveCode Work Bench
own programming language inspired by the Apple HyperCard programming language HyperTalk. The language is much more natural and intuitive to use than typical programming languages. Extensive on-line training is available for LiveCode and there is an international user group and help forum. ACP has created a standardized, repeatable process to create applications of each type described above. We have created templates for each of the types of programs. The template contains all of the required program objects and the associated code. We have libraries of the graphical objects which can be used in new programs. Consequently, new applications of each type can be rapidly developed. The creation of new applications primarily involves changing the program template graphics and adding the appropriate audio files.
3.0 INTERN PROGRAM DESCRIPTION The ACP Mobile Application Development Intern Program will use real world development tasks to improve the participant’s programming proficiency. Interns will develop education related applications which will be made publicly available, free of charge, for any student, user or organization to use as they wish. The program is designed to complement a participant’s ongoing academic studies or professional work. Interns will be taught how to use the LiveCode open-source, multiplatform, rapid development environment. Interns will start out at the Novice level and during the course of the internship participants will be given the opportunity to obtain certifications denoting three levels of software development proficiency. One school semester will be allowed to obtain each certification. A participant’s internship will end if they are not able to obtain their next level of proficiency. The levels and a brief description of their meaning are as follows: •
•
•
Level I – Apprentice: Participant can develop, compile and test applications using a template program (such as a Mother Tongue Book). Participant must be able to understand the processing logic already contained in the template program. Participant must be able to follow all required configuration management processes. Level II – Journeyman: Participant must have all Apprentice skills mastered. Participant must be able to develop new programs (such as a new education application) using objects/code available in the template applications of available online. Level III – Expert: Participant must have all Apprentice and Journeyman skills mastered. Participant must be able to design and develop a new program from inception. Participant must show adequate design documentation and the resulting code must be reusable by other interns.
Software code created in the intern program will be made publically available under an opensource reuse license. The code will be made available after an application is completed, tested 3
and verified. ACP will also create a space where anyone can publish source code for education related applications designed for use in Haiti.
4.0 PROGRAM IMPLEMENTATION METHODOLOGY A preliminary methodology is provided below which details the initial approach for implementing the intern program. It is subject to change as additional details are received from funding sources, partner organizations, and additional information regarding the partner schools is acquired.
4.1 Staffing and Program Management A resident in-country coordinator will oversee the intern program. The ACP country director will manage the program. ACP will hire or partner with an existing organization to fill the in-country coordinator positon. The coordinator will be required to work for 10 hours a week. The coordinators primary duties will be to: 1) Account for and log intern participation, and 2) Ensure security and logging of laptop computers and other equipment. ACP will obtain office space where the interns will be able to train and work. The space will have suitable security so hardware and materials can be stored onsite. ACP will be onsite for two weeks at the beginning of each semester to train the new interns. Following the initial semester training, ACP will return every month to follow-up with intern progress and provide assistance as needed. ACP travel may increase or decrease depending on the needs of the program. ACP will provide overall guidance and program oversight from their US office. This group will be responsible for defining standards, quality control, source code publication and the development of new baseline templates which can be used in the program.
4.2 Participants & Timeline The program will begin with four college interns, either going to school or working in computer related fields in Port-au-Prince, Haiti. The interns must have experience and/or a concentration in programing and must have experience in graphic design. ACP will work with an in-country partner to select interns who have a high probability of succeeding in the program. The skill level required for the program is beginner but the intern must have a basic understanding of programing and have some proficiency in the English language. The first group of interns will begin the ten-month program in January 2016. Interns will have a two-month break for summer vacation starting in July, then will resume the program in September, and end in December 2016. A second group of four interns will begin the program in September 2016. A third group of interns will start in January 2017.
4
4.3 Intern Stipend Interns will be given a $150 per month stipend for their contribution to the program. After training is complete, interns will be required to complete a minimum of one application per month in order to remain in the program.
4.4 Provision of Resources ACP will provide laptop computers with touch screens and monitors to be kept at the work location. The laptop computers will be used instead of desktop computers for storage and security reasons. The laptops will be equipped with Microsoft Office, Livecode, and Paint.net - a free image and photo editing software. Interns will be encouraged to find alternative ways, preferably free open source programs, to make the mobile application development process more efficient.
4.5 Program Phases The intern program will be implemented in four phases. These phases are: •
Phase I – Preparation: ACP will prepare all need documents, materials, and make additional arrangements as needed for the program. o Develop/document rules and expectations of ACP regarding intern participation o Develop Configuration Management Plan documenting how the configuration management is managed, roles and responsibilities, and how configuration item changes are made. o Develop quality assurance and ACP review will need to be developed. o Develop LiveCode training plan, including lesson plans: Online resources/training How to navigate the resources on the laptop How to navigate/use LiveCode How to build a basic application (IDE, commands, picture editing) How to build a Mother Tongue Book application Communicate processes including Configuration Management Plan o Order needed materials including laptops and monitors o Finalize partner logistics (ex: locations, interns, schedule)
•
Phase II - Onsite Introductory Intern Training: o In January 2016, ACP will provide two weeks of intensive onsite training to the four interns. o At the end of the training, interns will be able to create a Mother Tongue Book applications with minimal assistance. o ACP will oversee the interns’ continued development of additional Mother Tongue Book applications. One programming intern and one graphic designer intern are required to create at least one Mother Tongue Book application per month. o ACP will return in March to provide additional training as needed.
•
Phase III - Intern Program Advancement and Expansion:
5
o In September 2016, depending on ACP evaluation, the first group of interns on to programming level 2. o ACP will provide training on how to design and build an ACP Education application (Journeyman Level II) in Haitian Creole. Examples of past applications created by ACP include the alphabet, animals, colors & shapes, fruits & vegetables, and numbers. One programming intern and one graphic designer intern are expected to create at least one ACP Education application per month. o At this time, two additional interns will also be selected to start the intern program cycle detailed in Phase 2 above.
• Phase 4 - Custom Mobile Application Development: o In January 2017, the first group of interns will have graduated from the tenmonth program. o ACP will provide training and guidance on how to design and build custom applications (Expert Level III). o Applications at this level of development will be built for-profit and will be built at the request of a client. An additional partner could be brought into phase 4 to provide the graduated interns with mobile application development clients. o The profit collected will be used for new intern stipends, materials, and ACP consulting costs.
5.0 PROGRAM FUNDING ACP estimates the program will cost $25,000 to start and approximately $85,000 per year to maintain for up to 20 interns. Annual sustainment costs will be covered by profits generated by doing paid development work once the program progresses into the fourth phase. This should occur after the second full year of program operation. ACP is currently directly funding the program startup and is seeking donations to pay for the first two years of operation.
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