Computer Science by Design: Mobile App Development

Girls-Only & ​All-Gender Course; Prerequisite - Completion of a One Schoolhouse computer science course or permission from the administration; Fall semester or Full-year course
COURSE DESCRIPTION
The market for apps is soaring. Apple’s App Store and Google Play global downloads reached nearly 26 billion and global mobile app revenue was estimated at $77 billion in 2017. Throughout the semester, students will learn the JavaScript programming language within a block or text based online environment as they create a variety of apps they can use and share. Focusing on the software engineering process, students will apply the main principles, methodologies and techniques of the software development life cycle, and explore conceptual design through wireframes, mockups and prototype development. By the end of Semester I, students will have a mobile app or game prototype that they can continue to develop further. 
WHAT STUDENTS SAY

"My teacher was a wonderful and intelligent teacher who inspired me to be more creative and work efficiently. Unlike any other course, I have never been more efficient on time and creativity than in this one. My teacher’s positive and encouraging words and attitude also pushed me to do even greater things, and I am glad my freshman programming teacher recommended the course to me!”

“I have definitely come to a better understanding of how to program apps and I also have gotten better at not procrastinating."

WHAT STUDENTS DO
Learning is an active process at One Schoolhouse. Students design, create and apply. And, they engage with classmates and connect with their teachers through discussions, video conferences, and projects. Specifically, in this class students will:
  • Set goals that drive their learning. Students reflect regularly on their growth, and meet on video chat with their online teacher to review progress towards their goals.
  • Have choice in how they learn new content and practice new skills. Students are given agency to determine the best ways for them to learn.
  • Apply what they are learning to the real world. Learning is meaningful and connects to concepts outside the classroom.
  • Practice constructive engagement in a diverse and changing world. Students interact with classmates from across the country and around the world.
  • Gain academic maturity. Online learning takes greater discipline and independence than a traditional face-to-face classroom. Teachers support students to build this skill.
MEET A TEACHER FOR THIS COURSE
SIGNATURE ACTIVITIES
Examples of signature activities and projects for this course are:
  • Design and develop mobile apps and games, coded in JavaScript with either blocks or text, then share your creations with others using an online programming environment.
  • Create visual designs such as wire frames, mockups, and paper prototypes.
  • Employ user-center design techniques to ensure useful end products.​
WHAT HAPPENS IN THE SECOND SEMESTER?
Students wishing to develop their own app may enroll in the course for the full year.  For students continuing into Semester II, the course shifts into personalized, project-based work, where students engage in deep, sustained inquiry, authentic and iterative research, critical analysis, and rigorous reflection, revision, and assessment as they journey through a self-designed, long-term activism, design or research project on the topic of their choosing.  Guided by a One Schoolhouse teacher, students pursue individual study/self-assessment or collaborative seminar/peer-review. Pathway options from which students choose include:
  • Spring Activism Seminar: In this seminar, students identify a need and create a plan to effect economic, environmental, political, or social change in a target community.  Utilizing a social science approach to research and evaluation, students are guided through the process of planning the deployment of a novel idea and identifying markers of success.  Students may create a strategic plan for a club or non-profit or design an artistic product in this seminar. 
  • Spring Design Seminar:  In this seminar, students design a technological solution to a real-world problem.  Through the engineering design process/scientific method, students gather and analyze data to determine the effectiveness of their model or the accuracy of their hypothesis.  Students may prototype and produce a public product in this seminar. 
  • Spring Research Seminar:  In this seminar, students answer a theoretical or ethical question.  Utilizing the social science/humanities tools for source evaluation, students collect, critique, and evaluate artifacts or primary source documents to explore their thesis.  Students may create a written or multimedia product in this seminar. 
Upon completion of their inquiry-driven project, students will have gained academic maturity and expanded their ability to engage in a diverse and changing world.  They will be able to draw and defend conclusions from theoretical underpinnings, contextual background, and mathematical analysis or source evaluation. Finally, they will have created and tested something useful of their own design or will be able to defend a position based on their own research. Check out the video below to hear from the facilitators and learn more about your seminar project!
COURSE APPROVAL
This course is approved by: the NCAA and the University of California.

Fully accredited with the Middle States Association of Colleges and Schools & the Western Association of Schools and Colleges through December 1, 2025.
Evelyn Zayas
Computer Science Teacher
BA Thomas Edison State College
MS Monmouth University
PhD Nova Southeastern University