Mini Learning Contract

Learning Objective

A basic insight into the making of mobile Apps (for iPhone)

Methodology

I have learnt this by watching tutorials on youtube, and reading articles on the internet.

Resources

http://mashable.com/2009/02/21/how-to-build-an-iphone-app/

http://www.getelastic.com/want-to-build-mobile-app/

http://www.iphonesdkarticles.com/2008/07/first-iphone-application.html

http://www.wonderhowto.com/how-to-code-iphone-app-with-xcode-269807/view/

http://developer.apple.com/library/ios/navigation/index.html?section=Resource+Types&topic=Coding%20How-Tos

Results

My research into how to go about making a Mobile App took me a little way down into the depths of the developer world, phrases I had never heard of and programs I did not know existed were appearing on my screen and I did not quite know what to do with them. Now though, after 24hrs of learning, I feel I am a little more the wiser to how this process works.

Firstly, figure out what ‘Platform’ you want to create the app for. For example, Blackberry, iPhone or Android are just a few of the many platforms around at the moment. I think the obvious one to go for, is the iPhone.

There are many programs that you can use to create Apps, from the App Inventor for Android,(this one seems to be like the Dreamweaver of App building, helps you out a lot and it only takes a few clicks to have sound, image and text in an app) to Xcode for iPhone.
I, whilst learning and watching tutorials, have used ‘Xcode’ to create the most basic App out there, with surprisingly little code.

The tools that are generally needed to create an app are as follows:

-An iPhone or iPod Touch
-An Intel-based Mac computer
-The latest version of the iPhone SDK

Once you are in Xcode, create a new document, choose what kind of application you want it to be, then open up the  mainwindow.xib, this will open up a new window where you can drag and drop icons such as text boxes and buttons that you want to be in the app. Once you have the basic layout of the app, there are a few short commands that need to be coded in, links need to be made between the icons and the App delegate and then its ready to go.
When you click on ‘Run’ the program compiles, checking that the links and codes are correct then has a iPhone simulator that appears with your app running on it.

After creating this myself and seeing it work, I realised I have only skimmed the surface of what is a massive ‘web’ of apps, I think it will definately be something I keep at my fingertips.

Conclusion

Planning my own learning was a little bit daunting. When I receive work from my tutor, I normally just take it and read it and don’t think about the preparation that has gone into it or the research he has had to do in order to give out the assignments.

Structuring my own learning plan took a lot of self dicipline. I realised that if I didn’t read up on it, or research it myself, no one else was going to be there to teach me what I had set out to learn.

I felt a bit lost, not having someone telling me what I have to do makes me wonder if I am producing the correct work, the right amount, or in the correct way.

I know normally I am responsible for my own learning and what I do and don’t do, but having a tutor there to nudge you back on track is almost like a safety net, and I think, after this assignment, I am rather happy to stay being taught for the moment, instead of teaching myself.

Word Count: 600

Looking Back

Thinking about the past 4 months it doesn’t seem like I am 1 quarter of the way through the course.

Four months ago, I was sat in a room with 5 people that I didn’t know, nervous, scared, terrified even, however after a few ‘getting to know each other’ games, we began to open up and have a laugh with each other. Some people came out of their shells straight away, others took a while, but I think we’re there now and getting on quite well.

The first assignment, Work-Related Learning 1, was one that I did not particularly enjoy at first. I am quite shy when it comes to speaking to people I do not know, so being pushed into the deep end and having to contact web design professionals to interview them to then write a report about it was like hell for me.

The main thing I couldn’t get over was the fact I felt like I didn’t know what I was talking about. So while I was asking questions about the current web design industry and the effects the recession has had on it, I felt like a fraud. However, after the initial ‘terror’, the rest of the module was rather enjoyable. I found out so much about the web design industry, so many hints from each person I interviewed about how to get my foot in the door.

This first assignment showed me that I had a lot of work to do to get my writing and confidence up to scratch, I may have thought I am no good at speaking to people I don’t know, but now, after this assignment, I find myself thinking ‘what’s the worst that can happen if I speak to this person?’ And the answer? Nothing, people do it every day of their life, so what am I so worried about?

Personal and Professional Development 1 was interesting. Actually writing down my thoughts and feelings helped a lot with the process of understanding things I needed to learn and how to recognise things I need to work on. It was also interesting to read about other people and how they’re feeling the course is going. Being able to leave comments and talk to each other about it made me feel more relaxed about the work I had produced.

A main point for me in this course was the first hand in. It was very scary, I couldn’t help thinking will the CD work, have I written enough, have I included everything that was on the assignment sheet? After a couple of months, the day came where I would get my first grade back,  butterflies in my belly, I walked into the room thinking I knew I had failed it and would have to re-do it.

However, thankfully, I had passed! I am happy enough with my grade, I knew I could have done better, written more, interviewed more people to get a better mark but this is a learning process and I will know for next time.

Typography was an enjoyable module, I loved getting stuck into some design, playing with fonts, seeing which go well together and which not to use! Learning the typefaces was a hard task, one that I still do not feel completely relaxed with, however I still find myself looking at shop windows and working out what typeface and size they have used, I think it will be something I’ll always do.

The interface design module surprised me. I originally thought this would be far too difficult to complete, as I do not think I am a good designer, but once I had found my unsung hero and got to know him a bit, the design came through without too many difficulties. The main thing I struggled with was, as always, my timing. I had not managed my time correctly and therefore ended up feeling stressed and worried about it right up to when it was due.

A few ways to measure my progression:

•To achieve a merit or higher on each of my new assignments

•To complete assignments in good time, leaving a couple of days (if not more) to look over and correct my work, therefore leaving me ‘stress free’ on the hand in date.

•Increase the amount of sketchbook work I do for creative modules, more is better.

•Ask more questions

Where I am going

It’s hard to tell exactly where I’m going this soon into my journey, however I know where I aspire to be.

As I have not received any feedback from the work I have done, I am not sure what level I am currently working at. I want to build up confidence so that I am happy with the work I produce then I will be able to speak convincingly of my opinions if criticised. I will continue to work hard, try my best and complete all of the work I am given. However, at the moment I have a feeling of uncertainty about myself.

I would like to become adept at using Indesign and Photoshop I feel these are an integral part of succeeding on the course. Likewise I would like the use of CSS, PHP and HTML to become second nature to me.

Research is always good, in every situation, every assignment, every module, doing research will help me immensely. If I do more research each time I get a new module, it will become easier for me. I need to build up my collection of books and my knowledge will also eventually build up.

I hope that over the next 2 years I will be able to read articles by Andy Rutledge and fully understand what he is talking about, maybe even have my own opinions on his views. I would like to be able to disagree with things he says and know that, if it comes to it, I would have enough knowledge to back up my argument.

I would like to think that I will be able to overcome weaknesses such as a lack of confidence in myself, my own work and my motivation to do things I do not want to complete. Instead of thinking about ‘now’ I should be thinking about the future, and where doing these tasks will get me.

I would like to complete the course with flying colours, be employable and succeed in finding a job in a business. Here, I could develop my skills even further and then potentially go on to opening my own business, which could then lead me on to working around the world. This last part is more like a dream I think, but I like to keep all options open.

Failure, however, is not an option, I want to be proud of myself, and more importantly I want my family to be proud of me. To gain this feeling of pride, I need to keep my head down, and keep focused.

In three years time, when I am asked by old friends ‘what are you up to now?’ I would like to be able to call myself a web designer with confidence. I would like to be happy and content with where I am and be in a working environment that I love to be in, not one where I feel unhappy just thinking about it. I want to look forward to going to work, not dread it.

A summary of my goals:

• I aim to do well in the assignments that I am currently working on. I would like to complete each module and gain a merit or distinction with each one. I would like to become employable, know that I am good, and be happy with what I have achieved.
• In the long term I hope to become part of a business, large or small and build up friendships, contacts, my own knowledge and experience, and then go on to owning my own company. In 3 years time, I do not want to have a name badge that says ‘Sales Assistant’ on it.

It is easy to reel off a list of things I would like to happen in the future, but without pushing myself towards these goals, I’m never going to get there.

 

Where I am now

After only two months of being on the course (which actually feels like two weeks, it has gone by so fast) I feel as if I have learnt a lot and surprise myself when I can remember the answers to questions I thought I would never know. It is not easy to say exactly where I am as a designer, as I am just starting out, but I can say I am thoroughly enjoying the learning process.

This is the hardest, fastest paced environment I have ever been in and I am growing to love it. At times, when the work seems to be piling up or I get a new assignment, I do think the world will end because I don’t know where to start. But once I begin (and have calmed down), I feel myself easing into it and realise it is not bad at all.

I have had to organise myself so much I feel as if every hour of each day has been accounted for, and I quite like the structure of it all. Self study has been the hardest thing for me to grasp, but I am getting the hang of it, setting myself two days of the week to sit down and concentrate on work is becoming part of my normal routine now. Distractions are becoming annoyances and I am finding myself wanting to stay away from them.

We have been given two new assignments to work on; Interface Design and Typography. Having to learn 54 typefaces is a daunting task. However now I find myself intrigued by posters in shop windows and stand for a while until I have an idea of which typeface it is, then rush home to look it up and find out if I was correct or not.

The Honey and Mumford Learning Styles Questionnaire was very accurate, I already had a guess at what I thought I would be, and that guess turned out to be correct. I am, as I’m very sure all of my fellow classmates could have guessed, an activist. I had a low preference as a pragmatist, a moderate preference for reflector, a strong preference for theorist and a very strong preference for activist. As an activist, this means that I will learn most easily from activities where new experiences and opportunities are there for me to learn from, there is excitement, things chop and change all the time and I am allowed to learn with other people so I can bounce ideas off them and problem solve with them.

Some styles of learning that we have in the classroom, such as lectures, are supposed to be very hard for me to learn from. But so far, I have found that I have been just fine taking notes and understanding what I am being taught. So maybe I am not all activist and another preference shines through once in a while.

After reading through The Sector Skills Council for Creative Media, it shows what is required of us to be successful in the world, and it is unreal the amount that we will have to learn to get to that point. It is, to say the least, a little scary. I find it very helpful, as it goes into so much detail about what we need to know, be aware of and need to do. It is quite obvious through reading this that I have a long way to go.

We were asked to read an article by Andy Rutledge, titled The Employable Web Designer. Whilst reading the article, all I could think of was how useful the information was, and how knowledgeable he is about this world I am trying to enter. He is a very opinionated man, and I found his list of skills needed to, in his opinion, become employable, very helpful indeed. Some of the skills mentioned in the article I had perhaps overlooked, thinking that there is no way I’d ever need them, such as a basic understanding of human behaviour. I could not get my head around why I may need this skill, but thinking about it afterwards, it becomes apparent that all the skills in his list are ones I will definitely need to posses.

Overall, I know I have a long way to go. The amount I need to learn in this short amount of time is unbelievable, but I’m sure with self-discipline and organisational skills that keep getting better, I’ll be fine.

Where I have come from

To say that I dreamt as a child of being a web designer would be a lie. I have always had an interest in computers but that remained with finding out how they worked, how they were put together and how to fix them.

After my GCSE’s I stayed on at St Wilfrid’s Sixth Form to do AS Levels and studied ICT, Sociology, Business Studies and Cisco. Cisco was by far my favourite, it entailed all I was interested in within the world of computers and I put mostly all of my effort into this subject and none into the others.

By the end of the year I had no enthusiasm left in me for the other subjects, it became a chore to go to my lessons and therefore decided to leave. I rushed around trying to find out what I could do, I looked for apprenticeships working with computers and courses, and got hold of a booklet for Leeds College of Technology. I finally found a course and enrolled 1 week before the start date to study for a National Diploma in Software Development.

I thoroughly enjoyed the course however the main aspect of it that I loved was the Web Design and Development modules that we had to complete. After leaving Leeds College of Technology I attempted to find a Web Design internship or unpaid work experience to put on my CV but with no luck I decided to take a year out to really figure if this was what I wanted to do.

So while I worked, I looked for courses for universities and then finally found FdA Web Design at Wakefield College. I was really excited, as I had found a course I wanted to do and it wasn’t far from home, but I had to get through an interview to get a place. As I had only done basics of web design, I took the work from Leeds Tech that I had done, a few web design modules and some written essays from the other subjects on the course, but did not feel confident that this would be enough. The interview went well and I was offered a place, which was the best feeling ever, I literally could not stop smiling.

On the run up to the start of the course I was nervous, excited, scared, doubtful, and ecstatic; everything that you could possibly feel at one time. I had sorted out my student finance and figured out the route to get to college (and timed it many times, to ensure I would never be late). All that was left was to start and before I even knew it, it was the first day.

Walking down the corridor to MF18 was probably the most nervous I have ever been, so many questions were going through my mind. Am I going to be good enough? Will I make any friends? The only way to answer them was to open the door.