1.3. Technology & Solutions

In this enriching session, you will:

Unlock the Power of Your Mobile: Discover and master the hidden features of your mobile phone, transforming it into a dynamic problem-solving tool.
Navigate the App Landscape: Clearly distinguish between mobile applications and web applications, understanding their unique functionalities and applications.
Explore the Realm of Artificial Intelligence: Delve into the fascinating world of AI, learning how it empowers individuals to tackle complex challenges with innovative solutions.
Identify AI in Your Everyday Life: Develop a keen eye for recognizing the pervasive presence of Artificial Intelligence, from the apps you use to the technologies that shape your world.

For your ICT Club project, you will create a technology solution, specifically an application that can run on a mobile device. Let’s explore how you can take advantage of the mobile device features to make the best solution possible.

FEATURES OF A MOBILE DEVICE

Mobile apps are software applications designed to operate on smartphones. They can use the phone’s built-in sensors, such as those for detecting location and sound, to gather information from the surrounding environment.

Check out some mobile device features

Microphones, Cameras, Speakers

Allows you to take pictures, videos, and record sounds

Phone calls, Text messages, Contacts

Allows you to make phone calls, send text messages, and connect to people

GPS

Shows the physical location of the device

WEB CONNECTIVITY.

Allows you to send and receive information from the web on your device

Allows you to store preferences, images, and sounds on your device

MOBILE APPS VS WEB APPS

You might have come across the term web app, which is not the same as a mobile app. In ICT Clubs, you’re allowed to create any of the following for your project: a mobile app, a web app, or a progressive web app.

It’s important to understand the differences between these types so you can choose the one that best fits your solution.

What are the differences between Mobile APP, Web APP and Progressive App?

1. Mobile App (Native App): A software application developed specifically for a particular mobile operating system (iOS or Android).

Characteristics:
- Native Performance: Runs directly on the device’s hardware, providing optimal speed and responsiveness.
- Full Device Access: Can access all device features (GPS, camera, contacts, etc.).
- Installation Required: Must be downloaded and installed from an app store.
- Platform-Specific: Developed using programming languages native to the OS (Swift/Objective-C for iOS, Java/Kotlin for Android).
- Offline Capabilities: Can often work offline, depending on the app’s design.
- Updates: Updates are managed through app stores.
Categories/Use Cases:
- High-performance games.
- Apps requiring extensive device hardware access.
- Apps with complex, native user interfaces.
- Apps that need reliable offline functionality.
- Banking apps, and any app that requires high security.

2. Web App: A website designed to function like an application, accessed through a mobile web browser (Chrome, Safari, etc.).

Characteristics:
- Browser-Based: Runs within a web browser, not directly on the device’s OS.
- Cross-Platform: Works on any device with a web browser, regardless of the operating system.
- No Installation Required: Accessed through a URL, no download needed.
- Limited Device Access: Has restricted access to device features compared to native apps.
- Relies on Internet Connection: Typically requires a stable internet connection.
- Development: Uses web technologies (HTML, CSS, JavaScript).
- Updates: Updates are deployed on the server side, and the user gets the most current version whenever the web app is loaded.
Categories/Use Cases:
- E-commerce websites.
- Online productivity tools.
- Content-heavy platforms (news, blogs).
- Apps that require quick, cross-platform access.

3. Progressive Web App (PWA): A web app that uses modern web capabilities to deliver an app-like experience to users.

Characteristics:
- Web-Based with App-Like Features: Combines the best of web apps and mobile apps.
- Installable: Can be installed on the device’s home screen, like a native app.
- Offline Capabilities: Can work offline or with poor network conditions using service workers.
- Push Notifications: Can send push notifications, similar to native apps.
- Responsive and Fast: Designed to be responsive and load quickly on any device.
- Secure (HTTPS): Requires HTTPS to ensure security.
- Cross-Platform: Works on any device with a modern web browser.
- Uses web technologies: HTML, CSS, Javascript.
Categories/Use Cases:
- E-commerce platforms that want to improve user engagement.
- News and content apps that want to provide offline access.
- Social media apps that want to provide fast, app-like experiences.
- Any website that wants to provide a better mobile user experience.

Categorization Summary:

Mobile App (Native): Device-specific, high performance, full hardware access.
- Web App: Browser-based, cross-platform, internet-dependent.
Progressive Web App (PWA): Hybrid, web-based with app-like features, aims for best of both worlds.

If you’re using App Inventor or Thunkable to code, you’ll be creating a mobile app. These apps can be tested and used on both Android and iOS devices.

App Inventor and Thunkable: Cross-Platform Mobile App Development

App Inventor (developed by MIT) and Thunkable (based on App Inventor) are visual block-based programming platforms designed to simplify mobile app development. A key advantage of these tools is their ability to create cross-platform applications, meaning apps that can run on both Android and iOS devices from a single codebase.

Here’s a breakdown of how this works:

Visual Block Programming:
- Both platforms use a drag-and-drop interface, allowing users to assemble code blocks that represent different functions and actions. This eliminates the need to write complex text-based code, making app development accessible to beginners.
Abstraction of Native Code:
- Behind the scenes, App Inventor and Thunkable abstract the underlying complexities of native Android (Java/Kotlin) and iOS (Swift/Objective-C) development. The platforms handle the conversion of the visual blocks into the appropriate native code for each operating system.
Compilation and Deployment:
- When you build an app in App Inventor or Thunkable, the platform compiles your block-based code into executable files for both Android (.apk files) and iOS (.ipa files).
- You can then test these files on actual Android and iOS devices or emulators.
Simplified Cross-Platform Development:
- This cross-platform capability significantly simplifies the development process. Instead of needing to learn separate programming languages for each operating system, you can create a single app that works on both platforms.
Limitations:
- While app inventor and thunkable are cross platform, there are some limitations. Apps that require very complex native functions or very high performance graphic intense functions may not be able to be created using app inventor or thunkable.
Benefits:
- This is especially valuable in a region like Uganda, where diverse mobile device usage may exist, enabling wider accessibility of the app.
- This also reduces the cost of application creation, as only one version of the application has to be made.

In essence, App Inventor and Thunkable provide a user-friendly way to create mobile apps that reach a broader audience by supporting both Android and iOS platforms.

Mentor Tip

Best practices: Share relatable, real-world examples to show how technology simplifies life. For instance, “Using GPS to find the fastest route to where you’re going is a great way to see how technology solves everyday problems.” Connecting these ideas to daily experiences helps students understand why technology matters.

These videos will provide a clear understanding of how technology can be used to solve real-life problems and some of the issues that come with technology, making the concept more relevant and engaging.

Guiding Questions to ask

Can you think of a problem you face regularly that technology helps you solve? (e.g., using a calculator for math homework, or a search engine to find information)
Why is it important to understand how technology works when solving problems?
What are some technologies you use every day that you think are important?

WHAT ABOUT ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE?

Artificial intelligence is a strong and impactful technology that can enhance your app solution. While it’s not a required element for your project, it’s encouraged that you to take the time to learn about AI and explore how it could be integrated into your idea. Although AI may not fit every type of solution, it can be a valuable feature in many situations.

But what is Artificial Intelligence? To define it, let’s break it down into two words.

Artificial.

Not Real
Made by people
A copy of something real

Intelligence

Using your brain to learn, solve problems, and speak or write

So, one definition could be that AI is something made by people to emulate the human brain by solving problems.

AI can do 4 main things:

Learn
Identify patterns
Make decisions
Predict.

Do these 4 criteria sound like things that humans are capable of?

You can think of AI as something that tries to work or think like a human.

SOME EXAMPLES

Understand or sense

Toy robots and vacuums use sensors to find their way around

Voice assistants can tell when you say their name and will respond to you when you do.

Learn

Netflix and YouTube learn what videos you like in order to suggest other videos to watch.

Use models to make decisions

Alexa learns to understand your voice. The more you talk to her, the better she understands what you say.

Google Maps and Waze use models of streets to plan directions.

IBM’s Deep Blue uses a chessboard model to learn to beat world champion chess players.

INTERACT WITH HUMANS

Chatbots like Siri or Google Assistant respond to what people say and can have conversations with humans.

Personal robots are able to read emotions and act like humans.

AI is used to solve all sorts of problems!

MENTOR TIP

Best practices: Consider how voice assistants like Siri or Alexa can answer questions or play your favorite music—these are great examples of artificial intelligence in action. They use large amounts of data and internet connectivity to perform tasks like web searches. This technology is combined with physical devices to make it functional beyond a computer, such as playing audio.

As teams start thinking about how to solve their chosen problem, it’s important that they consider how technology can be meaningfully integrated into their solution. Encourage them to explore different ways mobile and web apps have been used to inspire ideas for developing their own project.

Use the videos below to expand your understanding of the use of AI in daily tasks and share it with your teams.

Guiding Questions to ask

In what ways do you think artificial intelligence could help address issues in areas like healthcare or transportation?
Can you think of any examples of AI that you use, see regularly, or have heard about? (For example, voice assistants or suggestion features on YouTube or Netflix)
What are some potential problems or challenges that can come with using AI?

Watch these videos to see different advancements made possible with Artificial Intelligence.

REVIEW OF KEY TERMS

Mobile App, a program/application that is compiled to run on a phone or other mobile device
Web app, a program/application that runs in a browser on any computer or mobile device
Sensors, Hardware on your phone that allows it to interact with the world around it
Artificial Intelligence (AI), machines/programming that can do tasks normally thought to be done only by humans

ADDITIONAL RESOURCES

Check out how some past ICT club participants used mobile apps to solve a problem in their community!

MAGIC CARDS

This app teaches young children new words.