2.4. I Have a Dream Part 2 Explore Curricular Activity

Time Estimate: 45 minutes

2.4.1. Introduction and Goals

Enhancing I Have a Dream. The I Have a Dream app only had one picture and speech, and it didn't allow you to pause the speeches. In part 2, you'll add a speech of Malcolm X to show the contrast of these two great leaders, and you'll code it so each speech can be paused.

This tutorial introduces the concept of an if-else condition, which enables an app (an example of a computing innovation) to ask questions and make decisions-- it's one of the fundamentals of "artificial intelligence".

(Teacher Tube version)
Learning Objectives: I will learn to
  • follow a tutorial to enhance the I Have a Dream app and add a new speech
  • use a selection if-else block to pause and start the speeches
  • name components in a standard format (description followed by component type, e.g. MalcolmButton)
  • understand what a computing innovation is
Language Objectives: I will be able to
  • differentiate between the functionality and purpose of a computing innovation
  • use target vocabulary, such as if/else conditional, computing innovation and pair programming, while describing a computing innovation, out loud and in writing, with the support of vocabulary notes from this lesson.

2.4.2. Learning Activities

If/Else Selection Blocks

The if block in MIT App Inventor can be used to choose between different actions. All programming languages have something like if blocks, called selection or conditional algorithms, to make decisions based on a condition. In this version of the app, we want to use the buttons to toggle playing and pausing the speeches. When a button is clicked, if that speech is already playing, we want to pause the speech. If it is paused, we want to start playing it again. To do this, we need to use an If block from the Control drawer of the block editor. This block has a blue mutator button where we can drag in an else block to make the block into an If/Else block which will allow us to choose between 2 actions (pause or play) depending on if the speech is already playing.


Tutorial

To get started, open MIT App Inventor in a separate tab and log in and open your own project from the previous I Have a Dream lesson. Follow along with your teacher or the following video tutorial or the text tutorial or the short handout. You could also use Pair Programming to do this tutorial in teams of two.

If you'd like to use an embedded tutorial for this MIT App Inventor project, click on the Project Properties button at the top and scroll down to find the TutorialURL property and paste in http://templates.appinventor.mit.edu/trincoll/csp/tutorials/IHaveADreamPart2.html or change IHaveADream.html to IHaveADreamPart2.html.


Explore Curricular Activity: Computing Innovations and Collaboration
Discuss the following two paragraphs with your classmate(s) and/or a friend. You can use this Notes Worksheet to help guide your discussion. Check with your instructor to see if they have additional worksheets or activities for you to complete.

With the expansion of computers and the Internet, every day new computing innovations are being developed. A computing innovation includes a program as an integral part of its function. The purpose of computing innovations is to solve problems or to pursue interests through creative expression. Understanding the purpose of a computing innovation provides developers with an improved ability to develop that computing innovation. Additionally, a computing innovation can be physical, non-physical computing software, or non-physical computing concepts. For example, self-driving cars, picture editing software, e-commerce. In this lesson, we're also creating a mobile app, which is certainly an example of a computing innovation. Can you think of other examples of computing innovations? Can you identify the function and purpose of each of those computing innovations?
Computing innovations, such as the I Have a Dream mobile app, are often improved through collaboration. Most computing innovations are developed by groups or teams of developers. Effective collaboration can take many forms. It can range from working with a diverse group of people to create or modify the computing innovation to consulting and communicating with users as part of the development process of the computing innovations (e.g. gathering information from potential users of your app to help understand the program from diverse perspectives). In the end, effective collaboration produces a computing innovation that reflects the diversity of talents and perspectives of those who designed it. Collaboration that includes diverse perspectives is important because it helps avoid bias in the development of computing innovations. One model to help facilitate collaboration is Pair Programming. This course emphasizes collaboration, so there will be plenty of opportunities for pair programming when developing apps in the course.

2.4.3. Summary

In this lesson, you learned how to:

2.4.4. Self-Check

Vocabulary

Here is a table of the technical terms we've introduced in this lesson. Hover over the terms to review the definitions.

computing innovation
program purpose
if/else
UI components
horizontal arrangement

Check Your Understanding

Complete the following self-check exercises.

2.4.5. Sample AP CSP Exam Question

In the sample AP exam below, absent and onTime are variables that can be true or false, just like Player1.IsPlaying could be true or false in the if blocks in the I Have a Dream app. They are both false in this question. This question uses nested if blocks where a second if block is inside the else of the first if block. 

2.4.6. Reflection: For Your Portfolio

Answer the following portfolio reflection questions as directed by your instructor. Questions are also available in this Google Doc where you may use File/Make a Copy to make your own editable copy.

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