9.12. No Texting While Busy Tutorial (Optional)

This lesson explroes the use of the texting component in App Inventor. Specifically, it shows how it can be used to solve a problem — texting while driving — that can cause car accidents.

Professional Development

The Student Lesson: Complete the activities for Mobile CSP Lesson 9.12 No Texting While Busy Tutorial.

Materials

• Computer lab with projection system
• Android devices or emulator
• Solutions to enhancements

9.12.1. Learning Activities

Estimated Length: 90 minutes

• Hook/Motivation (10 minutes): Ask the students: What is SMS? What is the No Texting While Driving campaign? What are the laws in your state about driving and using mobile devices?
  • SMS stands for short message service, also known as texting.
  • Here is a one campaign sponsored by AT&T.
  • Students should understand the social implications that this campaign has had, especially because of the app.
• Experiences and Explorations (30 minutes): Lead the students through the No Texting While Busy tutorial. Allow faster students to follow the tutorial on their own. Have the students complete the enhancements found at the bottom of the tutorial.
• Rethink, Reflect and/or Revise (5 minutes): Review the lesson, including how the Texting component was used. Have the students try to complete the interactive exercises and complete a reflection in their portfolio. Any unfinished work should be assigned as homework.

AP Classroom

The College Board's AP Classroom provides a question bank and Topic Questions. You may create a formative assessment quiz in AP Classroom, assign the quiz (a set of questions), and then review the results in class to identify and address any student misunderstandings.The following are suggested topic questions that you could assign once students have completed this lesson.

Suggested Topic Questions:

Assessment Opportunities

You can examine students’ work on the interactive exercise and their reflection portfolio entries to assess their progress on the following learning objectives. If students are able to do what is listed there, they are ready to move on to the next lesson.

• Interactive Exercises:
• Portfolio Reflections:
  LO X.X.X - Students should be able to ...
• In the XXX App, look for:

Differentiation: More Practice

If students are struggling with lesson concepts, have them review the following resources:

• AI Documentation: Texting component
• AppIventor.org: This chapter includes more information on the tutorial

Differentiation: Enrichment

Have students brainstorm other enhancements they could add to the app. What other features would they like in an app?

Background Knowledge

• This lesson requires setting up Google Voice on your device if the device you are using to test the app does not have a texting service plan. The text version of the student lesson covers this in detail.
• AI2 documentation on the Texting component
• Information from the FCC (Federal Communications Commission) on texting and driving
• Texting While Driving Simulator

9.12.2. Professional Development Reflection

Discuss the following questions with other teachers in your professional development program.

• How is computing used to solve a problem in the No Texting While Driving tutorial?
  [EU 1.2]