February 10, 2016

Free ‘app’ day camp set for middle school-age girls

by Christi Mathis

CARBONDALE, Ill. -- Middle school-age girls can learn how to create their own mobile applications for Android phones during a free camp at Southern Illinois University Carbondale on Feb. 20. 

The “Build Your Own Android App Day Camp” takes place at Morris Library and is designed to help girls get hands-on experience creating and using mobile applications. Participants don’t need to bring an Android phone to camp although they can if they wish to. 

They will study networking, web services, phone sensors, location services, media, speech recognition and animation. They will use App Inventor, an open source visual development tool, to create mobile apps. They will also learn to build layouts and interfaces to interact with users, store information on the phone and on the Web, work with Google Maps, and use phone features including location, accelerometer and orientation sensors. Essentially, they’ll discover information taught within the School of Information Systems and Applied Technology curriculum but the content will be tailored specifically to the age and experience of participants. 

The camp is limited to 25 participants and registration is on a first-come, first-served basis. The deadline is Feb. 15. Register online www.conferenceservices.siu.edu. A $20 deposit is required along with the completed registration form for those chosen as camp participants but the deposit is refunded upon completion of the day camp. 

Check-in for the camp is from 8:30 to 9 a.m. and check-out is 3-3:15 p.m. The day camp concludes with a showcase allowing participants to demonstrate their expertise. Lunch and snacks are provided. All participants must have a medical release form, available at www.conferenceservices.siu.edu, on file prior to the start of the camp. 

Event sponsors include the National Center for Women and Information Technology, Microsoft Research and SIU’s School of Information Systems and Applied Technology in cooperation with SIU’s Conference and Scheduling Services and the university. 

For additional information, call 618/453-5670 or email Nancy Martin at nlmartin@siu.edu