Newspapers / Elon University Student Newspaper / April 21, 2010, edition 1 / Page 16
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PAGE 16 // WEDNESDAY, APRIL 21. 2010 STYLE the pendulum Phone Applications: Made by students Computing class programs applications for new technology Maiiena Chertock Design Intern Don’t forget lunch at noon. At 1 p.m. there's a meeting with your adviser and at 3 p.m. a snack with your rugby team. Is your agenda overfilled and are you over stretched? Soon, there may be an app for that. iTouch, iPhone, iPad and Android applications offer ease of accessibility and information in a portable device. Students in Elon University’s mobile computing class are creating new apps for group projects. Senior James Albinson’s app will allow users to organize events. He said it is an extension of Facebook events. “Meets Is going to be an app which allows you to set a meeting place and time,” Albinson said. “Hit(ting) a button can give the Google Maps location. You can invite other users to meetings." Brainstorming creative ideas can be the hardest part, computing science professor Joel Hollingsworth said. Albinson said he gets his ideas from two main areas. “Kind of a mix of what you think people would need and trying to incorporate all the new technologies that are coming out,” he said. “Something that's user-friendly as well as something that’s useful or fun." Students learn Java language for the Android instead of the Mac language. “We use Java here because it’s an introductory base language,” Hollingsworth said. “As you move through computer science you use other languages. (Java) is a fairly nice language to work with.” Albinson said the Android format offers a template. “They give you a lot of widgets, which you can modify yourself or you can create your own widget entirely," Albinson said. “You're allowed to take what they’ve already made and extend it." Both Apple and Google offer developing kits for creating apps, according to Hollingsworth. Google provides developer kits for the Android. The marketplace for apps is different for each operating system. “For Apple you actually have to go through their approval process,” Albinson said. “They don't like anything that's vulgar. It’s kind of annoying to a lot of developers because they don’t want to be censored. It filters apps out but stifles creativity.” But Apple has an edge because it has the marketing down to a science, Albinson said. most popular FRtt iBone apps Q0 Hi S® B ® , r sr'SJB Khidle fm* iPhme leased enabling the iPhone users to download and Kl^KaU..cks™nnin9,»alkmgandbik^ camera. SRyPS skvoe for the iPhone works just like regular Source: http://lifehacker.com/5432314/most-popular-free-iphone-apps-and-posts-of-2009 Imaqe courtesy of MO Campus Hollingsworth said for the Android market you have to pay $25 to become a developer and then you can upload apps. If they fit with what Google wants to do, it will put them in the marketplace, he said. Albinson said this lets through a lot of apps that do not work, since it is easier to put them up. Albinson said the Android market is useful for new developers. “It's about getting your name out there early on,” he said. Apps have become extremely popular, especially among the college crowd. Many students have IPhones, Androids or other smartphones. New technology and portability are reasons Albinson cites for the popularity of apps. “It’s nice to have everything you need right in your pocket,” he said. Hollingsworth echoes these reasons. He said the expense is not high, with most apps costing $1.99 and some being free. “I think people do buy off a whim," Hollingsworth SARAH BETH COSTELLO | GRAPHICS EDITOR said. “Impulse buying." Hollingsworth said there is a possibility for students to put their apps on the market. But for now students create apps and then use them on their own phones. He said if students can show the apps they made on their phones during a job interview, that will make them stand out. “(Students can) pull (their) phone out and say, 'Here, I wrote this,’” he said. “We’re starting to get employers who are interested in mobile (programming).” Lack of time and resources keep students from entering their apps in the market, according to Hollingsworth. Professional projects have multiple developers and artists working together. “If they were able to get a fully-functional program and have time, which they probably won't this semester, and make sure everything works perfectly and looks pretty, they can put it on the Android market,” he said. "You can write the best program and if it looks horrible, nobody’s going to buy it.” Elon strives above economy's influence on graduate school Is#-- Jasmine Gregoty Reporter Nationwide, seniors graduating college are deciding what to do after they cross the stage and receive their diploma. Although this time is exciting for some, it proves to be stressful for others who are faced with whether they can attend graduate school. A majority of surveyed Elon University’s students looking to pursue a graduate degree directly after completing their undergraduate degree are in a position to do so. With the economy in a fragile, restructuring state, many seniors have found themselves unable to immediately pursue their graduate educations. At Elon, both students and graduate admissions have been fortunate enough to stay on the up side of things. Senior Caroline Denning is planning to attend law school directly after graduation. After strategically completing her undergraduate education in three years, it is to her benefit to continue her plans to attend law school. “With the economy being in the condition it is currently, it is more economical to stay in school, especially since my loan payments will kick in six months after I graduate,” she said. Elon’s graduate programs have more than 600 students and are fully prepared for its next wave. Fortunately, Elon's graduate school haven’t seen many changes in their numbers given the state of the economy. With five programs. Art Fadde, director of Graduate Admissions described Elon’s full-time programs as in the best shape, with the others holding relatively steady. Two other programs, the Masters in Business Administration and the Masters in Education program, have faced challenges caused by the economy. “We’re certainly weathering the storm,” Fadde said. “Elon has a really good brand and although we tend to be a little more higher priced than state schools, medium enrollment goals can still be met.” Incentives to receive a M.Ed. degree are disappearing because school districts are imposing budget cuts and removing incentives for teachers to seek advanced degrees. Previously, teachers with a M.Ed. could receive up to a 10 percent pay increase simply for holding the degree. Elon is also about to graduate its first class receiving a master’s in Interactive Media. This program began last year, and it has provided students the chance to broaden their skill set for maximized success in the mass media. “Graduate school in general is so viable because we don’t know what the hot jobs are going to be in 10 years,” Fadde added. “Interactive media could be an undergraduate degree in no time and then it’ll be whatever’s next in about in five or 10 years’ time.” Senior Rich Ryan, a political science major planning to attend graduate school in New York for broadcasting, thinks most students leaving Elon are already prepared for a career. “Elon graduates can grow very strong skill sets in just four years, and many are ready to work immediately," he said. “I think I need more training in TV/radlo before I enter the workforce. Thankfully, I’m very blessed and my family is financially sound.” Fadde isn’t worried about the future of Elon’s graduate studies, as graduate degrees will continue to hold significance in society as stepping stones Into the modern workforce. “There’s only so much you can fit into the undergraduate experience," he said. “You may only get a touchstone experience, unlike what a master’s program can provide.” Duke Continuing Studies UNIVERSITY Paralegal Program Summer Intensive • Earn a certificate In only 6 weeks Begins May 24*^ • Skill-based training Associate's or bachelor's • Daytime classes degree required • NC State Bar Qualified • Instructors are licensed attorneys FREE INFORMATION SESSION; • Excellent prep for law school May 6 @6:30 PM Durham, NC For more iriformafion or to register: www.learnmore.duke.edu/paralegal 866.EDU.DUKE 919.684 6259 LIVING IN NEW YORK CITY IS EASY HEHS ' OUHLITt Jtuotllt llmto Just go to www.studenthousing ,org. 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April 21, 2010, edition 1
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