Project Narrative
Acknowledgements
Without the support of Dr. John McMahon, Dean of the Communications & Design
Division at Seattle Central Community College, this project would not be possible. He
provided me a list of contacts, research materials, and his insights in Wireless
communications. My industry-insider-guru, Mike Peck of AT&T Wireless, provided
invaluable guidance and advice for the foundation of the project. I also extend special
thanks to Kathi Buchanan for all kinds of help including editing and suggestions.
Project Overview
Wireless Internet technology is one of today’s most exciting innovations, bringing the
power of communications, the Internet, and the World Wide Web into the hands of users
worldwide. The race to create and implement new wireless technologies is a global
endeavor.
The wireless medium affects all areas of society, from how businesses run and how
employees work, to consumer purchases, advertising opportunities and personal
communications. Every day, technological advances in it provide new hardware, extend
old hardware to new uses, develop new software, and create new communications
protocols.
Thanks to the increased cooperation and coordination among industry leaders and
organizations over last few years, this Wireless Internet consortium has established
standards and technology trends. This made it possible to develop a course that can
remain current for some time.
The course introduces two major standards in Wireless Internet programming. XHTML
Basic markup language is for Wireless Internet content or WAP page development. Java
2 Micro Edition (J2ME) programming language allows Wireless application development.
The course introduces these two programming tools on the foundation of related
technologies, protocols, and concepts.
Project Challenges
Creating a curriculum involving a rapidly evolving technology is both challenging and
rewarding. During the evolution of Wireless Internet, standards have changed and
transmission speeds have increased. For this reason, the course begins with a primer on
network and wireless communication technologies. This puts emphasis on wireless
standards, protocols, devices, markup languages, and enabling technologies.
Building on this foundation, the course develops a holistic view of the wireless industry:
market drivers, major players, predominant technologies, applications, and services. This
includes an evaluation of Wireless solutions, an analysis of factors for implementing a
successful wireless strategy, and a forecast of future challenges and applications.
XHTML for Wireless Internet is the outcome of an adaptation of a Wireless Application
Protocol (WAP) 2.0 standard. It allowed XHTML-based markup languages such as
XHTML Basic to create WAP pages. With XHTML MP, students can develop dynamic
content for Wireless Internet.
Change of Plan
In the project proposal, I stated that the course might include Wireless Markup Language
(WML) as the markup language for developing Wireless Internet contents. However,
XHTML Basic and XHTML MP replaced WML during the course of curriculum
development. Developers had considered WML a transitional tool until the Wireless
protocol adapted a more permanent standard. Leading organizations like W3C and WAP
Forum and industry leaders now embrace XHTML-based markup languages as the
industry standard. In consideration of this development within the industry, the
curriculum adopted XHTML-based markup languages.
Developing Course Content
The main topics of the course are an outcome of research on the current technologies of
the Wireless Internet. I consulted with Mr. Mike Peck and Dr. John McMahon on each
item I included.
Openwave, the de facto Wireless Internet browser, provided major resources for course
development in XHTML Basic and MP. The developer site provides detailed
specifications and powerful tools for Wireless Internet content development.
Java 2 Micro Edition (J2ME), a platform designed for wireless devices, uses the strengths
of the Java programming language (e.g., portability and security) to support mobile
applications. The course provides working examples of these technologies throughout
the text.
The focus of researching and referencing are on the developer Web site of Sun
Microsystems and J2ME. A book titled Core J2ME by John Muchow is a major
reference.
Most lessons have a short introduction and examples. However, lists of learning
materials have hyperlinks to Internet Web sites of industry leaders and organizations.
Due to the rapid development of the technology, the most current and in-depth materials
are found on the Internet.
The entire curriculum has been placed on a Web site. I used Macromedia Dreamweaver
to accomplish this task. Each lesson is hyperlinked to the other for better navigation. In
addition, each lesson is presented in a modular format for greater portability. The course
site can be converted for an online course.
Here is a sample from one of over 30 Web pages:
Trends
There are three main forces behind the Wireless Internet evolution. One is the increasing
speed of Wireless transmission backed by faster networks such as the G3 and Wi-Fi.
Another is the convenience of Wireless technology, such as Bluetooth, that allows
wireless networking. The third is that relatively inexpensive handheld Wireless devices
such as Internet-capable cellular phones and PDAs motivate increasing consumer demand
for additional Wireless Internet contents and applications.
The demand for and use of Wireless Internet are increasing as the technology and
hardware become more affordable. Dr. John McMahon states:
“Profitability, not market share, is driving decisions. Therefore, things that mimic
telephony billing and services are more likely to result in revenue than things that mimic
Internet applications. Otherwise, telecom will have basically capable networks in search
of a profitable business model so they are 'throwing things at the wall to see what sticks.’
Insightful market research seems to be lacking and that is what they need.”
The demand and the capacity are here. We are now looking at the explosion of the
Wireless technology that the industry experts predicted a few years ago.
References
Most research was conducted from resources available on the Internet. Many of the Web
sites of industry leaders and organizations offer extensive developer information, tutorials,
and tools. However, there were few printed publications as well.
Print Publications
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Wireless Internet & Mobile Business - How to Program - by Deitel, Deitel,
Nieto, & Steinbuhler.
Core J2ME by John Muchow
Pocket PC Development in the Enterprise by Christian Forsberg and Andreas
Sjostrom
Wireless Communications – Principles and Practice by Theodore Rappaport
Guide to Wireless Communications by Mark Ciampa
3G Generation magazine
M-Business
Wireless Design and Development
Service Provider Web Sites
 AT&T Wireless / Developer Center / Messenger Center
 Sprint / Developer Center
 T-Mobile / Developer Center
 VerizonWireless
Manufacturer Web Sites
 Ericsson / Developer Center
 Nokia / Developer Center
 Motorola / Developer Center
 Samsung
Browsers
 Openwave / Developer Center / Downloads /
Others
 Microsoft Mobile Developer
Organizations
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WAP Forum  Open Mobile Alliance (OMA)
Global Wireless Educations Consortium (GWEC)
The GSM Association
The Mobile Games Interoperability Forum (MGIF)
The Mobile Wireless Internet Forum (MWIF)
Newsletters
 Nokia
 Sun Microsystems
Tutorial Web Sites
 Mobile Web Glossary
 Tutorial of .Net Mobile by W3Schools
 IT Toolbox Wireless Tutorials
 Auburn University Wireless Program
 Cool WAP Site of the Day
 About.Com
J2ME
 Sun Microsystems
 Sun Developer Center
 Sun J2ME
Benefits of the Course
This course extends existing Web development programs by including wireless Web
development. It offers students an option of specializing in the Wireless Internet
environment.
Since the existing Wireless Communications program emphasizes a network orientation,
this course creates a natural link between the Web development program and the
Wireless Communications program. Based on the intensifying trend of integrating
technologies, the marriage of Web development and Wireless Internet is timely, and an
important step in the evolution of our curriculum.
The main goal of our division is training students for their chosen occupation by
providing them with the skills required to perform their job well. One of the programs
that our division offers is Wireless Communications. The Wireless Internet programming
course provides students with critical skills to offer their prospective employer.
The division also offers a number of microcomputer courses including Internet, HTML,
and graphic applications. For students studying HTML and/or Internet courses, the
Wireless programming is a logical next step to extending their skill set and making them
more competitive in the market. For these reasons, the new course is an excellent
addition to the current curriculum.
Project Sound Bite
I am excited because I have learned a lot about new Wireless technology during the last
year. I am pleased that the project appeared to generate a lot of interest from students. I
believe students and the college district will benefit from this course.
Created by Yun Moh
Seattle Central Community College