Learning to Use Alice

 

                                          One Teacher's Journey through the Looking Glass of Student Programming

 

 Sample animation

 

 

Proposed Student Curriculum for a one week summer camp

 

Topics

 

1. What do I want to happen in my story or video game?
    Storyboarding and Sequencing

 

2  What type of people and things do I want in my story? Where should they be?
    Setting the Scene (Arranging animated characters/objects)

 

3. How do I want my characters to look? What would I like my characters to do?

    Properties versus Methods

 

 

4. How do I make my characters do things like move, turn and roll?
    Using methods

 

 

5. How do I move the cameras?

    Camera control, setting dummies, setting point of view

 

 

6. How do I make my characters do really neat things?

    Making your own methods, calling or testing methods

 

 

7. Making Video Game- Learning about the Tools
    Functions, Events, Parameters, control events structures

 

8. How do I add music or make my characters talk?

     Audacity

 

 

9. How do I share my animated movies and video games?

    file management and web applications

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

To view the NCAECT 2008 presentation click the hyperlink below:

Alice- The Free, Fun, and Easy Way to Introduce Students to Programming

Alice is a FREE animation/programming software program donated by Carnegie Mellon University. It encourages students especially girls and minorities to learn programming in a fun way. They create animation and/or video games as they learn concepts. Studies show students using Alice continue and succeed in future programming classes. http://www.alice.org
Elaine Witkowski, Archdale-Trinity Middle School
Jill Nelson, Randleman Middle School
Target Audience: Middle, High

 

 

 

To contact Miss Witkowski send her an email at ewitkowski@randolph.k12.nc.us