Getting ready for a unit in Alice 2.2 : week 1/event-processing in Alice 2.2: pre-conference workshop/tutorial presentation
Eileen M. Peluso · Journal of computing sciences in colleges · 2011
Carnegie Mellon's Alice is a freely downloadable teaching tool that uses 3D graphics to create a fun and engaging first programming experience. Incorporating a unit using Alice in an applications, graphical art, or web design course will introduce students to fundamental programming concepts and hopefully interest a diverse group of students in taking additional coursework in computing. Participants in this hands-on workshop/tutorial sequence who have no Alice experience will learn the Alice 2.2 environment, and all participants will leave with materials for a 2-week instructional unit in Alice 2.2. As participants work through the unit materials, pedagogical considerations will be presented and discussed. The primary audience for the workshop and tutorial sequence is middle school and high school technology teachers and college professors interested in using Alice in a course for non-majors. With that said, anyone simply wanting to learn Alice will enjoy the workshop and tutorial. No previous experience with Alice is needed; however, participants with knowledge of Alice will find value in the unit materials and other pedagogical aspects of the workshop. The workshop stands on its own; tutorial participants should either attend the workshop or have some familiarity with Alice. Each participant will receive a hard copy and the link to a soft copy of lesson plans, handouts, and rubrics for four structured activities and a lesson plan and rubric for a fifth, open-ended activity, all using Alice. Additionally, one general information handout and two tips-and-tricks handouts will be included. The soft copy will also include completed activities and additional sample Alice worlds/programs.