Animation and Programming with Alice - Level 1 - Ages 13-18 - FLEX

This class covers the same content as the live format class, but you will access the lessons, complete the assignments, and contribute to classroom discussions on your own schedule during the week.

Students will learn how to create and place characters in a 3D world, and then create digital stories using text-based dialog and animation.  We will be using Alice 3.0, which combines object-based coding with texted-based Java coding in Netbeans.  Alice is a free program made available by Carnegie Mellon and is used widely in elementary through college-age computer, visual arts, and other core classes. Students need to have general computer skills, but no previous animation or coding experience is required.  

Students will be introduced to projects that I will demonstrate step-by-step sharing my screen and students can use the video to follow along on their own computers.  (Teacher will be also be available throughout the week for help and questions on projects outside of class.) 

Lesson 1 will be an introduction to the user interface, how to find, place, and modify objects in Alice.  Lesson 2 will set up a "tea party" scene with props and characters that we will then modify with character movement and text-based dialog.  Lesson 3 will create a space-themed scene and we will animate a space creature walking across the terrain.  Lesson 4 will introduce "Methods" and Lesson 5 will implement "Procedures".  Both of these important programming concepts will teach students how to accomplish tasks more effectively.  In Lesson 6, students will be given guidelines for a digital story that they will create which will incorporate characters, movement, and dialog.  Students will have a lot of freedom in what they choose to do for this final project.  Students will be encouraged to share their projects with their peers.

Parents or students will need to download and install Alice 3.0 on their computer prior to the first week (teacher will be available for any technical support needed!)  Download it from: http://www.alice.org/get-alice/alice-3/.  Alice 3.0 will run on Windows (32- or 64-bit systems), Mac OS, or Linux. You will also need NetBeans and the Alice plug-in for Netbeans or more extended activities, but it is not absolutely necessary for this course.  Detailed instructions on how to install these will be posted as part of the course.

We will also have discussion prompts to discuss animation, elements of good storytelling, and other related content.  Students will be expected to answer the questions, interact with each other, and contribute to the discussion posts each week.