Nifty Alice Teaching Ideas Joyce Tang Thomas Russell Middle School Milpitas, California
Classroom Setting Hands-off! Watch where the mouse is going, and what it is doing! All minds engaged! Don’t take note, just watch!
Techniques Teaching Sequence (10min each day!) Day 1 1.add/remove/resize objects 2.Coding animation on “yellow screen” Do together, loop Day 2 1.opacity, set-vehicle 2.“right click” 3.importing sound Day 3 1.Dummy cameras, 2.events 3.(the need to) write new methods
Analogy to a Book
Idea 1: “Bookmarks” 1 bookmark only...
4 “bookmarks”!
Idea 2: Methods = Chapters Only 1 original method!
New methods created!
Idea 3: “Table of Content”
2 lines of code! 4 new methods created! Calling new methods!
California 8 th Grade Science Physics – Newton’s Laws – Forces and Motion Chemistry Astronomy
Rube Goldberg Machine
Virtual Rube Goldberg Machines: Strengths 1.Every conceivable idea is doable and possible 2.Zero cost, zero waste! 3.Overcoming space constraints 4.Trial and error and debugging— a great problem solving skill
Virtual Rube Goldberg Machines: Limitations 1.Ideas revolved around Alice objects only 2. Demonstrate lack of real physical understanding of matter and motion. 3.Hands-on vs. virtual experience, which one is more “real”?
Sample Student World
Thoughts From Students "I don't find ALICE that educational for students, but it is entertaining“ At the end of the 1 st hour "I made an airport runway into a model runway!“ At the end of the 1 st hour "I am really beginning to understand how to use this program now. I am able to make things work at the click of a mouse. It is incredibly rewarding!” At the end of the 5 th hour "Today I was very successful! I finally got the camera to move! My project is turning out pretty good!” at the end of the 6 th hour " [Alice] is hard though to get it exactly how you want it to be. It's very stressing.” at the end of the 6 th hour "I got to design my program how I wanted. I got all the codes broken down. Everything seems easier.“ at the end of the 3 rd hour