1. Nifty Alice Teaching Ideas Joyce Tang Thomas Russell Middle School Milpitas, California

2. Classroom Setting Hands-off! Watch where the mouse is going, and what it is doing! All minds engaged! Don’t take note, just watch!

3. 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

4. Analogy to a Book http://frtim.files.wordpress.com/2008/07/open_book.jpg http://blumamasart.files.wordpress.com/2009/01/mousebookmark1.jpghttp://www.bennettprops.com/_imgprod/buchtest.png

5. Idea 1: “Bookmarks” 1 bookmark only...

6. 4 “bookmarks”!

7. Idea 2: Methods = Chapters Only 1 original method!

8. New methods created!

9. Idea 3: “Table of Content”

10. 2 lines of code! 4 new methods created! Calling new methods!

11. California 8 th Grade Science Physics – Newton’s Laws – Forces and Motion Chemistry Astronomy http://uacoe.arizona.edu/wren/images/ca_state.jpg

12. Rube Goldberg Machine http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YWk9N92-wvg

13. 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

14. 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”?

15. Sample Student World

17. 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