Tutorial: CS Introduction using Alice--CCSC:SW 2010

Introduction to Computer Science Using Alice 2.0

Erik W. Amerikaner
Computer Science Teacher
Oak Park High School
eamerikaner@oakparkusd.org
http://erikamerikaner.com
Abstract
This tutorial will introduce Alice 2.0, an interactive programming course developed at Carnegie Mellon University. This program is an ideal introductory high school or college one-semester Computer Science course. This program is especially useful for recruiting female students into the work of Computer Science. Alice is an innovative 3D programming environment that makes it easy to create an animation for telling a story, playing an interactive game, or a video to share on the web. Alice is a freely available teaching tool designed to be a student's first exposure to object-oriented programming. In Alice's interactive interface, students drag and drop graphic tiles to create a program, where the instructions correspond to standard statements in a production oriented programming language, such as Java. By manipulating the objects in their virtual world, students gain experience with all the programming constructs typically taught in an introductory programming course. Attendees will gain knowledge on how to incorporate Alice 2.0 into their introductory curriculum.
updated 2010 February 7 Email webmaster