Alka Harriger

Could Alice equalize student learning

During the 2008-09 school year, a group of secondary school teachers in a variety of subject areas implemented classroom lessons that employed the 3D storyboarding tool, Alice. [2] Based on feedback from multiple teachers in different subject areas, implementing Alice-based lessons appears to have a positive impact on student performance across all student abilities. This paper will share the results that support this possible effect and offer additional explanations for improved student performance.

Identifying the impact of the SPIRIT program in student knowledge, attitudes, and perceptions toward computing careers

Declining interest in computing programs nationwide presents a threat to Americas security and limits potential for innovation across all domains. One way to address this problem is to remove misconceptions held by the nations youth about computing, including information about how it positively impacts many subjects and showing them that applying computing can be fun and rewarding. One program at a Midwestern university accomplished this goal through a week-long, residential, summer camp for high school students to educate them about career opportunities and possibilities for people with Information Technology skills. Participants completed a variety of hands-on activities daily, along with listening to work experiences of computing professionals. Feedback collected from the student participants showed that in addition t o raising awareness about computing opportunities, the program increased youth interest in IT, prompted many to enroll in computing/engineering courses, and improved their performance in school. This paper shares details about the program and participant feedback to make a case for offering similar programs to correct the knowledge people have about computing.

How Alice game templates support student learning

The use of review is a recommended method for reinforcing student understanding of new knowledge. Regular review and reinforcement help solidify these skills, so students can quickly draw on them during tests. And yet, is there any classroom activity quite as tedious and boring, for teacher and student alike, as review and reinforcement? Fortunately, review and reinforcement need not be as tedious as they sound. This paper will share one how Alice game templates maybe used by classroom teachers from all content areas to add some excitement to those dreaded classroom reviews.

Obstacles to Alice adoption in the high school classroom

Surprising Possibilities Imagined and Realized through Information Technology (SPIRIT) is a three-year project, funded by the National Science Foundation. [4] It includes summer professional development programs for high school teachers to learn how to integrate Alice into their classes. This paper describes our experiences with Alice adoption in various school systems that were involved in the 2008 SPIRIT program at Purdue University. For many, this was the school systems first exposure to Alice, and there were many obstacles to be overcome so that the teachers could use Alice effectively for instruction in their classrooms. We identify the most challenging obstacles and provide suggestions for removing or minimizing their impact.