Don Slater

Engaging middle school teachers and students with alice in a diverse set of subjects

This paper describes the integration of the Alice 3D virtual worlds environment into a diverse set of subjects in middle school, including the development of tutorials, example worlds and lesson plans. In the summer of 2008 our experiences with middle school teachers included three-weeks of training in Alice and guidance in the development of lesson plans. Our experiences with middle school students involved two one-week summer camps of instruction in Alice. We found both the teachers and the students strongly engaged with Alice. The teachers created lesson plans with Alice worlds to interactively teach a topic and other lesson plans in which students build an Alice world on a particular topic either from scratch or using a template world. The students in the Alice camps had both instruction in Alice and free time to develop Alice worlds of their choice. We found that the students used a large variety of basic Alice concepts and computer science concepts in the worlds they built in their free time.

Mediated transfer: Alice 3 to Java

In this paper, we describe a pedagogy for an undergraduate programming course using Alice 3 and Java. We applied the educational theory of mediated transfer to develop a new version of the Alice system and accompanying instructional materials. The pedagogy was implemented and tested over two years. Student test scores in experimental, treatment course sections showed dramatic improvement over scores in comparable non-treatment sections.

Day one of the objects-first first course: what to do

What should you do on the first day of your objects-first CS1 course? If you have been struggling with beginning an objects first course this special session will give you hints about how to avoid overload and make a smooth and effective start. The presenters are skilled at introducing objects to novices in interesting ways that captures the interest of the students and readies them for programming. These are gentle approaches that present deep ideas to the inexperienced. How can a course be built around objects without information overload? This session will address the opening gambit in this interesting game.

Alice 3.1 (abstract only)

This workshop is designed to offer a hands-on introduction to Alice 3.1 (now out of beta), as used in introductory courses in high school and early college levels. The focus of this workshop is on using program visualization for introducing fundamental concepts of programming. The introductory features of Alice 3.1 will be presented in an active-learning style. Although some comparisons between Alice 2.x and 3.1 will be included, the content of the workshop does not assume familiarity with Alice 2.x. Participants will receive latest 3.1 update and sneak peek at early textbook chapters. Attendees are expected to bring their own standard (no netbooks or tablets, please) laptop with a mouse (2-button).

Alice in the Middle East: An Experience Report from the Formative Phase

In this paper, we describe the initial results of the formative phase of a project that crosses international borders. Alice in the Middle East (Alice ME) is a project designed to adapt the Alice software, develop new curricular materials, and provide professional development for teachers and students in the Middle East. For those who may be considering a collaborative project that would be conducted across international borders, we share lessons learned.

Mapping Alice Curriculum to Standards: A BOF for the Alice Community (Abstract Only)

This session is for anyone currently using Alice 2 and/or Alice 3, or those exploring the possibility of using Alice in their curriculum. The discussion leaders and attendees will share teaching strategies, tips, and techniques with each other and those new to Alice. This is an opportunity to share assignments and pointers to web sites to access instructional materials, such as syllabi, student projects, exams, and other resources. There will be a special emphasis on mapping Alice curriculum and instructional materials to CSTA, CSP, code.org and ACM curriculum standards and guidelines for a wide range of age/grade levels. The team will also share feedback from the Beta users of the new textbook and CS Principles Course.

Transition To Java Using Alice 3 (Abstract Only)

This workshop, designed for pre-AP, Introduction to Programming, Programming for non-majors, and CS1 Java courses, will introduce the tools in Alice 3 that are specifically designed to support a transition to Java and will provide experience with the software, a new textbook, and the available course materials. The workshop offers hands-on experience in programming with Alice 3 and Java, together. Participants will see how to use Alice 3 to build virtual worlds and how to transfer these programs into a Java IDE. The workshop will also explore curricular design and implementation. Alice 3 uses built-in tools including a Java language display that dynamically updates and displays the Java syntax as students build their Alice project, and a plugin for a Java IDE that allows students to start their projects in Alice and then continue their work by writing Java code. These tools allow students to develop animations and simple games using objects in a truly object-oriented style.

Birds of a Feather: Mapping Alice Curriculum to Standards (Abstract Only)

This session is for anyone currently using Alice 2 and / or Alice 3, or those exploring the possibility of using Alice in their curriculum. The session will focus on a mapping of an Alice curriculum and instructional materials to CSTA, code.org and ACM curriculum standards and guidelines for a wide range of age/grade levels. The discussion leaders and attendees will share teaching strategies, tips, and techniques for implementing these standards. This is an opportunity to share assignments and pointers to web sites to access instructional materials, such as syllabi, student projects, exams, and other resources with experienced Alice instructors and those new to Alice. Goals for this session include: Review a course mapping of the Alice curriculum to well-known introductory curricula and pedagogy learning standards. Discuss learning standards and objectives encountered in the use of Alice in different environments and educational contexts. Allow educators using Alice to share exemplary assignments and teaching strategies. Provide an opportunity for those thinking about using Alice to ask questions as they determine how it may be most useful in their particular situation. Foster the development of community by allowing Alice teachers to connect and become resources for each other throughout the year. Allow educators to interact with Alice team members to learn more about the latest features of Alice 3 and Alice 2.

Tutorial: Concurrency with Alice 3 and Java

In this special session, attendees will learn about techniques for teaching concepts of concurrency with Alice 3s latest release of a Java IDE plugin. The new plugin makes use of Java 8s lambda expression to provide a Do together control structure with simpler syntax. Using this technique and Java 8 plugin, students in early-level programming courses can make use of Alices Do together control structure to create concurrent threads in their Java code.

Tutorial: team projects with Alice 3

In this special session, attendees learn about techniques of teaching with team projects with Alice 3s new Save Type, Import Type, and Merge capabilities. Using this technique, students in introductory level programming courses can participate in team projects where students work as a team in various stages of design, development, and testing. As part of this process students may work independently to code one or more classes and then merge their work with that of other members of the team to create the final project.