Introduction to Programming With Alice

Summer 2008 Syllabus

Date Morning Afternoon

Monday, July 7 Morning
Introduction to Alice

Review of class expectations

Ergonomics of computer use discussion

Survey: Thoughts and attitudes surrounding computer science

Text: Alice: Chapter 1; Appendix A

Lab: Computer accounts/Alice setup.
Afternoon
Alice concepts
Objects in Alice
What is interactivity?

Text: Alice: Chapter 1

Lab: Work through Appendix A, parts 1 and 2, and assigned problems in Chapter 1.

Homework: Finish reading chapter 1 and appendix A, if you have not already. Read chapter 2, sections 1 and 2.

Tuesday, July 8 Morning
Animation programs: scenarios & storyboards
Creating your own animation (part 1)
Storyboards

Text: Chapter 2, Section 1

Lab: Create your own storyboards.

Afternoon
Creating an animation program
Creating your own animation (part 2)
Initial Scene
Code generation

Text: Chapter 2, Section 2

Lab: Use Alice to animate storyboards created in the morning.

Homework: Read chapter 3, sections 1 and 2.

Wednesday, July 9 Morning
Programming: Putting together the pieces
Built-in functions and expressions
Instructions
Control structures
Functions
Expressions

Text: Chapter 3, Section 1

Lab: Practice using built-in functions and expressions.

Afternoon
Programming: Simple control structures
Conditional execution
If/else
Nested Ifs
Relational operators

Text: Chapter 3, Section 2

Lab: Practice using simple control structures.
Homework: Read Chapter 4, sections 1 and 2.

Thursday, July 10 Morning
Classes, objects, & world-level methods
Creating your own methods

Text: Chapter 4, Section 1

Lab: Practice using methods.
Afternoon
Parameters
Passing parameters to methods
Types

Text: Chapter 4, Section 2

Lab: Practice using parameters. Start on project 1.
Project 1 is assigned
Homework: Read Chapter 4, Section 3. Continue thinking about the story for your first project.

Friday, July 11 Morning
Field Trip to San Diego Supercomputer Center (9:30)
SDSC website

Afternoon
Class-level methods and inheritance
Class-level methods
Creating your own, more powerful classes
Inheritance

Text: Chapter 4, Section 3

Lab: Practice creating your own classes. Present ideas for design of project 1. Designs due for project 1
Homework: Read Chapter 4, Tricks and Techniques. Read Chapter 5, section 1.

Monday, July 14 Morning
Object Visibility
Completion of discussion of class-level methods and parameters
Object visibility using isShowing and Opacity

Text: Tips & Techniques 4

Lab: Work on completing old labs; work on project 1.

Afternoon
Interactive programming
Events and event handlers

Lab: Practice using event handlers. Finish project 1.

Project 2 is assigned
Homework: Read chapter 5, section 2 and Tips and Techniques. Read Chapter 6, section 2. We're skipping Chapter 6, section 1, but you are welcome to read it to review functions (first discussed in chapter 3). Start thinking about your storyboards for project 2.

Tuesday, July 15 Morning
Parameters & event handler methods
More on interactivity
Passing parameters to event-handlers

Text: Chapter 5, Section 2, Tips & Techniques 5

Lab: Practice using mouse event handlers. Finish project 1. Begin storyboard design for project 2.

Afternoon
Execution control with If/Else & boolean functions - Part 2
More with If statements and decisions

Text: Chapter 6, Section 2

Lab: Practice using boolean functions with if/else control.
Project 1 is due

Homework: Read Chapter 6, Tips and Techniques. Read Chapter 7, section 1.

Wednesday, July 16 Morning
Random numbers and random motion

Text: Chapter 6, Tips & Techniques

Lab: Student presentations for project 2 design. Practice using random numbers in a program.
Design for project 2 due
Afternoon
Repetition: definite loops
Introduction to repetition
The counted loop
Nested loops

Text: Chapter 7, section 1

Lab: Practice using loops. Start programming project 2.
Homework: Read Chapter 7, section 2 and Tips and Techniques. Read Chapter 8, section 1.

Thursday, July 17 Morning
While: The indefinite loop
Random Motion

Text: Chapter 7, Section 2, Tips & Techniques 7

Lab: Practice using while loops. Continue work on project 2.
Afternoon
Recursion
Introducing Recursion
Comparisons with While

Text: Chapter 8, Section 1

Lab: Practice using recursion. Continue work on project 2.
Homework: Read Chapter 8, Section 2.

Friday, July 18 Morning
More about recursion
Structural recursion
The Towers of Hanoi

Text: Chapter 8, Section 2

Lab: More practice with recursion. Finish project 2.
Project 3 (competition final project) is assigned
Project 2 due
Afternoon
Field Trip to Natural Selection, Inc.

Homework: Read Chapter 9, sections 1 and 2. Start thinking about design for final project.

Monday, July 21 Morning
Lists
Introduction to lists
Iterating through lists in order
Iterating through lists simultaneously

Text: Chapter 9, Section 1

Lab: Practice using lists. Work on design for final project.

Afternoon
List search
Whack-a-mole example

Text: Chapter 9, Section 2

Lab: Practice using list search. Present design for final project.

Student designs due for final project.
Homework: Read Chapter 10, Section 1.

Tuesday, July 22 Morning
Variables & inheritance - Part 1
Introduction to variables
Revisiting Inheritance

Lab: Work on final project.
Afternoon
Variables & inheritance - Part 2
Continued work with variables

Text: Chapter 10, section 1

Lab: Practice using variables. Continue working on final project.

Homework: Read Chapter 10, section 2.

Wednesday, July 23 Morning
Arrays and array visualization
Introducing arrays
Creation and access

Text: Chapter 10, Section 2

Lab: Practice using arrays. Continue working on final project.
Afternoon
Time to work on final project. Finish previous labs if needed.
Homework: Read Chapter 10, Tips and Techniques.

Thursday, July 24 Morning
Debugging - watch and text output
Allowing variables to be watched
Work on last class's lab

Text: Chapter 10, Tips & Techniques

Lab: Finish final project.
Afternoon
Field Trip (San Diego Supercomputer Center or UCSD research labs)

Friday, July 25 Morning
Put finishing touches on final project and storyboard. Start final project presentations. Afternoon
Finish final project presentations, voting, and awards.
Rehearsal of Closing Day Ceremony.

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Last updated: 5-30-08

Date	Morning	Afternoon
Monday, July 7	Morning Introduction to Alice Review of class expectations Ergonomics of computer use discussion Survey: Thoughts and attitudes surrounding computer science Text: Alice: Chapter 1; Appendix A Lab: Computer accounts/Alice setup.	Afternoon Alice concepts Objects in Alice What is interactivity? Text: Alice: Chapter 1 Lab: Work through Appendix A, parts 1 and 2, and assigned problems in Chapter 1. Homework: Finish reading chapter 1 and appendix A, if you have not already. Read chapter 2, sections 1 and 2.
Tuesday, July 8	Morning Animation programs: scenarios & storyboards Creating your own animation (part 1) Storyboards Text: Chapter 2, Section 1 Lab: Create your own storyboards.	Afternoon Creating an animation program Creating your own animation (part 2) Initial Scene Code generation Text: Chapter 2, Section 2 Lab: Use Alice to animate storyboards created in the morning. Homework: Read chapter 3, sections 1 and 2.
Wednesday, July 9	Morning Programming: Putting together the pieces Built-in functions and expressions Instructions Control structures Functions Expressions Text: Chapter 3, Section 1 Lab: Practice using built-in functions and expressions.	Afternoon Programming: Simple control structures Conditional execution If/else Nested Ifs Relational operators Text: Chapter 3, Section 2 Lab: Practice using simple control structures. Homework: Read Chapter 4, sections 1 and 2.
Thursday, July 10	Morning Classes, objects, & world-level methods Creating your own methods Text: Chapter 4, Section 1 Lab: Practice using methods.	Afternoon Parameters Passing parameters to methods Types Text: Chapter 4, Section 2 Lab: Practice using parameters. Start on project 1. Project 1 is assigned Homework: Read Chapter 4, Section 3. Continue thinking about the story for your first project.
Friday, July 11	Morning Field Trip to San Diego Supercomputer Center (9:30) SDSC website	Afternoon Class-level methods and inheritance Class-level methods Creating your own, more powerful classes Inheritance Text: Chapter 4, Section 3 Lab: Practice creating your own classes. Present ideas for design of project 1. Designs due for project 1 Homework: Read Chapter 4, Tricks and Techniques. Read Chapter 5, section 1.
Monday, July 14	Morning Object Visibility Completion of discussion of class-level methods and parameters Object visibility using isShowing and Opacity Text: Tips & Techniques 4 Lab: Work on completing old labs; work on project 1.	Afternoon Interactive programming Events and event handlers Lab: Practice using event handlers. Finish project 1. Project 2 is assigned Homework: Read chapter 5, section 2 and Tips and Techniques. Read Chapter 6, section 2. We're skipping Chapter 6, section 1, but you are welcome to read it to review functions (first discussed in chapter 3). Start thinking about your storyboards for project 2.
Tuesday, July 15	Morning Parameters & event handler methods More on interactivity Passing parameters to event-handlers Text: Chapter 5, Section 2, Tips & Techniques 5 Lab: Practice using mouse event handlers. Finish project 1. Begin storyboard design for project 2.	Afternoon Execution control with If/Else & boolean functions - Part 2 More with If statements and decisions Text: Chapter 6, Section 2 Lab: Practice using boolean functions with if/else control. Project 1 is due Homework: Read Chapter 6, Tips and Techniques. Read Chapter 7, section 1.
Wednesday, July 16	Morning Random numbers and random motion Text: Chapter 6, Tips & Techniques Lab: Student presentations for project 2 design. Practice using random numbers in a program. Design for project 2 due	Afternoon Repetition: definite loops Introduction to repetition The counted loop Nested loops Text: Chapter 7, section 1 Lab: Practice using loops. Start programming project 2. Homework: Read Chapter 7, section 2 and Tips and Techniques. Read Chapter 8, section 1.
Thursday, July 17	Morning While: The indefinite loop Random Motion Text: Chapter 7, Section 2, Tips & Techniques 7 Lab: Practice using while loops. Continue work on project 2.	Afternoon Recursion Introducing Recursion Comparisons with While Text: Chapter 8, Section 1 Lab: Practice using recursion. Continue work on project 2. Homework: Read Chapter 8, Section 2.
Friday, July 18	Morning More about recursion Structural recursion The Towers of Hanoi Text: Chapter 8, Section 2 Lab: More practice with recursion. Finish project 2. Project 3 (competition final project) is assigned Project 2 due	Afternoon Field Trip to Natural Selection, Inc. Homework: Read Chapter 9, sections 1 and 2. Start thinking about design for final project.
Monday, July 21	Morning Lists Introduction to lists Iterating through lists in order Iterating through lists simultaneously Text: Chapter 9, Section 1 Lab: Practice using lists. Work on design for final project.	Afternoon List search Whack-a-mole example Text: Chapter 9, Section 2 Lab: Practice using list search. Present design for final project. Student designs due for final project. Homework: Read Chapter 10, Section 1.
Tuesday, July 22	Morning Variables & inheritance - Part 1 Introduction to variables Revisiting Inheritance Lab: Work on final project.	Afternoon Variables & inheritance - Part 2 Continued work with variables Text: Chapter 10, section 1 Lab: Practice using variables. Continue working on final project. Homework: Read Chapter 10, section 2.
Wednesday, July 23	Morning Arrays and array visualization Introducing arrays Creation and access Text: Chapter 10, Section 2 Lab: Practice using arrays. Continue working on final project.	Afternoon Time to work on final project. Finish previous labs if needed. Homework: Read Chapter 10, Tips and Techniques.
Thursday, July 24	Morning Debugging - watch and text output Allowing variables to be watched Work on last class's lab Text: Chapter 10, Tips & Techniques Lab: Finish final project.	Afternoon Field Trip (San Diego Supercomputer Center or UCSD research labs)
Friday, July 25	Morning Put finishing touches on final project and storyboard. Start final project presentations.	Afternoon Finish final project presentations, voting, and awards. Rehearsal of Closing Day Ceremony.