From djslater107 at mac.com Mon Mar 1 13:00:11 2021 From: djslater107 at mac.com (Donald Slater) Date: Mon, 1 Mar 2021 13:00:11 -0500 Subject: alice-teacher Looking To Restrict Character Within Coordinate Boundaries in Alice 3 In-Reply-To: References: Message-ID: Alice does not provide explicit access to the virtual world?s underlying coordinate system anywhere but in Scene Setup. That being said, by setting an object as a reference point somewhere in your scene and using the distanceTo function of an object you will be able to make sure the object stays within your predetermined boundaries (radius from threference. I have attached a world, ReferencePoint as demonstration. The program uses a Disc shape as the reference point. It moves and orients the disc to the ground (0,0,0) in the underlying coordinate system, and then sets its opacity to 0.0. (I would normally set this in the Scene Setup). The alien checks its distance from the disc and reports what it has found out. Then the alien moves to the disc, then moves away from the disc until it is more than 5>0 meters away, turns around and comes back. Also demonstrated in this world is the exitViewListener event (click on the initializeEvents tab) which will trigger a response whenever an object or objects exits the camera view. Of course this will not work if the object is moving away from the camera and stays within frame, but it is handy for keeping objects from moving off the left and right edges of the screen. Please let us know if you have any other questions. All the best, Don Slater Alice Project > On Feb 28, 2021, at 11:06 PM, Barnum, William via alice-teachers wrote: > > Hey everyone, > > I'm looking to restrict a character to within some coordinate boundaries within an Alice 3 program. > > Since there isn't a way to pull coordinate data from an object while running the program, I'm trying to find a workaround, but everything I've come up with feels like a kludge. > > Does anyone have any reasonably elegant way to do this? > > Thanks, > Bill > _______________________________________________ > alice-teachers mailing list > alice-teachers at lists.andrew.cmu.edu > To change settings or unsubscribe visit: > https://lists.andrew.cmu.edu/mailman/listinfo/alice-teachers -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: -------------- next part -------------- A non-text attachment was scrubbed... Name: ReferencePoint.a3p Type: application/octet-stream Size: 236118 bytes Desc: not available URL: -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From vanderhyde at sxu.edu Mon Mar 1 12:49:16 2021 From: vanderhyde at sxu.edu (Vanderhyde, James) Date: Mon, 1 Mar 2021 17:49:16 +0000 Subject: alice-teacher Looking To Restrict Character Within Coordinate Boundaries in Alice 3 In-Reply-To: References: Message-ID: Bill, How I like to do this is to put up an object (made transparent if you want) that works like a fence. You need one for each side of the region you?re trying to contain. So for a rectangle, you need four fences. Make sure they are all facing outward from the region. Then, whenever you were going to move the object, use an if block to make sure it is ?behind? the fence, using the isBehind built-in function. Only move the object if it is behind the fence. James ? James Vanderhyde Associate Professor and Department Chair Computer Science Saint Xavier University 3700 W. 103rd St. Chicago, IL 60655 773-298-3454 On Feb 28, 2021, at 10:06 PM, Barnum, William via alice-teachers > wrote: Hey everyone, I'm looking to restrict a character to within some coordinate boundaries within an Alice 3 program. Since there isn't a way to pull coordinate data from an object while running the program, I'm trying to find a workaround, but everything I've come up with feels like a kludge. Does anyone have any reasonably elegant way to do this? Thanks, Bill _______________________________________________ alice-teachers mailing list alice-teachers at lists.andrew.cmu.edu To change settings or unsubscribe visit: https://lists.andrew.cmu.edu/mailman/listinfo/alice-teachers -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From wbarnum at elmhurst205.org Tue Mar 9 22:19:13 2021 From: wbarnum at elmhurst205.org (Barnum, William) Date: Tue, 9 Mar 2021 21:19:13 -0600 Subject: alice-teacher Looking For Feedback on Alice VR Video Message-ID: Hey all, I've been working on a video to demonstrate the Alice VR player. I've got a draft and I'd love to hear feedback. I realize that the audio cuts out briefly which I can fix. The webcam footage is not great and that's probably something I can't completely fix even if I reshoot it. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mwnJXW9Hc7Q Thanks, Bill Barnum -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From cbovell at nburlington.com Wed Mar 10 08:44:30 2021 From: cbovell at nburlington.com (Carlos Bovell) Date: Wed, 10 Mar 2021 13:44:30 +0000 Subject: alice-teacher Help! Alice being replaced by Python in my intro classes Message-ID: Hi, Somebody has convinced my administrator that we should really be using Python in our intro courses. I could use some reasons why Alice makes a great alternative. Any and all arguments would be welcome! Carlos Bovell -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From pappafotopoulosd at doversherborn.org Wed Mar 10 08:58:24 2021 From: pappafotopoulosd at doversherborn.org (Pappafotopoulos, Dianne) Date: Wed, 10 Mar 2021 08:58:24 -0500 Subject: alice-teacher Looking For Feedback on Alice VR Video In-Reply-To: References: Message-ID: This looks great! Is there any curriculum or additional info out there for teaching Alice with VR and costs associated with the headsets, etc.? Dianne M. Pappafotopoulos Instructional Technology Specialist/Teacher Dover Sherborn Public Schools,157 Farm Street, Dover, MA 02030 phone: 508.785.1730 x7217 - email: pappafotopoulosd at doversherborn.org school website: www.doversherborn.org tech website: integration guide blog: beyond the limits twitter:@dpappa127 On Wed, Mar 10, 2021 at 8:33 AM Barnum, William via alice-teachers < alice-teachers at lists.andrew.cmu.edu> wrote: > Hey all, > > I've been working on a video to demonstrate the Alice VR player. > > I've got a draft and I'd love to hear feedback. I realize that the audio > cuts out briefly which I can fix. The webcam footage is not great and > that's probably something I can't completely fix even if I reshoot it. > > https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mwnJXW9Hc7Q > > Thanks, > Bill Barnum > _______________________________________________ > alice-teachers mailing list > alice-teachers at lists.andrew.cmu.edu > To change settings or unsubscribe visit: > https://lists.andrew.cmu.edu/mailman/listinfo/alice-teachers -- CONFIDENTIALITY NOTICE: This electronic transmission is for the intended recipient only and may contain information that is privileged, confidential, or otherwise protected from disclosure. Any review, dissemination, or use of this transmission or any of its contents by persons other than the intended recipient is strictly prohibited. If you receive this transmission in error, please notify the sender immediately upon receipt and delete or destroy the communication and its attachments. Thank you for your cooperation. NON-DISCRIMINATION STATEMENT:?The Public Schools of Dover and Sherborn do not discriminate on the basis of age, race, color, sex, gender identity, religion, national origin, sexual orientation, disability, or homelessness. -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From kellyt at bishopireton.org Wed Mar 10 10:40:22 2021 From: kellyt at bishopireton.org (Kelly, Terri) Date: Wed, 10 Mar 2021 10:40:22 -0500 Subject: alice-teacher Help! Alice being replaced by Python in my intro classes In-Reply-To: References: Message-ID: Alice translates 1:1 to Java, which is what is used on the AP CS A exam. Alice attracts all students, especially those that are normally less represented An introductory class in Alice can easily get to not only variables, conditionals, loops, and methods (functions and procedures) but also arrays and event listeners. Not to mention, you can bring the Alice into Java with the NetBeans IDE and students can work in Java (if they are just looking for a text-based language) Students who learn Alice have a strong basis of understanding inheritance, classes, and objects. An introductory course in python does not do this. It is not that it is not possible, but an introductory class does not get there. Students who learn python first know a text-based language, but they do not have this basis of understanding. I can talk to my AP Students and say, "remember when we instantiated gophers and they had all of the properties/methods that a quadruped had" and my students have a visual representation already in their repertoire. With python, I am basically starting over again. Terri Kelly Bishop Ireton High School On Wed, Mar 10, 2021 at 10:08 AM Carlos Bovell wrote: > Hi, > > Somebody has convinced my administrator that we should really be using > Python in our intro courses. I could use some reasons why Alice makes a > great alternative. Any and all arguments would be welcome! > > Carlos Bovell > _______________________________________________ > alice-teachers mailing list > alice-teachers at lists.andrew.cmu.edu > To change settings or unsubscribe visit: > https://lists.andrew.cmu.edu/mailman/listinfo/alice-teachers -- *The information contained in this communication is confidential and may be legally privileged. It is intended solely for use by the intended recipient and others authorized to receive it. If you have received this communication in error, you are hereby notified that any disclosure, copying, distribution or taking action in reliance of the contents of this information is strictly prohibited and may be unlawful.* -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From litomd at gmail.com Wed Mar 10 10:46:06 2021 From: litomd at gmail.com (Leonel Morales) Date: Wed, 10 Mar 2021 09:46:06 -0600 Subject: alice-teacher Help! Alice being replaced by Python in my intro classes In-Reply-To: References: Message-ID: Hi, I think arguments could vary according to whom you are going to be teaching to (primary school, middle, high, college, independent learners, youngsters, elders or others). My favorite argument is this: Alice provides a learning context in which programming is coupled with computer animation and hence, provides an attractive production environment with a subject most students are familiar with: animation. Nowadays, students see animations everywhere: in movies, web pages, apps, advertisements, social media, video games. They may want to create animations even if it is only to post in Facebook. Then, if you are going to teach programming (or computational thinking) to students in an introductory course, it is better to use a language that resonates with what they are used to see. Also, when the burden of syntax is removed, as in Alice, students can concentrate in algorithms, strategy, exploring, understanding and creating rather than choosing the right command or finding the best library to import. Best of luck with your case! Leonel P.S.: If they ever need to learn Python there are thousands of resources everywhere for it. 2021-03-10 7:44 GMT-06:00, Carlos Bovell : > Hi, > > Somebody has convinced my administrator that we should really be using > Python in our intro courses. I could use some reasons why Alice makes a > great alternative. Any and all arguments would be welcome! > > Carlos Bovell > From gflint at mcsmt.org Wed Mar 10 11:30:52 2021 From: gflint at mcsmt.org (Garth Flint) Date: Wed, 10 Mar 2021 09:30:52 -0700 Subject: alice-teacher Help! Alice being replaced by Python in my intro classes In-Reply-To: References: Message-ID: Grade level? For 11-12 I would have to go with Python if the kids are going on to college but by then the kids should have had at least a low level programming course. Grades 7-10 is where an intro course with Alice, Scratch, Small Basic, etc should live. Diving into Python with no previous programming is possible, I have a student doing it right now, but it is not for the faint of heart. Python is also a bit low on the fun factor while Alice is high on the fun factor. Alice will attract more students and fill classes better than a Python course. If the kids are going to take only one programming course then Alice is better. They will come away understanding the concept behind programming and CS and they will also have a better attitude towards the science. Python is college prep for those going into sciences, math and CS. Garth Flint Technology Coordinator Missoula Catholic Schools (406)-531-7497 On Wed, Mar 10, 2021 at 8:07 AM Carlos Bovell wrote: > Hi, > > Somebody has convinced my administrator that we should really be using > Python in our intro courses. I could use some reasons why Alice makes a > great alternative. Any and all arguments would be welcome! > > Carlos Bovell > _______________________________________________ > alice-teachers mailing list > alice-teachers at lists.andrew.cmu.edu > To change settings or unsubscribe visit: > https://lists.andrew.cmu.edu/mailman/listinfo/alice-teachers -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From vanderhyde at sxu.edu Wed Mar 10 11:35:39 2021 From: vanderhyde at sxu.edu (Vanderhyde, James) Date: Wed, 10 Mar 2021 16:35:39 +0000 Subject: alice-teacher Help! Alice being replaced by Python in my intro classes In-Reply-To: References: Message-ID: <1B69FA1D-2209-4228-B124-D2D67C77547A@sxu.edu> The only good reason I know of to use Python is that people use it in industry to solve real problems. This is a compelling argument. I teach Alice to students who are going to learn either Python or Java in a later class anyway, so it is easy in my setting to bypass the argument by saying Alice is practice with programming concepts in a fun and easy-to-use environment. They can apply the concepts they learn to a typing-based language later. (Transfer is not automatic, though. You have to draw attention to it.) You might suggest that students are not going to learn Python well enough in only one class to use it for real-world problems, but I?m not sure this is always true. It depends on the course and the teacher. I think the class would have to be focused on something like data science, or scientific modeling, or financial modeling, in order to be applicable after only one class. I don?t have evidence, but it?s an argument. James ? James Vanderhyde Associate Professor and Department Chair Computer Science Saint Xavier University 3700 W. 103rd St. Chicago, IL 60655 773-298-3454 On Mar 10, 2021, at 7:44 AM, Carlos Bovell > wrote: Hi, Somebody has convinced my administrator that we should really be using Python in our intro courses. I could use some reasons why Alice makes a great alternative. Any and all arguments would be welcome! Carlos Bovell _______________________________________________ alice-teachers mailing list alice-teachers at lists.andrew.cmu.edu To change settings or unsubscribe visit: https://lists.andrew.cmu.edu/mailman/listinfo/alice-teachers -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From wbarnum at elmhurst205.org Wed Mar 10 12:40:13 2021 From: wbarnum at elmhurst205.org (Barnum, William) Date: Wed, 10 Mar 2021 11:40:13 -0600 Subject: alice-teacher Help! Alice being replaced by Python in my intro classes In-Reply-To: References: Message-ID: Carlos, I'm actually much better at argument than programming, so this is my kind of question. ? My guess is your administrator, like most administrators probably doesn't know much about programming.Probably someone convinced him/her that Python is more "real-world." I would encourage you to ask probing questions to understand his/her thought process and engage him/her in a problem-solving exercise. 1. Why Python as opposed to many other languages? What other languages should we consider, and how should we evaluate them? 2. In our introductory class, do you think the language-specific syntax is more important, or would you like us to focus on underlying programming concepts? 3. How important is student engagement in the introductory course? 4. How important are accessibility of curriculum and student diversity in the introductory course? 5. What disadvantages might there be in switching to a Python curriculum for Intro? 6. Are there other places in our course progression where Python might fit fell? I'd recommend doing mainly listening during the first meeting and schedule a follow-up appointment after you've learned his/her preferences and had a chance to do some research. If you'd like to talk off-list, feel free to send me an e-mail. Bill Barnum Computer Science Teacher York Community High School On Wed, Mar 10, 2021 at 9:07 AM Carlos Bovell wrote: > Hi, > > Somebody has convinced my administrator that we should really be using > Python in our intro courses. I could use some reasons why Alice makes a > great alternative. Any and all arguments would be welcome! > > Carlos Bovell > _______________________________________________ > alice-teachers mailing list > alice-teachers at lists.andrew.cmu.edu > To change settings or unsubscribe visit: > https://lists.andrew.cmu.edu/mailman/listinfo/alice-teachers -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From gflint at mcsmt.org Wed Mar 10 13:35:17 2021 From: gflint at mcsmt.org (Garth Flint) Date: Wed, 10 Mar 2021 11:35:17 -0700 Subject: alice-teacher Help! Alice being replaced by Python in my intro classes In-Reply-To: References: Message-ID: What he said. The only reason I do python is it is the intro language for my state universities. There are several other good "advanced " languages. I teach Python and Unity (C#) because the kids get dual credit and the languages are commonly used. Garth Flint On Wed, Mar 10, 2021, 10:57 Barnum, William via alice-teachers < alice-teachers at lists.andrew.cmu.edu> wrote: > Carlos, > > I'm actually much better at argument than programming, so this is my kind > of question. ? > > My guess is your administrator, like most administrators probably doesn't > know much about programming.Probably someone convinced him/her that Python > is more "real-world." > > I would encourage you to ask probing questions to understand his/her > thought process and engage him/her in a problem-solving exercise. > > 1. Why Python as opposed to many other languages? What other languages > should we consider, and how should we evaluate them? > 2. In our introductory class, do you think the language-specific syntax is > more important, or would you like us to focus on underlying programming > concepts? > 3. How important is student engagement in the introductory course? > 4. How important are accessibility of curriculum and student diversity in > the introductory course? > 5. What disadvantages might there be in switching to a Python curriculum > for Intro? > 6. Are there other places in our course progression where Python might fit > fell? > > I'd recommend doing mainly listening during the first meeting and > schedule a follow-up appointment after you've learned his/her preferences > and had a chance to do some research. > > If you'd like to talk off-list, feel free to send me an e-mail. > > Bill Barnum > Computer Science Teacher > York Community High School > > On Wed, Mar 10, 2021 at 9:07 AM Carlos Bovell > wrote: > >> Hi, >> >> Somebody has convinced my administrator that we should really be using >> Python in our intro courses. I could use some reasons why Alice makes a >> great alternative. Any and all arguments would be welcome! >> >> Carlos Bovell >> _______________________________________________ >> alice-teachers mailing list >> alice-teachers at lists.andrew.cmu.edu >> To change settings or unsubscribe visit: >> https://lists.andrew.cmu.edu/mailman/listinfo/alice-teachers > > _______________________________________________ > alice-teachers mailing list > alice-teachers at lists.andrew.cmu.edu > To change settings or unsubscribe visit: > https://lists.andrew.cmu.edu/mailman/listinfo/alice-teachers -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From szathmar.bucks.edu at gmail.com Wed Mar 10 13:55:33 2021 From: szathmar.bucks.edu at gmail.com (Arta Szathmary) Date: Wed, 10 Mar 2021 13:55:33 -0500 Subject: alice-teacher Help! Alice being replaced by Python in my intro classes In-Reply-To: References: Message-ID: If you must change to python, I would recommend using the CS Academy from CMU. It takes a graphics and fun approach to python compared to the traditional CS approach. I used it with students last summer and it helped them to be successful. Covering the basic concepts in a unique way and students get instant feedback as they progress through the sessions. There were plenty of exercises and teacher training is available. Arta.szathmary at gmail.com Arta Szathmary [image: https://]about.me/artaszathmary Arta.Szathmary at gmail.com On Wed, Mar 10, 2021 at 10:07 AM Carlos Bovell wrote: > Hi, > > Somebody has convinced my administrator that we should really be using > Python in our intro courses. I could use some reasons why Alice makes a > great alternative. Any and all arguments would be welcome! > > Carlos Bovell > _______________________________________________ > alice-teachers mailing list > alice-teachers at lists.andrew.cmu.edu > To change settings or unsubscribe visit: > https://lists.andrew.cmu.edu/mailman/listinfo/alice-teachers -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From marussig at siol.net Wed Mar 10 14:11:31 2021 From: marussig at siol.net (Matjaz Marussig) Date: Wed, 10 Mar 2021 20:11:31 +0100 Subject: alice-teacher Help! Alice being replaced by Python in my intro classes In-Reply-To: References: Message-ID: Take a survey. Ask students what seems better: Alice or Python. You have to introduce them both first. Believe me: this "somebody" is 40+ years old. Good luck. Matjaz --- Matjaz Marussig ME Independent Software Vendor, Oracle Full-stack Developer, DevOps Engineer LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/matjazmarussig Medium: https://medium.com/@matjazmarussig Twitter: https://twitter.com/MatjazMarussig Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/matjazmarussig Office Email: marussig at siol.net Private Email: matjaz.marussig at gmail.com www: http://marussig.si/ Skypename: matjazmarussig Phone: 0038641508427 On Wed, 10 Mar 2021 at 16:09, Carlos Bovell wrote: > Hi, > > Somebody has convinced my administrator that we should really be using > Python in our intro courses. I could use some reasons why Alice makes a > great alternative. Any and all arguments would be welcome! > > Carlos Bovell > _______________________________________________ > alice-teachers mailing list > alice-teachers at lists.andrew.cmu.edu > To change settings or unsubscribe visit: > https://lists.andrew.cmu.edu/mailman/listinfo/alice-teachers -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From mr.arturo.lopez at gmail.com Wed Mar 10 15:30:56 2021 From: mr.arturo.lopez at gmail.com (Art Lopez) Date: Wed, 10 Mar 2021 12:30:56 -0800 Subject: alice-teacher Help! Alice being replaced by Python in my intro classes In-Reply-To: References: Message-ID: Hello Carlos and all, My name is Art Lopez and I serve on the Board of Directors for the Computer Science Teachers Association as the 9 - 12 representative. I am involved with CS for All and advocate for Equity Access and broadening participation of underserved and underrepresented groups (women, diversity or children of color, and other groups) in computer science. I think this is a really great topic of discussion for this list-serve, and appreciate the contributions from everyone on this thread. Dr. Jeff Gray of the University of Alabama and his colleagues, including co-author Caitlin Kelleher, had written a paper in Communications of the ACM ( Association of Computing Machinery) about the benefits and opportunities for using block languages for teaching students about programming and computer science; there is also a video provided by co-author Caitlin Kelleher. - Video: http://bit.ly/cacm-2017 - Paper (full text): https://cacm.acm.org/magazines/2017/6/217743-learnable-programming/fulltext Carlos, I have used this article and video to demonstrate to many administrators and district leaders that for students who have little or no experience (or even very experienced) and are exposed to programming for the first time can avoid the typical struggles with and frustration of learning syntax of programming languages such as Python or Java. I have been using Alice for years teaching AP Computer Science Principles for many years, and many of the students that are taking this introductory computer science course are learning about programming and computer science for the first time. Many of the students get engaged because learning to program with Alice is fun and allows them to be creative. It engages the students and many become interested in continuing to take computer science courses such as AP CS A, which for me is the benchmark of success. The following is anecdotal, but many of the students that first took the AP CSP course with Alice have told me that they struggle less and are much less frustrated with learning and understanding Java as compared to students who are taking AP CS A without first taking the AP CSP course with Alice. I also have had discussions with other AP CSP teachers as I also am a College Board APSI instructor for AP CSP; those teachers that teach with block languages first, such as Mobile CSP with App Inventor, the Beauty and Joy of Computing with SNAP!, Code.org App lab, Scratch, Pencilcode.net, and other block languages report similar feedback from students that progress from AP CS Principles to AP CS A. I also have some colleagues that first start with block languages, then migrate into text based or syntax-based languages such as Python teaching AP CSP; Alilce 3 is also an example of being able to go back and forth from blocks to syntax in Java, which some of my colleagues also use. Carlos, I hope that you would be able to use the paper and video to explain why it would benefit students with little or no experience in programming to first start with block languages; then, as they enjoy the creativity and gain confidence in their programming and logic skills, introduce them to syntax-based languages; this has been especially true for the underserved and underrepresented groups in computer science that I teach. If you have any questions about this, please let me know. Thanks a lot and wishing you and everyone the best on this thread. Art Lopez On Wed, Mar 10, 2021 at 9:55 AM Barnum, William via alice-teachers < alice-teachers at lists.andrew.cmu.edu> wrote: > Carlos, > > I'm actually much better at argument than programming, so this is my kind > of question. ? > > My guess is your administrator, like most administrators probably doesn't > know much about programming.Probably someone convinced him/her that Python > is more "real-world." > > I would encourage you to ask probing questions to understand his/her > thought process and engage him/her in a problem-solving exercise. > > 1. Why Python as opposed to many other languages? What other languages > should we consider, and how should we evaluate them? > 2. In our introductory class, do you think the language-specific syntax is > more important, or would you like us to focus on underlying programming > concepts? > 3. How important is student engagement in the introductory course? > 4. How important are accessibility of curriculum and student diversity in > the introductory course? > 5. What disadvantages might there be in switching to a Python curriculum > for Intro? > 6. Are there other places in our course progression where Python might fit > fell? > > I'd recommend doing mainly listening during the first meeting and > schedule a follow-up appointment after you've learned his/her preferences > and had a chance to do some research. > > If you'd like to talk off-list, feel free to send me an e-mail. > > Bill Barnum > Computer Science Teacher > York Community High School > > On Wed, Mar 10, 2021 at 9:07 AM Carlos Bovell > wrote: > >> Hi, >> >> Somebody has convinced my administrator that we should really be using >> Python in our intro courses. I could use some reasons why Alice makes a >> great alternative. Any and all arguments would be welcome! >> >> Carlos Bovell >> _______________________________________________ >> alice-teachers mailing list >> alice-teachers at lists.andrew.cmu.edu >> To change settings or unsubscribe visit: >> https://lists.andrew.cmu.edu/mailman/listinfo/alice-teachers > > _______________________________________________ > alice-teachers mailing list > alice-teachers at lists.andrew.cmu.edu > To change settings or unsubscribe visit: > https://lists.andrew.cmu.edu/mailman/listinfo/alice-teachers -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From saleem_yusuf at hotmail.com Wed Mar 10 16:27:17 2021 From: saleem_yusuf at hotmail.com (Mohammad Saleem Yusuf) Date: Wed, 10 Mar 2021 21:27:17 +0000 Subject: alice-teacher Help! Alice being replaced by Python in my intro classes In-Reply-To: References: Message-ID: >>> I'm actually much better at argument than programming, so this is my kind of question I am much better at programming than argument. I teach at a community college and I am on Advisory Board for 2 local high schools. This my opinion. I am not a big fan of JavaScript or Python, but I am amazed at the popularity of these 2 languages in high school. They both have their place in software development, but I can do a lot better with C# than Python in anything Python, except free IDE, smaller amount of code. It started with people who wanted to write quick script and not create projects. Alice is great for younger kids, 8-10 (IMHO), kids can make nice videos, put them on Facebook, etc. I use it during Girls Technology Day. I would use Java in high school. Easy to get college credit for it and may help get an internship etc., Plenty of resources, but it is not great with doing GUI (I am aware of Java FX). If I have to use a programming language as professional software developer, I will use C#. Far better than other languages. There is a lot of free material for learning too. I teach C#, Java, Android programming and SQL Design at NHTI. Saleem Mohammad ?Saleem? Yusuf Professor - IT Software Development Sweeney 301 [NHTI Logo] Phone: (603) 230-4000 x 4344 Email: myusuf at ccsnh.edu From: alice-teachers On Behalf Of Barnum, William via alice-teachers Sent: Wednesday, March 10, 2021 12:40 PM To: Alice educators Subject: Re: alice-teacher Help! Alice being replaced by Python in my intro classes Carlos, I'm actually much better at argument than programming, so this is my kind of question. ? My guess is your administrator, like most administrators probably doesn't know much about programming.Probably someone convinced him/her that Python is more "real-world." I would encourage you to ask probing questions to understand his/her thought process and engage him/her in a problem-solving exercise. 1. Why Python as opposed to many other languages? What other languages should we consider, and how should we evaluate them? 2. In our introductory class, do you think the language-specific syntax is more important, or would you like us to focus on underlying programming concepts? 3. How important is student engagement in the introductory course? 4. How important are accessibility of curriculum and student diversity in the introductory course? 5. What disadvantages might there be in switching to a Python curriculum for Intro? 6. Are there other places in our course progression where Python might fit fell? I'd recommend doing mainly listening during the first meeting and schedule a follow-up appointment after you've learned his/her preferences and had a chance to do some research. If you'd like to talk off-list, feel free to send me an e-mail. Bill Barnum Computer Science Teacher York Community High School On Wed, Mar 10, 2021 at 9:07 AM Carlos Bovell > wrote: Hi, Somebody has convinced my administrator that we should really be using Python in our intro courses. I could use some reasons why Alice makes a great alternative. Any and all arguments would be welcome! Carlos Bovell _______________________________________________ alice-teachers mailing list alice-teachers at lists.andrew.cmu.edu To change settings or unsubscribe visit: https://lists.andrew.cmu.edu/mailman/listinfo/alice-teachers -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: -------------- next part -------------- A non-text attachment was scrubbed... Name: image001.png Type: image/png Size: 14027 bytes Desc: image001.png URL: From litomd at gmail.com Wed Mar 10 19:58:37 2021 From: litomd at gmail.com (Leonel Morales) Date: Wed, 10 Mar 2021 18:58:37 -0600 Subject: alice-teacher Looking For Feedback on Alice VR Video In-Reply-To: References: Message-ID: Wonderful demonstration! It's simple and nice to see, and it shows the potential for VR. I hope to do something similar in Spanish if I ever get it to work with the Oculus Quest. Thanks for sharing! 2021-03-09 21:19 GMT-06:00, Barnum, William via alice-teachers : > Hey all, > > I've been working on a video to demonstrate the Alice VR player. > > I've got a draft and I'd love to hear feedback. I realize that the audio > cuts out briefly which I can fix. The webcam footage is not great and > that's probably something I can't completely fix even if I reshoot it. > > https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mwnJXW9Hc7Q > > Thanks, > Bill Barnum > From wbarnum at elmhurst205.org Wed Mar 10 20:43:45 2021 From: wbarnum at elmhurst205.org (Barnum, William) Date: Wed, 10 Mar 2021 19:43:45 -0600 Subject: alice-teacher Looking For Feedback on Alice VR Video In-Reply-To: References:

Message-ID: As far as I know, nobody has made specific curriculum for Alice VR, but it is pretty simple to convert a standard Alice program to a VR one. The headset I have is an Oculus Rift S which costs about $300. A computer that would support it starts at about $800. Bill On Wed, Mar 10, 2021 at 9:07 AM Pappafotopoulos, Dianne < pappafotopoulosd at doversherborn.org> wrote: > This looks great! Is there any curriculum or additional info out there for > teaching Alice with VR and costs associated with the headsets, etc.? > > Dianne M. Pappafotopoulos > Instructional Technology Specialist/Teacher > Dover Sherborn Public Schools,157 Farm Street, Dover, MA 02030 > phone: 508.785.1730 x7217 - email: pappafotopoulosd at doversherborn.org > > school website: www.doversherborn.org > tech website: integration guide > > blog: beyond the limits > twitter:@dpappa127 > > > > On Wed, Mar 10, 2021 at 8:33 AM Barnum, William via alice-teachers < > alice-teachers at lists.andrew.cmu.edu> wrote: > >> Hey all, >> >> I've been working on a video to demonstrate the Alice VR player. >> >> I've got a draft and I'd love to hear feedback. I realize that the audio >> cuts out briefly which I can fix. The webcam footage is not great and >> that's probably something I can't completely fix even if I reshoot it. >> >> https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mwnJXW9Hc7Q >> >> Thanks, >> Bill Barnum >> _______________________________________________ >> alice-teachers mailing list >> alice-teachers at lists.andrew.cmu.edu >> To change settings or unsubscribe visit: >> https://lists.andrew.cmu.edu/mailman/listinfo/alice-teachers > > > CONFIDENTIALITY NOTICE: This electronic transmission is for the intended > recipient only and may contain information that is privileged, > confidential, or otherwise protected from disclosure. Any review, > dissemination, or use of this transmission or any of its contents by > persons other than the intended recipient is strictly prohibited. If you > receive this transmission in error, please notify the sender immediately > upon receipt and delete or destroy the communication and its attachments. > Thank you for your cooperation. > > NON-DISCRIMINATION STATEMENT: The Public Schools of Dover and Sherborn do > not discriminate on the basis of age, race, color, sex, gender identity, > religion, national origin, sexual orientation, disability, or homelessness. > _______________________________________________ > alice-teachers mailing list > alice-teachers at lists.andrew.cmu.edu > To change settings or unsubscribe visit: > https://lists.andrew.cmu.edu/mailman/listinfo/alice-teachers -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From aziccardi at opschools.org Thu Mar 11 08:56:58 2021 From: aziccardi at opschools.org (Ziccardi, Adam) Date: Thu, 11 Mar 2021 08:56:58 -0500 Subject: alice-teacher Help! Alice being replaced by Python in my intro classes In-Reply-To: References:

Message-ID: Hello Alice forum, I'm mostly lurking but this topic hit a listener. The way I teach is OOP first and foremost. Alice does that for us very well. She's been our mainstay for the last decade and we do new things every semester. After a while learning to build worlds and use the controls our Tea Party is set. Then, we go right down the rabbit hole creating new and exciting things for the existing classes and their myriad of instances. Inheritance is natural, extending classes is natural, creativity is natural. Our APCS-A kids are so successful after Alice I couldn't imagine teaching APCS-A without her anymore. The learning references to Enhanced Clever Skaters and Gorilla Robots makes learning APCS-A so nice. Hanoi and skeletons make recursion so nice. public void mystery () motivates about 5% of people. Alice motivates the other 95% too. Then we go all online with Chromebooks where Alice can't operate. The CMU CSAcademy is a fantastic option that motivates, encourages, allows for differentiation, and again, is full of creativity opportunities. We can't go back to yesterday because we were different people then. The Python subset used is great. The support from CMU is second to none. The kids are learning instantiation, property changes, methods, and adding properties in addition to the classic CS stuff controls, conditionals, collections, etc. Lacking is inheritance and extensions. Notably too, though, is the APCS-A's perceptible shift away from this as well. Unit 9 seems cursory to me anyhow, way at the end of the year. 80% of the course is learned inside of: public static void main(String args[]). Don't ask me what that means, just have to do it is a crappy way to present the course curriculum. It works, but... So back to your administrator. I was at a WNY STEM conference filling in last minute for a teacher/speaker. There were about 100 people there for free dinner and updates. I asked how many teachers, how many corporate sponsors, how many administrators each by a show of hands. I had to know the room. The administrators were about 60-70 percent. One of them asked the best way to choose a class/subject/language. I unequivocally stated "you support whatever your CS teacher wants to do. Get them what they ask for and make budgetary decisions. Leave the curriculum to the teacher." I explained none of the buzzwords work for school age introductory students. Attraction and retention for every person we have in our buildings is a good goal. Learn the stuff with your kids, not for them. We're not in the industry, we're in high school or middle school. The language du jour may be Python but it won't be in X years/months/weeks. I had a college prof who said "Adam, you gotta learn APL. C will be dead in two years." So we did a lot of APL for 3 years. Ever heard of APL? We all know what's written in C. But we learned a lot of CS that is transferable. I suggest communicating with your Red Queen that the Forums/supports are all there for whatever you want to teach. Student enrollment and interest are at the core of our decision making. It's not about the language and that CS is more about the content and the adventure. Then learning which languages apply to the app situation will have strength and meaning. Lastly, I do not believe for a second that APCS-P is a precursor to APCS-A. It could be but there is not a linear progression from P to A. Alice is better at APCS-A prep than anything I've seen or done. CSAcademy will be my close second while we are all online. Once we are 100% back FTF, I'll offer both and see where it goes. Thanks. Curricularly: meet the kids where they are at and stretch them out where they can go. If they don't know where they want to go it doesn't matter much how you get there. We are all mad here...just illuminate a path. AZ On Wed, Mar 10, 2021 at 4:29 PM Art Lopez wrote: > Hello Carlos and all, > > My name is Art Lopez and I serve on the Board of Directors for the > Computer Science Teachers Association as the 9 - 12 representative. I am > involved with CS for All and advocate for Equity Access and broadening > participation of underserved and underrepresented groups (women, diversity > or children of color, and other groups) in computer science. I think this > is a really great topic of discussion for this list-serve, and appreciate > the contributions from everyone on this thread. > > Dr. Jeff Gray of the University of Alabama and his colleagues, including > co-author Caitlin Kelleher, had written a paper in Communications of the > ACM ( Association of Computing Machinery) about the benefits and > opportunities for using block languages for teaching students about > programming and computer science; there is also a video provided by > co-author Caitlin Kelleher. > > - Video: http://bit.ly/cacm-2017 > > - Paper (full text): > https://cacm.acm.org/magazines/2017/6/217743-learnable-programming/fulltext > > > > Carlos, I have used this article and video to demonstrate to many > administrators and district leaders that for students who have little or no > experience (or even very experienced) and are exposed to programming for > the first time can avoid the typical struggles with and frustration of > learning syntax of programming languages such as Python or Java. > > I have been using Alice for years teaching AP Computer Science Principles > for many years, and many of the students that are taking this introductory > computer science course are learning about programming and computer science > for the first time. Many of the students get engaged because learning to > program with Alice is fun and allows them to be creative. It engages the > students and many become interested in continuing to take computer science > courses such as AP CS A, which for me is the benchmark of success. > > The following is anecdotal, but many of the students that first took the > AP CSP course with Alice have told me that they struggle less and are much > less frustrated with learning and understanding Java as compared to > students who are taking AP CS A without first taking the AP CSP course with > Alice. I also have had discussions with other AP CSP teachers as I also am > a College Board APSI instructor for AP CSP; those teachers that teach with > block languages first, such as Mobile CSP with App Inventor, the Beauty and > Joy of Computing with SNAP!, Code.org App lab, Scratch, Pencilcode.net, and > other block languages report similar feedback from students that progress > from AP CS Principles to AP CS A. > > I also have some colleagues that first start with block languages, then > migrate into text based or syntax-based languages such as Python teaching > AP CSP; Alilce 3 is also an example of being able to go back and forth from > blocks to syntax in Java, which some of my colleagues also use. > > Carlos, I hope that you would be able to use the paper and video to > explain why it would benefit students with little or no experience in > programming to first start with block languages; then, as they enjoy the > creativity and gain confidence in their programming and logic skills, > introduce them to syntax-based languages; this has been especially true for > the underserved and underrepresented groups in computer science that I > teach. > > If you have any questions about this, please let me know. > > Thanks a lot and wishing you and everyone the best on this thread. > > Art Lopez > > On Wed, Mar 10, 2021 at 9:55 AM Barnum, William via alice-teachers < > alice-teachers at lists.andrew.cmu.edu> wrote: > >> Carlos, >> >> I'm actually much better at argument than programming, so this is my kind >> of question. ? >> >> My guess is your administrator, like most administrators probably doesn't >> know much about programming.Probably someone convinced him/her that Python >> is more "real-world." >> >> I would encourage you to ask probing questions to understand his/her >> thought process and engage him/her in a problem-solving exercise. >> >> 1. Why Python as opposed to many other languages? What other languages >> should we consider, and how should we evaluate them? >> 2. In our introductory class, do you think the language-specific syntax >> is more important, or would you like us to focus on underlying programming >> concepts? >> 3. How important is student engagement in the introductory course? >> 4. How important are accessibility of curriculum and student diversity in >> the introductory course? >> 5. What disadvantages might there be in switching to a Python curriculum >> for Intro? >> 6. Are there other places in our course progression where Python might >> fit fell? >> >> I'd recommend doing mainly listening during the first meeting and >> schedule a follow-up appointment after you've learned his/her preferences >> and had a chance to do some research. >> >> If you'd like to talk off-list, feel free to send me an e-mail. >> >> Bill Barnum >> Computer Science Teacher >> York Community High School >> >> On Wed, Mar 10, 2021 at 9:07 AM Carlos Bovell >> wrote: >> >>> Hi, >>> >>> Somebody has convinced my administrator that we should really be using >>> Python in our intro courses. I could use some reasons why Alice makes a >>> great alternative. Any and all arguments would be welcome! >>> >>> Carlos Bovell >>> _______________________________________________ >>> alice-teachers mailing list >>> alice-teachers at lists.andrew.cmu.edu >>> To change settings or unsubscribe visit: >>> https://lists.andrew.cmu.edu/mailman/listinfo/alice-teachers >>> >> >> _______________________________________________ >> alice-teachers mailing list >> alice-teachers at lists.andrew.cmu.edu >> To change settings or unsubscribe visit: >> https://lists.andrew.cmu.edu/mailman/listinfo/alice-teachers >> > > ------------------------------ > > Spam > > Not spam > > Forget previous vote > > _______________________________________________ > alice-teachers mailing list > alice-teachers at lists.andrew.cmu.edu > To change settings or unsubscribe visit: > > https://milton-web.wnyric.org/canit/urlproxy.php?_q=aHR0cHM6Ly9saXN0cy5hbmRyZXcuY211LmVkdS9tYWlsbWFuL2xpc3RpbmZvL2FsaWNlLXRlYWNoZXJz&_s=b3JjaHBhcms%3D&_c=3eca9856 -- Adam Ziccardi 716-209-6482 OPTA president K-12 CS coordinator NYS Master Teacher -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From cbovell at nburlington.com Thu Mar 11 12:03:51 2021 From: cbovell at nburlington.com (Carlos Bovell) Date: Thu, 11 Mar 2021 17:03:51 +0000 Subject: alice-teacher Looking For Feedback on Alice VR Video In-Reply-To: References: , Message-ID: I think you mean "convenient" on the disadvantages page! Carlos Bovell ________________________________ From: alice-teachers on behalf of Leonel Morales Sent: Wednesday, March 10, 2021 7:58 PM To: Alice educators Subject: Re: alice-teacher Looking For Feedback on Alice VR Video CAUTION: This is email originated from outside of the organization. Please exercise caution when clicking links, opening attachments, or providing personal information. Wonderful demonstration! It's simple and nice to see, and it shows the potential for VR. I hope to do something similar in Spanish if I ever get it to work with the Oculus Quest. Thanks for sharing! 2021-03-09 21:19 GMT-06:00, Barnum, William via alice-teachers : > Hey all, > > I've been working on a video to demonstrate the Alice VR player. > > I've got a draft and I'd love to hear feedback. I realize that the audio > cuts out briefly which I can fix. The webcam footage is not great and > that's probably something I can't completely fix even if I reshoot it. > > https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mwnJXW9Hc7Q > > Thanks, > Bill Barnum > _______________________________________________ alice-teachers mailing list alice-teachers at lists.andrew.cmu.edu To change settings or unsubscribe visit: https://lists.andrew.cmu.edu/mailman/listinfo/alice-teachers -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From ewbrown at andrew.cmu.edu Thu Mar 11 13:14:22 2021 From: ewbrown at andrew.cmu.edu (Eric Brown) Date: Thu, 11 Mar 2021 10:14:22 -0800 Subject: alice-teacher Looking For Feedback on Alice VR Video In-Reply-To: References:

Message-ID: <5070382D-D943-4CA7-964E-59728B512105@andrew.cmu.edu> Dear All, The conversation over the last day has been amazing. I have just been lurking as It has been great to hear from educators about their use of Alice, the value they see in its use, and the case they make for its use. I thought it was/is far more valuable to the community to hear from each other than to have us chime in. I hope everyone is Ok with me sharing out parts of the conversation beyond this list. I did want to respond to the discussion on VR that has been happening. As people have noted we do hope that the same lessons that are used for regular Alice can be applied when building for VR. We did add an additional design lesson specifically for VR to address some of the unique conditions around building for VR: http://www.alice.org/resources/lessons/design-process-virtual-reality/ We also created a number of How-tos specifically for programming patterns for common VR constructs. They are all linked at the bottom of that lesson page as well as in a separate section on the How to resources page. We do hope to add more to these and update them as we continue to add more VR specific functionality to the IDE. I have reached out to Oculus folk to ask about their pending transition to requiring Facebook accounts to access since people have expressed concern about this for educational use but have not heard back yet. We have been testing on both the HTC Vive and the Oculus Rift (have also run on a quest using the link cord and side loading). We are definitely interested if people have other platforms what their experience is (it should run on other platforms we are just limited in our testing suite at the moment). Sincerely, Eric > On Mar 10, 2021, at 5:43 PM, Barnum, William via alice-teachers wrote: > > As far as I know, nobody has made specific curriculum for Alice VR, but it is pretty simple to convert a standard Alice program to a VR one. > > The headset I have is an Oculus Rift S which costs about $300. A computer that would support it starts at about $800. > > Bill > > On Wed, Mar 10, 2021 at 9:07 AM Pappafotopoulos, Dianne wrote: > This looks great! Is there any curriculum or additional info out there for teaching Alice with VR and costs associated with the headsets, etc.? > > Dianne M. Pappafotopoulos > Instructional Technology Specialist/Teacher > Dover Sherborn Public Schools,157 Farm Street, Dover, MA 02030 > phone: 508.785.1730 x7217 - email: pappafotopoulosd at doversherborn.org > > school website: www.doversherborn.org > tech website: integration guide > blog: beyond the limits > twitter:@dpappa127 > > > On Wed, Mar 10, 2021 at 8:33 AM Barnum, William via alice-teachers wrote: > Hey all, > > I've been working on a video to demonstrate the Alice VR player. > > I've got a draft and I'd love to hear feedback. I realize that the audio cuts out briefly which I can fix. The webcam footage is not great and that's probably something I can't completely fix even if I reshoot it. > > https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mwnJXW9Hc7Q > > Thanks, > Bill Barnum > _______________________________________________ > alice-teachers mailing list > alice-teachers at lists.andrew.cmu.edu > To change settings or unsubscribe visit: > https://lists.andrew.cmu.edu/mailman/listinfo/alice-teachers > > CONFIDENTIALITY NOTICE: This electronic transmission is for the intended recipient only and may contain information that is privileged, confidential, or otherwise protected from disclosure. Any review, dissemination, or use of this transmission or any of its contents by persons other than the intended recipient is strictly prohibited. If you receive this transmission in error, please notify the sender immediately upon receipt and delete or destroy the communication and its attachments. Thank you for your cooperation. > > NON-DISCRIMINATION STATEMENT: The Public Schools of Dover and Sherborn do not discriminate on the basis of age, race, color, sex, gender identity, religion, national origin, sexual orientation, disability, or homelessness._______________________________________________ > alice-teachers mailing list > alice-teachers at lists.andrew.cmu.edu > To change settings or unsubscribe visit: > https://lists.andrew.cmu.edu/mailman/listinfo/alice-teachers > _______________________________________________ > alice-teachers mailing list > alice-teachers at lists.andrew.cmu.edu > To change settings or unsubscribe visit: > https://lists.andrew.cmu.edu/mailman/listinfo/alice-teachers From vanderhyde at sxu.edu Thu Mar 11 13:17:59 2021 From: vanderhyde at sxu.edu (Vanderhyde, James) Date: Thu, 11 Mar 2021 18:17:59 +0000 Subject: alice-teacher Looking For Feedback on Alice VR Video In-Reply-To: References:

Message-ID: I am going on sabbatical next year, and part of my project will be to develop curriculum for VR authoring. If anyone has ideas I would love to collaborate. Let me know off-list, and we can talk once I get my project rolling this summer. James ? James Vanderhyde Associate Professor and Department Chair Computer Science Saint Xavier University 3700 W. 103rd St. Chicago, IL 60655 773-298-3454 On Mar 10, 2021, at 7:58 AM, Pappafotopoulos, Dianne > wrote: This looks great! Is there any curriculum or additional info out there for teaching Alice with VR and costs associated with the headsets, etc.? Dianne M. Pappafotopoulos Instructional Technology Specialist/Teacher Dover Sherborn Public Schools,157 Farm Street, Dover, MA 02030 phone: 508.785.1730 x7217 - email: pappafotopoulosd at doversherborn.org [https://docs.google.com/uc?export=download&id=1-A9NIAw3KZ1hyVwTUttuZ5_ns4y-3mFV&revid=0BzGEUZYDv_bLcEF4ZmpSZDZSSmZUSGFzVUZtZ0VQZzdWN2RNPQ] school website: www.doversherborn.org tech website: integration guide blog: beyond the limits twitter:@dpappa127 On Wed, Mar 10, 2021 at 8:33 AM Barnum, William via alice-teachers > wrote: Hey all, I've been working on a video to demonstrate the Alice VR player. I've got a draft and I'd love to hear feedback. I realize that the audio cuts out briefly which I can fix. The webcam footage is not great and that's probably something I can't completely fix even if I reshoot it. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mwnJXW9Hc7Q Thanks, Bill Barnum _______________________________________________ alice-teachers mailing list alice-teachers at lists.andrew.cmu.edu To change settings or unsubscribe visit: https://lists.andrew.cmu.edu/mailman/listinfo/alice-teachers CONFIDENTIALITY NOTICE: This electronic transmission is for the intended recipient only and may contain information that is privileged, confidential, or otherwise protected from disclosure. Any review, dissemination, or use of this transmission or any of its contents by persons other than the intended recipient is strictly prohibited. If you receive this transmission in error, please notify the sender immediately upon receipt and delete or destroy the communication and its attachments. Thank you for your cooperation. NON-DISCRIMINATION STATEMENT: The Public Schools of Dover and Sherborn do not discriminate on the basis of age, race, color, sex, gender identity, religion, national origin, sexual orientation, disability, or homelessness._______________________________________________ alice-teachers mailing list alice-teachers at lists.andrew.cmu.edu To change settings or unsubscribe visit: https://lists.andrew.cmu.edu/mailman/listinfo/alice-teachers -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From wbarnum at elmhurst205.org Fri Mar 12 08:39:41 2021 From: wbarnum at elmhurst205.org (Barnum, William) Date: Fri, 12 Mar 2021 07:39:41 -0600 Subject: alice-teacher Looking For Feedback on Alice VR Video In-Reply-To: References: Message-ID: Hey everyone, Thanks for the feedback! I tweaked a few things and posted my final version. https://studio.youtube.com/video/JuVec27kCmk/edit Bill Barnum On Wed, Mar 10, 2021 at 7:35 AM Barnum, William via alice-teachers < alice-teachers at lists.andrew.cmu.edu> wrote: > Hey all, > > I've been working on a video to demonstrate the Alice VR player. > > I've got a draft and I'd love to hear feedback. I realize that the audio > cuts out briefly which I can fix. The webcam footage is not great and > that's probably something I can't completely fix even if I reshoot it. > > https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mwnJXW9Hc7Q > > Thanks, > Bill Barnum > _______________________________________________ > alice-teachers mailing list > alice-teachers at lists.andrew.cmu.edu > To change settings or unsubscribe visit: > https://lists.andrew.cmu.edu/mailman/listinfo/alice-teachers -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From wbarnum at elmhurst205.org Fri Mar 12 12:39:33 2021 From: wbarnum at elmhurst205.org (Barnum, William) Date: Fri, 12 Mar 2021 11:39:33 -0600 Subject: alice-teacher Looking For Feedback on Alice VR Video In-Reply-To: References: Message-ID: Wrong link. ? https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JuVec27kCmk Thanks for pointing out the correct one Leonel! Bill On Fri, Mar 12, 2021 at 7:39 AM Barnum, William wrote: > Hey everyone, > > Thanks for the feedback! > > I tweaked a few things and posted my final version. > > https://studio.youtube.com/video/JuVec27kCmk/edit > > Bill Barnum > > On Wed, Mar 10, 2021 at 7:35 AM Barnum, William via alice-teachers < > alice-teachers at lists.andrew.cmu.edu> wrote: > >> Hey all, >> >> I've been working on a video to demonstrate the Alice VR player. >> >> I've got a draft and I'd love to hear feedback. I realize that the audio >> cuts out briefly which I can fix. The webcam footage is not great and >> that's probably something I can't completely fix even if I reshoot it. >> >> https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mwnJXW9Hc7Q >> >> Thanks, >> Bill Barnum >> _______________________________________________ >> alice-teachers mailing list >> alice-teachers at lists.andrew.cmu.edu >> To change settings or unsubscribe visit: >> https://lists.andrew.cmu.edu/mailman/listinfo/alice-teachers > > -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From ewbrown at andrew.cmu.edu Fri Mar 12 15:10:08 2021 From: ewbrown at andrew.cmu.edu (Eric Brown) Date: Fri, 12 Mar 2021 12:10:08 -0800 Subject: alice-teacher Alice on a Raspberry Pi Message-ID: <098BF868-0ACC-4D52-B038-A9221CB1C45B@andrew.cmu.edu> Dear All, We are excited to announce that we have created an Alice build that we have validated will work on a Raspberry Pi. We hope that by supporting this platform we can increase accessibility to Alice around the world. This is our first build and we are eager to have people help us test it to see how it performs, start to figure out our minimum specs, and help find any bugs. We have run it successfully on a Raspberry Pi 3B and 4B. If you have a Raspberry Pi and are willing to give it a try you can find the build with some other instructions here: https://github.com/TheAliceProject/alice3/releases/tag/3.6.0.2-beta.1 Thank you all again for the amazing conversation around Alice and intro computer science this week as well as sharing the awesome VR materials (I love Joust!). Here is Bill?s link again quickly edited to remove some info that made it fail : https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JuVec27kCmk It also makes me sad that a listed disadvantage in Bill?s video is no turn-key Alice curriculum with included day by day lesson plans. We do really want to have this available for teachers and are continuing to work towards this goal. If you have any that you are using that you would like to or are willing to share out please contact me directly and we can work through the best way to post them on our resources curriculum page (we would be super excited if you have any that make use of our newer lesson materials). Have a wonderful weekend. Sincerely, Eric From djslater107 at mac.com Wed Mar 17 09:32:42 2021 From: djslater107 at mac.com (Donald Slater) Date: Wed, 17 Mar 2021 09:32:42 -0400 Subject: alice-teacher Summer Camps Message-ID: Happy St. Patricks?s Day, everyone! It is that time of year when we are starting to get enquiries about Summer workshops and Summer camps for Alice. Is anyone offering, or know of any Alice workshops for teachers, or summer camps, virtual or otherwise, being offered this summer? Please post any information you might have to this list. If it is something you are offering, we will be more than happy to help spread the word. I hope everyone is safe and well. Thank you, Don Slater Alice Project From abrown9 at ccbcmd.edu Tue Mar 23 15:37:59 2021 From: abrown9 at ccbcmd.edu (Brown, Alexis D.) Date: Tue, 23 Mar 2021 19:37:59 +0000 Subject: alice-teacher Alice 2 & Apple M1 Silicon Message-ID: <504B5D5E-E5BE-472C-BA21-CC01672DA3D4@ccbcmd.edu> Hi everyone ? Does anyone have info on Alice 2 compatibility with the new Apple processors? Or plans to make is compatible, even via Rosetta 2? It doesn?t currently appear to work. Thanks, Alexis Alexis Brown (she/her: Why Pronouns Matter) Assistant Professor, CSIT The Community College of Baltimore County School of Business, Technology & Law Essex Campus, Health Careers and Technology Building, Room 238 443-840-2052 phone | abrown9 at ccbcmd.edu -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: -------------- next part -------------- A non-text attachment was scrubbed... Name: image001.png Type: image/png Size: 135 bytes Desc: image001.png URL: From ewbrown at andrew.cmu.edu Tue Mar 23 17:30:33 2021 From: ewbrown at andrew.cmu.edu (Eric Brown) Date: Tue, 23 Mar 2021 14:30:33 -0700 Subject: alice-teacher Alice 2 & Apple M1 Silicon In-Reply-To: <504B5D5E-E5BE-472C-BA21-CC01672DA3D4@ccbcmd.edu> References: <504B5D5E-E5BE-472C-BA21-CC01672DA3D4@ccbcmd.edu> Message-ID: <0C43E4B7-EA21-4356-96EE-CA9116C5FC5F@andrew.cmu.edu> Alexis et al, We have tested both Alice 3 and Alice 2 on a MacBook Air 13 inch (M1, 2020) and have them both successfully running. In our test we did accept the Rosetta install when we first ran the Alice 3 installer (Alice 3 was the first application we installed and then where not prompted when running Alice 3 or installing or running Alice 2 after that). We unfortunately didn?t test rejecting that prompt and then testing and seeing what would would happen without Rosetta installed or how to install it after that prompt (not sure if once you reject it once if you will not be prompted again in the future from other attempts or if you will have to follow directions that can be found online for installing). It is also possible that the Alice 3 installer prompted the installation of Rosetta and that Alice 2 does not have the same forcing function (would love to hear more from the community). That being said we have heard from other people that they ran into issues and were unable to run Alice but have been unable to get enough information from them to understand where in the process it is failing. As with on other Macs changes to security settings can be an issue that does not allow the application to install/run (we are working with CMU to get our App signed so it will be trusted but have not completed that work yet). You will need to right click to open the installers and select open to be able to run them the first time (this should be showing up as the not trusted pop-up). Improper permissions can be experienced as either the application not running or launching and then not progressing past the splash screen (If this is a new version of that problem we may need help determining where and under what privileges the app is being installed and run that is causing the issue). If you have had issues installing or running Alice on an M1 chip Apple please do reach out to us with any information you can supply us namely: 1. Were you prompted to install rosetta and if so did you? (unfortunately I have not found any easy way to check if you have installed rosetta at this time) 2. Were you able to run the installer (the .dmg) and is the app currently in your application folder? 3. Did you try right clicking to open the installer or application? 4. Please tell us where in the process you are failing and how (if possible) 5. Is there any other information unique to your configuration? Are you installing/running as admin or some other user profile with different permissions? You can respond and share here or feel free to reach out to me directly. Sincerely, Eric > On Mar 23, 2021, at 12:37 PM, Brown, Alexis D. wrote: > > Hi everyone ? > Does anyone have info on Alice 2 compatibility with the new Apple processors? Or plans to make is compatible, even via Rosetta 2? > > It doesn?t currently appear to work. > > Thanks, > Alexis > > > > Alexis Brown (she/her: Why Pronouns Matter) > Assistant Professor, CSIT > The Community College of Baltimore County > School of Business, Technology & Law > Essex Campus, Health Careers and Technology Building, Room 238 > 443-840-2052 phone | abrown9 at ccbcmd.edu > _______________________________________________ > alice-teachers mailing list > alice-teachers at lists.andrew.cmu.edu > To change settings or unsubscribe visit: > https://lists.andrew.cmu.edu/mailman/listinfo/alice-teachers From ewbrown at andrew.cmu.edu Wed Mar 31 16:48:32 2021 From: ewbrown at andrew.cmu.edu (Eric Brown) Date: Wed, 31 Mar 2021 13:48:32 -0700 Subject: alice-teacher Alice 2 & Apple M1 Silicon In-Reply-To: <0C43E4B7-EA21-4356-96EE-CA9116C5FC5F@andrew.cmu.edu> References: <504B5D5E-E5BE-472C-BA21-CC01672DA3D4@ccbcmd.edu> <0C43E4B7-EA21-4356-96EE-CA9116C5FC5F@andrew.cmu.edu> Message-ID: <780DB14B-904B-4BE6-B910-0CEA78160C72@andrew.cmu.edu> Dear All, We did more testing on this and while Alice 3 does prompt you to install rosetta while it seems that Alice 2 does not (it doesn?t recognize it as an intel application - we are working on this). If you have not run another application on the machine that has previously given you this prompt you will need to install Rosetta yourself before Alice 2 will run. Here is an article that discusses installing Rosetta: https://osxdaily.com/2020/12/04/how-install-rosetta-2-apple-silicon-mac/ You can use Alice 3 as an app that will cause the pop-up or follow the directions to do it via command line. We are definitely going to look into what we need to do to make our apps work natively in the future but do not have a fix in the works at the moment. There has been some rumor that a future OS update may remove Rosetta and we are hoping that they don?t do this to allow developers more time to address this issue. Sincerely, Eric > On Mar 23, 2021, at 2:30 PM, Eric Brown wrote: > > Alexis et al, > > We have tested both Alice 3 and Alice 2 on a MacBook Air 13 inch (M1, 2020) and have them both successfully running. In our test we did accept the Rosetta install when we first ran the Alice 3 installer (Alice 3 was the first application we installed and then where not prompted when running Alice 3 or installing or running Alice 2 after that). We unfortunately didn?t test rejecting that prompt and then testing and seeing what would would happen without Rosetta installed or how to install it after that prompt (not sure if once you reject it once if you will not be prompted again in the future from other attempts or if you will have to follow directions that can be found online for installing). It is also possible that the Alice 3 installer prompted the installation of Rosetta and that Alice 2 does not have the same forcing function (would love to hear more from the community). > > That being said we have heard from other people that they ran into issues and were unable to run Alice but have been unable to get enough information from them to understand where in the process it is failing. As with on other Macs changes to security settings can be an issue that does not allow the application to install/run (we are working with CMU to get our App signed so it will be trusted but have not completed that work yet). You will need to right click to open the installers and select open to be able to run them the first time (this should be showing up as the not trusted pop-up). Improper permissions can be experienced as either the application not running or launching and then not progressing past the splash screen (If this is a new version of that problem we may need help determining where and under what privileges the app is being installed and run that is causing the issue). > > If you have had issues installing or running Alice on an M1 chip Apple please do reach out to us with any information you can supply us namely: > > 1. Were you prompted to install rosetta and if so did you? (unfortunately I have not found any easy way to check if you have installed rosetta at this time) > 2. Were you able to run the installer (the .dmg) and is the app currently in your application folder? > 3. Did you try right clicking to open the installer or application? > 4. Please tell us where in the process you are failing and how (if possible) > 5. Is there any other information unique to your configuration? Are you installing/running as admin or some other user profile with different permissions? > > You can respond and share here or feel free to reach out to me directly. > > Sincerely, > > Eric > > > > >> On Mar 23, 2021, at 12:37 PM, Brown, Alexis D. wrote: >> >> Hi everyone ? >> Does anyone have info on Alice 2 compatibility with the new Apple processors? Or plans to make is compatible, even via Rosetta 2? >> >> It doesn?t currently appear to work. >> >> Thanks, >> Alexis >> >> >> >> Alexis Brown (she/her: Why Pronouns Matter) >> Assistant Professor, CSIT >> The Community College of Baltimore County >> School of Business, Technology & Law >> Essex Campus, Health Careers and Technology Building, Room 238 >> 443-840-2052 phone | abrown9 at ccbcmd.edu >> _______________________________________________ >> alice-teachers mailing list >> alice-teachers at lists.andrew.cmu.edu >> To change settings or unsubscribe visit: >> https://lists.andrew.cmu.edu/mailman/listinfo/alice-teachers >