When students create PowerPoint presentations, they are end users. When students use computer science tools to create movies, animations and video games, they become computer programmers. They learn and apply problem solving skills, logic and mathematical concepts while at the same time gaining an understanding of how computers work. Georgia Tech Savannah offers computer animation workshops for two platforms, Scratch and Storytelling Alice. Both programs teach fundamental computer programming concepts, and both are free and available online. This allows students to continue learning and exploring well beyond the workshop session.
Scratch for Grades 4-12
With Scratch kids can create interactive stories, animations, games, music, and art. It combines art and self expression with math, logic and computer programming. The drag-and-drop approach is intuitive, allowing for immediate success, while advanced features allow students to develop sophisticated stories and games. Younger students can apply simple math concepts (move left 2 steps, rotate 45°), and older students can tackle advanced problem solving (computer and user timing, sensors, if/else statements, etc.).
Scratch provides a quick start and a solid introduction to computer programming. It is appropriate for students as young as fourth grade, and it is a prerequisite for our high school computer programming workshops.
Scratch was developed by the Lifelong Kindergarten Group at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. The program is free, is available online, and can be installed on Windows, Mac and Ubuntu computers. Students can also share projects and explore other students' projects through an online community (although adult supervision is strongly encouraged).
Scratch webpage - http://scratch.mit.edu/
Storytelling Alice for High School Students
Alice and Storytelling Alice were developed at Carnegie Mellon University. In Alice's interactive interface, students drag and drop graphic tiles to create a program, where the instructions correspond to standard statements in a production oriented programming language, such as Java, C++, and C#. Alice allows students to immediately see how their animation programs run, illustrating the relationship between programming statements and the behavior of animated. By manipulating the objects in their virtual world, students gain experience with programming constructs typically taught in introductory programming courses. Storytelling Alice is similar to Alice, but it provides a quicker start and quicker success.
A prerequisite for the Storytelling Alice workshop is Scratch. Both can be scheduled for the same day, with two hours spent on each topic.
LEGO Robotics Loans for Classrooms
Is your school considering investing in LEGO Robotics? Through LEGO robotics loans for classrooms, schools can borrow full classroom sets for two to three weeks.
Summer Camps
From Creative Technology Summer camps for grades 4-12 to the Savannah Engineering Academy for students entering their junior and senior year, Georgia Tech Savannah offers a variety of summer camp experiences.
