Going Through the Looking Glass to Program

Introduction: Alice is educational software that teaches students computer programming in a 3D environment. It is a free programming environment that teaches very sophisticated concepts in a fun, interactive way. With Alice you just drag and drop programming statements to create three-dimensional worlds.

This activity contains 12 questions.

	To create 3D animations in Alice, you __________.   drag and drop programming statements type the necessary procedures and apply them to existing objects type the necessary methods and apply them to existing objects must first create a library of methods, classes, and objects, then apply the methods and classes to the objects

	The Web site alice.org is maintained by __________.   University of Cincinnati (UC) Oklahoma State University (OSU) SUNY University at Buffalo (UB) Carnegie Mellon University (CMU)

	The __________ is the term used to describe the virtual environment that you create.   gallery studio universe world

	To add objects such as Mr. Roboto, you select them from the __________.   Gallery Character pane Studio Object menu

	Color, opacity, height, and width are examples of an object's __________.   variables methods procedures properties

	How to walk, react to an explosion, and trip and fall are examples of an object's __________.   variables methods classes properties

	A __________ allows you to perform a similar set of actions over and over without a lot of repetitious programming.   behavior loop variable subroutine

	A(n) __________ is used to evaluate something and based on that evaluation, follow one set of steps or another set of steps.   looping statement inheritance method binary decision

	Spelling, capitalization, and punctuation are examples of programming __________.   syntax constructs attributes semantics

	Alice's background code uses the __________ programming language.   Java C+ + Visual Basic C#

	Interested in a Career in Entertainment Technology? Task: In addition to providing support for Alice, Carnegie Mellon offers a degree in entertainment technology through its Entertainment Technology Center (ETC). Assignment: Visit the ETC Web site at www.etc.cmu.edu and answer the following questions. What degree is offered by the ETC? This degree is offered jointly by: What is the concept behind both the Center and the Master's program? Look at the list of current students. How many fall into the "fine artist" and "technologists" categories? List five terms to which "entertainment technology" refers. Go to the View Gallery to see a sampling of some student projects. Select one of the projects that interests you, view the video, and describe the project. When did the ETC begin offering courses? Yearly enrollments in the program are limited to how many students? Are you interested in this degree? Explain why or why not.   To create paragraphs in your essay response, type <p> at the beginning of the paragraph, and </p> at the end.

	Other 3D Animation Tools Task: Autodesk offers a product called Maya, which does 3D modeling, animation, rendering, and visual effects. Let's learn more about this software. Assignment: Visit Autodesk's Maya Web site at http://usa.autodesk.com/adsk/servlet/pc/index?siteID=123112&id=13583239#channels_Dynamics and answer these questions. Click the Dynamics & Effects link. What does the nCloth effect do? What are the clothing attributes that can be manipulated? Click the Buy link. What is the MSRP for this product? What type of businesses would be willing to pay this price?   To create paragraphs in your essay response, type <p> at the beginning of the paragraph, and </p> at the end.

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