Alice is a 3D programming environment specifically designed for middle and high school students. It introduces them to virtual worlds kids can create in block-based Java with animation, game, or videos. Then they can share on the web.
Alice is also a teaching tool for object-oriented programming in Java. Java is one of the most popular programming languages, and is also the coding language used in high school level AP Computer Programming courses and exams. In Alice, 3-D objects (e.g., people, animals, and vehicles) populate a virtual world and students create a program to animate the objects.
Alice is software you run on a PC or Mac. There are two versions of Alice. Alice 2 has a simpler interface and programming environment for beginning coders and younger students. Alice 3 offers more complexity. It also offers a way for students to transition to Java using a NetBeans plugin.
There are extensive student and teacher resources for Alice, which has been in use for 10 years. The free resources include online how-to tutorials, lesson plans for teachers, and an audio library add-on.
All-in-all, Alice is a terrific intro to Java programming and game development tailored to K-12 students and teachers.
