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Independent Study Ideas

Page history last edited by Mr. Howard 5 years, 11 months ago

Finished your work early? While you aren't allowed to play games or roam around the Internet freely, there are a number of fun things you can do. Feel free to do anything listed below or speak with your teacher about another topic that you might be interested exploring on your own.  

Have your own favorite that you would like to add to this list? Post it in the comments section.

> Want to learn how to program a computer? Check out the Learn to Program page.

 

NOTE: If your class has an assigned semester project, you must complete that first.

 

Learning Websites to Explore

  • QuickDraw with Google - Draw and Google's AI guesses what you are drawing
  • Google's AI Experiments - All kinds of AI experiements to explore 
  •  CodeMonkey - CodeMonkey is an engaging online game that teaches real computer programming to children as young as 9. They release new features and challenges on a monthly basis. Stay tuned, and don't touch the green banana!
  •  Portal - The popular game remade in 2D
  •  Circuitous - Circuitous is a full-featured circuit simulator with dozens of challenges to walk you through the basics of circuits. 
  •  Room Escape Maker - Room Escape Maker is a free online application to create Escape The Room games. Make challenging casual point and click games with puzzles, hidden objects, safes with combination locks, and much more. 
  • Code Puzzles - Code Puzzles presents numerous challenges that you solve by writing code. Learn to program HTML (the language web pages are built with) along the way!
  • Room Escape Maker - Room Escape Maker is a free online application to create Escape The Room games. Make challenging casual point and click games with puzzles, hidden objects, safes with combination locks, and much more.
  • CodeCombat - Combat the monsters with code (and learn Javascript at the same time) 
  • IsoBall 3 - One ball, and one hole. You make it happen! Place your blocks, ramps, direction tiles and more in your three dimensional play space. Then give your ball a kick and see where it rolls!
  • RoboZZle - A social puzzle game. Control the robot through increasingly difficult levels. Learn the basics of programming
  • Light Bot - Artificial Intelligence is hard to program. Not every bot ever created can maneuver and function on its own. Rather, some bots run along a path that the programmer presets for them for various situations. Your job is to light up all the blue tiles in the factory by the commands you issue to Light-Bot 2
  • Code Avengers - Learn to code the fun way. Learn Javascript and/or HTML.
  • TryEngineering - Sometimes the best way to understand what engineers do is to try your hand at it! On this site are links to several engineering games on the Internet to give you a first hand try at the problem solving skills engineers employ every day!
  • CodeAcademy - Codecademy is the easiest way to learn how to code. It's interactive, fun, and you can share your progress with your friends.
  • Interlocked - Wrap your mind around the next intensive puzzle game - Interlocked! A 3D puzzle game with a chilling atmosphere. You know those puzzles consisting of a few wooden blocks that are impossible take apart? Then you know Interlocked. Each level, you’re given a unique 3D puzzle consisting of blocks that hold each other together.
  • Cargo Bridge (if this doesn't work, try Link 2)- Build a bridge and test your construction skills. Help your workers to collect items located on the other side of valley.Also try Cargo Bridge Armor Edition or Cargo Bridge 2
    Instructions:
    • Build a bridge using your mouse and available budget. When it is done click "Test your bridge". Your workers will use it to get items located at the other side of valley, and bring them back to the shop. Your goal is to collect all items in level.
    • For each level you have limited budget. The money that you don't use becomes your score, so cheaper bridge = higher score.
    • There are two types of bridge elements: "walk" - workers can step on them, "connectors" - used only to connect elements of the bridge, workers do not collide with them. * "Connector" elements are cheaper and lighter so use them as much as you can.
    • At the beginning of game only wood elements of bridge are available. In further levels, additional materials will be accessible also, so use them wisely.
  • Engineering Interact is a great site to introduce engineering concepts. The site has 5 different games based on different science topics that give you a chance to learn while playing. The games cover concepts including: Light, Sound, Forces and Motion, Earth and Beyond, Electricity. There are also links to other resources about science and engineering.
  • Wallace's Workshop - a physics puzzler that will well and truly test your noggin. Necessity is the mother of invention and apparently it's a necessity to get Crash-Test-Wallace from one end of a workshop into a waiting chute by inventing contraptions to help him get there. You'll use a variety of apparatus and mechanisms in your creations including balloons, motors, wheels and rockets. There's even dynamite!
  • Incredibox is a neat website that allows you to create unique rhythms and sounds from drag-and-drop menu. You can experiment with different sound loops, choruses, and instrumental sounds to create your own unique sound loops.  To use Incredibox just head over to the website, select the English or French version, then start mixing sounds by dragging from the menu to the "people field." Every time you add a new sound a new person appears in the screen. Click a person to delete the sound he represents. 
  • Submachine 1 -  Try and escape the basement. To do this, you must click on doorways and ladders to move around and drag and drop inventory items to use them in key places. Everything is used to escape.
  • CSI: Web Experience - Learn about the technology of forensics while solving three challenging crimes
  • Fantastic Contraption - A fun online physics puzzle game where you build whimsical machines to solve each level.  
  • PlanetInAction.com - Where the world is your playground. Google Earth is a detailed 3D view of our entire planet. Rather than just looking at it, why not play on it!
  • BrainBashers - Massive and exciting collection of brain teasers, puzzles, riddles, games and optical illusions.
  • Braingle - Over 20,000 brain teasers, riddles, logic problems, quizzes and mind puzzles
  • Wordle - Wordle is a toy for generating “word clouds” from text that you provide. Instructions can be found here.
  • GoAnimate - On GoAnimate you can make your own animated characters, direct your own cartoons and watch others' creations. It's easy, fun and free! For more information, including demos and tutorials, see our GoAnimate page.
  • Game for Science - The first virtual world dedicated to science! Explore all kinds of virtual islands depending on your interests: health, aeronautics, genomics, environment, engineering and more. You’ll find fun games, interesting facts and fascinating photos and videos – all on a science theme. 
  • Goldburger To Go - The ZOOMers were challenged to design a machine that serves lunch to the ZOOM cast and crew. They've called it the Goldburger To Go, and they need your help to finish it.
  • Samarost - An intriguing flash website where you are dropped in the middle of a strange new universe where they must solve a variety of challenging puzzles.  You play a character that you must help save from an asteroid collision.  There are no instructions on how to play the game; you simply use reasoning and deduction to solve the puzzles. 
  • Aviary Myna Audio Creator - Use Aviary's Myna to remix music tracks and audio clips. Apply sound effects and record your own voice or instruments!
  • Aviary Music Creator - Use Aviary's music creator to simulate dozens of musical instruments including piano, guitars and drums. Create music loops and patterns for use in Aviary's Myna Audio Creator or as ring tones. 

 

Applications to Explore on your PC

Click a link for more information and/or tutorials

Google Sketchup - 3D modeling and design


GIMP - Digital image editing like Photoshop

GoAnimate - Cartoon animation creation website

Microsoft Kodu - Create video games


InkScape - Vector graphics program like Illustrator

Microsoft Office - Always good to learn more

Alice - Explore basic computer programming

Google Earth - Explore the earth in 3D

Check out these Cool Places on Google Earth

The Incredible Machine - A logic puzzle game

Smart Games - A collection of various Logic Games
   
     

Classroom Resources

   
Snap Circuit Kits - includes over 60 parts for creating more than 300 exciting projects. With lights, sounds, motors, and more, you'll not only enjoy creating beeping games, but also learn about basic electronics as well

   

 

 

 

 

circuitous

Comments (1)

Mr. Howard said

at 4:51 am on Apr 26, 2010

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