In this introductory course, students learn how to use Microsoft Word, Excel, and PowerPoint 2000 to create, analyze, edit, share, and publish information for a variety of audiences and purposes. Through step-by-step tutorials and a project-based approach to learning, students become familiar with the key concepts and basic skills of today’s information technology sector.
REQuIRED MATERIAL: MS Office 2000, 2002, or 2003

This course is for anyone who loves gaming and wants to design and build original games from scratch. Participants learn how to use popular game development software to create engaging, interactive games in a variety of styles. After learning about game genres and experiencing a variety of classic games first-hand, participants learn all aspects of the game design process. From there, students move on to a series of increasingly challenging hands-on projects that teach all the elements of successful game development. This course provides a solid foundation in the essentials of game design.
REQUIRED MATERIAL: Multimedia Fusion 2.0, Zelda Classic

This course is for anyone who wants to create animations and interactive movies like the ones used on state of the art websites. Participants learn how to use Flash 8— the world’s most popular animation software—to create engaging, interactive movies for the web. Beginning with classic animation techniques, participants learn how to move objects around the screen and change their appearance, and create movies complete with original artwork. By the end of the course, participants have learned how to build interactivity into their movies and publish them to the web. This course is a great introduction to the world of web animation.
REQUIRED MATERIAL: Flash 8 Basic

In the digital photography and graphic design lessons, students begin by learning general photographic concepts. Then composition skills are added to photographs and image-editing techniques are practiced. Students learn how to use layers, crop images, color and lighting concepts, hue and saturation, and exposures and special effects. Graphic design, artistic elements, and software skills are taught while producing graphic images. The concept of design as a manner of visual communication is carried throughout. Students build a portfolio of work and explore the fields of photography, graphic arts, advertising, and illustration.
REQUIRED MATERIALS: Digital Camera; GIMP (Freeware)

This course is designed for students who want to improve the functionality and power of websites. They will learn how to use JavaScript, one of the most popular scripting languages, to streamline development of websites, get more control over the appearance and behavior of web pages, and add interactive elements that will captivate website visitors. This is an advanced web design course filled with hands-on projects. Students who like to code, or want to take their websites to the next level will start with some sample code that can be easily modified for use on their websites.
REQUIRED MATERIAL: PC (course material is not Mac compatible)

Essential web design skills are learned in this 90- hour course, giving students a voice on the Internet. Students complete several guided projects and then develop their own websites. Web design essentials are covered throughout in examples and activities. Beginning with planning a website, storyboarding, page design, layout, and template issues are also covered. From there, students learn to create backgrounds, headers, and buttons. Students learn to use templates, create rollovers and pop-ups, develop image maps, and add animations.
REQUIRED MATERIAL: Web Dwarf (freeware)

Computer Science A emphasizes object-oriented programming methodology with a concentration on problem solving and algorithm development, and is the equivalent of a first-semester college-level course in Computer Science. It also includes an introduction to data structures, design, and abstraction.

This course introduces students to all aspects of digital video, from storyboarding scenes and creating shot lists to editing a finished, professional-quality product. Throughout this project-based course, students will demonstrate mastery of the key learning objectives by recording, capturing, and editing their own videos. This is a hands-on course that provides a solid foundation for further study in this exciting field.
REQUIRED MATERIALS: Microsoft Windows Movie Maker (pre-installed on all Windows based computers)
Any video camcorder capable of connecting to a computer (either through USB or Firewire)