In Classroom
OnlineDiscover more complex programming concepts by building 2D games using the game engine Game Maker 8.0. Game Maker uses GML, a scripting language that is simple to understand and builds good techniques that can be transferred to any other programming language such as C++, Python, and Javascript. Learn games programming and take away complete standalone executable games!
This class explores animated sprites, user interfaces and feedback, finite state machines, simple AI, building increased difficulty into a game, and puzzles. Read more »
In ClassroomOnlineStart your career as a video game artist right here! Learn about and practice this highly skilled art form by enrolling in this 3D modeling techniques course.
3DS Max is the modeling software commonly used in the gaming industry to create the art in 3D games, and techniques learned here can be transferred to any other modeling application.
Learn 3D modeling, and use your work to build a portfolio!
In this hands-on course, you start by following along step by step, learning “how” and “why,” and then moving on to more complex projects. Your experience and skills gained in this course will help you decide whether to pursue a career in game art. Read more »
In ClassroomOnlineLearn the lighting and camera techniques used to create 3D games and rendered scenes, using 3DS Max as the 3D software and Adobe Photoshop as the painting software. These applications are used in the gaming industry and techniques learned here can be transferred to any other modeling application.
Learn 3D texturing, lighting and camera skills, and use your work to build a portfolio!
Concepts include applying textures to 3D models, baking textures, lighting an environment, creating tiling textures, creating grungy textures, and creating a mood in a render using proper lighting and cameras. Read more »
In ClassroomOnlineDiscover more complex programming concepts by building 3D games using the game engine Panda3D 1.7. This engine utilizes Python, a scripting language that is simple to understand and builds good techniques that can be transferred to any other programming language such as C++ and Javascript. Learn games programming and take away complete standalone executable games!
This class explores 3D space and the complexity that an additional dimension adds to the game-building process. Topics include loading objects, using the mouse to click on objects, transforming objects in 3D space, using lists and arrays to store objects in grids, and searching grids for specific objects or data. Read more »
In ClassroomOnlineDiscover more complex programming concepts by building 3D games using the game engine Panda3d 1.7. This engine utilizes Python, a scripting language that is simple to understand and builds good techniques that can be transferred to any other programming language such as C++ and Javascript. Learn games programming and take away complete standalone executable games!
This class explores the use of animated models, complex collisions, and interactive interfaces. It tackles topics such as moving objects over an uneven ground and having objects affected by acceleration factors. Read more »
In ClassroomOnlineAdvanced Placement Physics B is an algebra-based two-semester course, covering the following areas of study:
This first semester course covers mechanics and thermodynamics (heat).
Students who receive a score of 3 or above on the AP Exam may have the opportunity to bypass the preliminary physics course at the college they choose to attend, depending on that institution's policy.
AP Physics B provides a foundation in physics for students in the life sciences, pre-medicine, some applied sciences, and other fields not directly related to science.
In ClassroomOnlineAdvanced Placement Physics B is an algebra-based two-semester course, covering the following areas of study:
This second semester course covers electricity, magnetism, waves, optics and modern physics.
Students who receive a score of 3 or above on the AP Exam may have the opportunity to bypass the preliminary physics course at the college they choose to attend, depending on that institution's policy. Read more »
Are you concerned about preparing for the Advanced Placement US Government test? Do you want to gain an extra edge? Here is your answer!
The course is divided into six major sections:
Each section of the course contains: Read more »
Improve your writing and communications skills in just 15 weeks! Are you preparing for an internship, part-time, or full-time job?
Business Communications teaches the communication skills students need to enter and be successful in the workplace. Topics include business correspondence, job application materials, presentations, proposals, and reports.
Experience the creative techniques used by published authors, and "learn by writing" to improve your storytelling skills.
In this course you will become familiar with the elements of fiction, analyze the work of classic and contemporary authors, share your work with an online community of writers, and express your vision of the world in an original short story. Find your own unique voice and tell your own story, then publish it on Zulama Story Central or keep it as part of your private portfolio.
Are poor English skills holding you back from succeeding in business?
This course gives you the fluencies required to fulfill your future employment ambitions. You will become familiar with business vocabulary and business culture by practicing spoken and written activities common to companies in the United States. Learn to use English during the following situations: Read more »
Learn about the mechanics of game design, the creative process of designing a game, and practice what you learn by making your own game!
Discussion topics: Read more »
Are you aspiring to a career in video games?
Try it out first by role-playing different industry jobs, such as artist, project manager, musician, and game designer. Learn the tools, skills, and methodologies used in the video game industry by using them on a real project.
Start with a general overview of software development and production and discover how games are marketed and make money. Form up to three fictitious game companies in which you assume different positions within the firm, create a game, and sell some copies. Classmates are given virtual dollars used to purchase two out of the three games. Finally, analyze how well your product competed in the virtual marketplace. Read more »
What do video game-crazed teenagers today have in common with teens in ancient Egypt or Mesopotamia? Find out for yourself by prototyping and playing ancient as well as modern games.
Starting from ancient Egypt, through the Middle Ages and the Renaissance, to the dawn of video games, you will learn about the relationships between a culture, the desired forms of that culture’s entertainment, and how games expressed the technology available to the culture.
This is a foundations course for other art, programming, or video game design classes. The experience you gain by hands-on research, presentations, prototyping and game-playing in this course will help you decide whether to pursue a career in the game industry. Read more »
Will the concepts you learn in geometry class ever be useful to you in the real world?!
Architects live and breathe geometry, and some of the most important landmarks in world history demonstrate the greatest applications of geometric principles.
This video-based course presents a different perspective, offering an interdisciplinary approach to geometry, as well as an aesthetic understanding of architectural landmarks from around the world. The use of geometry software deepens a student’s understanding of key concepts.
What makes a story seem scary? Is it the setting? The characters? Suspense?
Decide for yourself in this semester-long course—if you DARE!
Students read horror works written by the father of the horror story Edgar Allan Poe, as well as others by Shirley Jackson, Agatha Christie, HP Lovecraft, and Stephen King. By the end of the term, students will write their own horror story using the elements learned in the course.
In ClassroomOnlineDo you want to be fearless in the face of standardized testing?
This course is designed to prepare students for the verbal sections of standardized tests including state English tests, PSAT, SAT and GRE examinations. Read more »
In ClassroomOnlineStart programming right away! Follow along step by step at first, and then use what you have learned to create a barnyard game and a moon command game. Program, debug, playtest, and revise until your games are fully playable.
Basic programming concepts are presented by hands-on building of 2D games using the Game Maker 8.0 engine. This engine uses GML, a scripting language that is easy to understand and builds good techniques that can be transferred to any other programming language such as C++, Python, or Javascript.
This class explores scripting syntax, variables, arrays, conditional statements, and looping statements.
Your experience gained by coding real projects in this course will help you decide whether to pursue a career in game programming. Read more »
This is a fun, hands-on, project-based course using the free GameSalad development tool to create games that can be played on the iPhone, iPod Touch, or iPad.
Start by learning basic concepts and principles of game design, and then apply your new skills by actually creating a playable game.
Take away portfolio-worthy games for career- and college-prep!
Click here to see the Video Game Academy course roadmap.
In ClassroomOnlineExpand your writing abilities, fine-tune your research skills, and explore the limits of media presentations.
With the exponential growth of information in the 21st century and the increasing call for the necessary skills to process the information we are bombarded with every day, it is no longer sufficient to achieve media literacy. This program of study helps you achieve media fluency through an experiential model that places you in the roles of survey and investigative journalists as well as documentarians.
Beyond literacy is fluency. Fluency is the ability to practice literacy at the advanced levels required for sophisticated communication within social and workplace environments. Read more »
In ClassroomOnlineDid you know that the movies Almost Famous and Star Wars share the same storyline?
Find out more about storytelling in games, movies, and popular media:
Discover techniques that lead to story structure and awareness, creative writing, improvisational acting, collaborative storytelling, and creative self-confidence. This class is perfect if you have yearned (secretly or openly) to learn how to write in modern dramatic form because of your experience playing games and watching popular media. Read more »
In ClassroomOnlineWill you rise to the challenge of writing a user manual or installation guide that people can actually understand?!
Technical writing is unlike any other field. A technical writer must be part graphic artist, part researcher, part interviewer, and above all, a clear thinker. In this course, you will:
In ClassroomOnlineDo you know what the juvenile justice system is, and how it affects you? Read about cases brought before the United States Supreme Court, and consider how the Court’s rulings influence your daily life.
The course is structured around the Bill of Rights and other Amendments specific to the rights of juveniles. It provides many critical thinking and discussion activities, research assignments, as well as both short answer and multiple choice assessments.
The content is aligned with the Common Core State Standards for Literacy in History/Social Studies.
What’s the “domino theory”? What’s the difference between a “dove” and a “hawk”? Study the Vietnam War and you’ll find out the answers to these and many other questions—and find out the how the impact of America’s defeat in Southeast Asia is felt even today. You will study the Vietnam War, starting with early Vietnamese history, proceeding through the eras of Chinese and French colonialism, and spending significant time on the period of American involvement. Read more »
In ClassroomOnlineThe American Revolution. The Civil War. World War II. Vietnam. Iraq and Afghanistan. These and other wars have marked the growth of the United States as it evolved as a new nation fighting for independence to becoming the world’s military superpower. This course will focus on the key wars in our nation’s history, paying close attention to strategy, tactics, and the deployment of armed forces.