DISTANCE LEARNING ONLINE COURSES from ZULAMA

Every generation needs a new revolution. Thomas Jefferson

Zulama offers a variety of elective courses than most schools have the ability to offer. The flexibility of online delivery enables students to learn at their own pace, without being limited to a class period. Without this time pressure, students can review lessons, based on their own schedules, or tackle more challenging activities if they master the lesson content. Content is either unique in nature or delivers frequently seen content in a thought-provoking and challenging way. Courses are tailored to the high school learner, but the subject matter generates interest enough to fascinate any adult.

Zulama classes normally cost $495, but because of a generous alumni donor the cost to MPS students will be significantly discounted at $250. Payment is due August 15, 2013. Two Zulama courses taken consecutively in the same year constitute a yearlong elective course. The duration of the first course will be from August until midterm of term II; the second course will begin at midterm of term II and conclude at the end of the school year.

The following courses will be available both in the fall of 2013 and the spring of 2014:

GAMES THROUGH THE AGES – Cost $250 #8540 Freshman, Sophomore, Junior, Senior .50 credit Semester course

What do -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 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. MOBILE APP AND GAME DESIGN– Cost $250 #8563 Freshman, Sophomore, Junior, Senior .50 credit Semester course

This is a fun, hands-on, project-based course using the free GameSalad development tool to create games that can be played on iOS or Android devices. Start by learning basic concepts and principles of game design, and then apply your new skills by actually creating playable games. Take away portfolio-worthy games for career- and college-prep! INTRO TO I– Cost $250 #8564 Freshman, Sophomore, Junior, Senior .50 credit Semester course

Start programming right away! Follow along step by step at first, and then use what you have learned to create a barnyard game and a moonblast 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 that is easy to understand and builds good techniques that can be transferred to any other such as ++, Python, or Javascript. This class explores scripting syntax, variables, arrays, conditional statements, and looping statements. FOR VIDEO GAMES– Cost $250 #8566 Freshman, Sophomore, Junior, Senior .50 credit Semester course

Prerequisite: Introduction to Games Programming Start your career as a 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. Techniques learned in this program 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.

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MODERN STORYTELLING– Cost $250 #8553 Freshman, Sophomore, Junior, Senior .50 credit Semester course

Did 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:  Learn to recognize the elements of dramatic storytelling present in modern popular media.  After learning the techniques and methods of storytelling, write your own original story. 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.

The following courses will be available in the spring of 2014:

INTRO TO VIDEO GAME PROGRAMMING II– Cost $250 #8565 Freshman, Sophomore, Junior, Senior .50 credit Semester course

Prerequisite: Intro to Video Game Programming I Continue to build on your programming skills you learned in Intro to Video Game Programming I. Your experience gained by coding real projects in this course will help you decide whether to pursue a career in game programming.

3D TEXTURES FOR VIDEO GAMES– Cost $250 #8567 Freshman, Sophomore, Junior, Senior .50 credit Semester course

Prerequisite: 3D Modeling Learn 3D texturing, lighting and camera skills, and use your work to build a portfolio! You will use 3DS Max, which is a standard in the . Techniques learned in this program can be transferred to any other modeling application. 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. 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.

The following courses will be offered during the fall of 2013 and the spring of 2014 based on demand:

GAME DESIGN STUDIO– Cost $250 #8541 Freshman, Sophomore, Junior, Senior .50 credit Semester course

Prerequisite: Requires a minimum of 4 students from MPS

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: overview of games and creative process (idea generation, brainstorming),the game design process, game development (iteration and paper prototyping), game mechanics and dynamics (emphasis on probability).You will build and decorate dice-based games that you and your friends can test and play. Learn about how you could turn your paper game into a computerized version.

GEOMETRY AND ARCHITECTURE– Cost $250 #8550 Sophomore, Junior, Senior .50 credit Semester course

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. This course is ideal for students considering engineering or architecture as a career. Students taking this course will need to use a TI-Nspire graphing calculator provided by MPS.

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HORROR: READ IT, WRITE IT– Cost $250 #8551 Freshman, Sophomore, Junior, Senior .50 credit Semester course

. . . if you dare! What makes a story seem scary? Is it the setting? The characters? Suspense? Decide for yourself in this term 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.

CREATIVE WRITING: THE ART OF STORYTELLING– Cost $250 #8552 Freshman, Sophomore, Junior, Senior .50 credit Semester course

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.

THE VIETNAM WAR: AN INQUIRY INVESTIGATION– Cost $250 #8556 Freshman, Sophomore, Junior, Senior .50 credit Semester course

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. At the conclusion of each lesson, you will complete inquiry activities to show your understanding of such issues as the question of intervention at Dienbienphu; the decision to send combat troops to Vietnam; the relative merits of the domino theory; and perspectives on the US military effort. Along the way, you will be exposed to numerous primary sources, including photos, videos, and videotape recordings of the major events of the war.

THE BILL OF RIGHTS– Cost $250 #8557 Freshman, Sophomore, Junior, Senior .50 credit Semester course

Do 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.

MEDIA FLUENCY – THE NEW STANDARD FOR MEDIA LITERACY– Cost $250 #8558 Junior, Senior .50 credit Semester course

Expand 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

TECHNICAL WRITING: LEARNING THE ART OF CLEAR COMMUNICATION– Cost $250 #8559 Sophomore, Junior, Senior . 50 credit Semester course

Will 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 develop the skills needed to break down difficult concepts into easy to learn chunks; learn the art of blending pictures, technical drawings, and graphics with clear and precise text; practice interviewing engineers, software developers, and operators in order to develop impressive and easy to understand documents.

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BUSINESS COMMUNICATIONS– Cost $250 #8560 Senior .50 credit Semester course

Improve your writing and communications skills in just 1 semester! Are you preparing for an internship, part-time, or full- time job? Business Communications teaches students the communication skills they need to enter and be successful in the workplace. Topics include business correspondence, job application materials, presentations, proposals, and reports.

DISTANCE LEARNING ONLINE COURSE from MERCY ONLINE

LATIN I-Cost $250 plus cost of text Latin Via Ovid: A First Course Second Edition

#8531 Freshman, Sophomore, Junior, Senior 1.00 credit Yearlong

Learn the language that spawned Spanish, French, Italian, and –yes – even a great deal of English. Latin can be a boost to your own English vocabulary and could be an aid in many other scholastic pursuits, such as in health related studies. Linguistic structure and vocabulary will be taught through dialogue, reading, exercises, and Internet sites. Etymological, cultural, and historical studies will also be done in this course. This class is elective and does not meet the modern language requirement.

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