Here is a table from Gadgets, Games and Gizmos for Learning (shown below) that describes several different types of simulations, provides examples and indicates the type of knowledge generally taught with that type of simulation. Type Definition Knowledge Taught Physical Procedures Simulator A simulated object, piece of equipment or machine. Procedural, operation of equipment or machinery Software Emulation Simulated software that works and function in a fashion similar to the software that it is teaching or emulating. Problem-solving., MORE >>

Simulations Do they die in real life? Tags: simulations class definition Avatar Here is some information as pre-reading for webinar attendees and for students in the Learning in 3D summer class. Avatar Information Learning about avatars:What is an Avatar? Encourage Avatar Customization Promoting motivation with virtual agents and avatars: role of visual presence and appearance. You are your avatar, your avatar is you. Remember, even in an educational video, you are telling a story. The story of how to accomplish a task or achieve a desired outcome. It means an instructional story. MORE >>

The new Star Trek brings back mention of the legendary simulation - Kobayashi Maru. Thinking about this test gives me four ideas about making training simulations effective. Here are my ideas to add to my previous post of how real a training simulation should be. Consider an Unwinnable Situation The least you can do is NOT make the simulation easy. say this because a simulation is a compressed view of real life. Its easy to navigate through the Happy Path , but what you'd like people to learn through the simulation, is how to navigate the Sad Path. MORE >>

" Each school day will consist of four 90-minute blocks, each tackling a different cross-disciplinary domain: Codeworlds (a combination of mathematics and English) Being, Space and Place (English and social studies) The Way Things Work (maths and science) Sports for the Mind (game design and digital literacy) It is not a new idea to base a learning intervention around some form of challenge, scenario, game or simulation, which will allow learning to occur through a process of guided discovery. Tags: simulations games It will be extremely interesting to see how they get on. MORE >>

When I visited the Johns Hopkins Simulation Center , we ran a simulation involving a patient heart attack. The actions taken by myself and others occurred in a simulated hospital room using the same equipment found in any hospital room. When pilots train, they use a flight simulator that acts and reacts just like a real aircraft complete with hydraulic movements to simulate actual responses of the plane. Tags: simulations Learning at Work Education Here's why. The processes have been formalized, in knowledge work, many of the processes are formalized. MORE >>