Educational Simulations

After presenting the multimedia principle, I couldn’t help but search for more applications of useful simulations. I found http://www.techtrekers.com/sim.htm. This site looks like it has a bunch of great links for interactive tools, and it does, but you have to search for them. This is a common misfortune of which I warned fellow teachers when we were creating webquests: a resource or site that you find now is not necessarily going to be there when you use the webquest.
At the time of my search, these were a few interesting resources that were working:
Math and physics applets (9-12) This site contains java applets that are designed to help students visualize important concepts in mathematics and physics. Applets include simulations and demonstrations of sound waves, membrane oscillators, and vector fields.
http://www.falstad.com/mathphysics.html
The learning equation (9-12) This site presents 15 applets for exploring mathematics topics in geometry, trigonometry, and probability. Each applet has detailed directions for use and suggestions for exploration. http://members.shaw.ca/ron.blond/TLE/index.html
Calculus (11-12) This site contains interactive java applets that demonstrate concepts from calculus. The page has three main sections that cover topics concerning limits, derivatives, and integrals. http://www.ies.co.jp/math/products/calc/menu.html
ExploreMath.com (8-12) This site features interactive activities designed to help students visualize and explore a spectrum of major mathematical concepts from elementary algebra through pre-calculus.

FlexSim

So I'm doing a presentation on FlexSim, and I thought I'd share. FlexSim is a simulation software that creates 3d models in a real 3d environment that allows anyone to input a system, ranging from manufacturing to hospital admissions. The user can that figure out where backups or other problems occur, or they could test a new set up without ever having to change the actual system. In manufacturing this can save a lot of time and money when trying to figure out why your widgets aren't being sent through the assembly line fast enough or what would happen if you switched step 5 and 7 around.

What I think is really cool is that you can import your own 3d creations from other programs into FlexSim and put them into the simulation as functioning objects

Second Life Brain Control?

I have heard of second life before this class, but after talking about it my curiosity got to me and I looked around on some of my favorite gadget blogs. This comes from a gizmodo article last year and I thought it may be of some interest to the group. This looks like a basic brain control device made by a university in Japan. It allows the use to just think of walking and translates it to keyboard strokes to move a second life avatar.

eLearning for Life and Death Decisions

This post is just anecdotal, based on recent experience with a new job. When Dr. Kapp guest spoke during a class I had (can't remember which class now), he described scenarios where Second Life would be ideal: train firefighters to make decisions or learn a language by having to order food in that language in a virtual restaurant.

I thought a while about the firefighter example- what a great way to establish a foundation for concepts and decision making, before implementing the expensive and potentially dangerous simulation where a firefighter uses real equipment, or reacts to real problems.

Currently, the company I work for is developing a trade show exhibit to teach anesthesiologists more about a product that monitors the level of anesthesia in a patient. Effective anesthesia has multiple components: muscle paralysis, loss of memory, loss of consciousness, and no pain, among others. There have been instances where people have recalled the surgery, which is a problem. Imagine being aware of what's happening to you during surgery, but unable to speak or react, because muscle paralysis precludes you from speaking or moving!

The trade show simulation being developed has potential to be a regular training tool, and not simply an advertising tool, should the client choose to go that route. The learner gets to sit in the chair of the anesthesiologist, where he/she is introduced to a scenario that includes patient details. The anesthesiologist then takes over monitoring the anesthesia level, and is presented with a dilemma somewhere along the path, which he/she may ignore or respond to. Upon completion of the simulation, the learner gets feedback based on decisions and actions taken.

The best part about the whole simulation is, it combines eLearning with "real world" actions. Anesthesiologist actions on syringes and vaporizers are fed into software which then calibrates the user interface accordingly. The user interface can provide feedback and learning scenarios. A great example of using an eLearning approach when you want somebody to have familiarity with concepts and decisions before going into an event live.