Vanessa Stevens Colella, Eric Klopfer, Mitchel Resnick.
Adventures in Modeling: exploring complex, dynamic systems with StarLogo.
Teachers College Press. 2001
Have you ever wondered how birds flock or forest fires spread?
For thousands of years people—from daVinci to Einstein—have created models
to help them better understand patterns and processes in the world around them.
Computers make it easier for novices to build and explore their own models—and
learn new scientific ideas in the process.
Adventures in Modeling introduces you and your students
to designing, creating, and investigating models in StarLogo.
Using models to explore complex, dynamic systems or events (like predator/prey interactions or traffic jams) is a powerful learning experience. It can help you see the world in new ways and demonstrate how complex patterns can arise from many simple interactions. Modeling and simulation are finding a rapidly growing audience among teachers in middle and high school science and mathematics classes—especially since the NCTM and AAAS standards advocate their integration into the curriculum.