Simulations and Educational Games: A Comparison.
With the rapid advancement of technological support systems, new and excited learning possibilities are being realized. We know that learning is exciting when it stimulates the mind and engages a student's natural enthusiasm to explore and grow. Learners engage learning when it is both an intellectual and emotional experience. Simulations and Educational Games are two of the most exciting blends of technology and learning opportunities.
Simulations.
The human race is enslaved my computers: technology. Humans are artificially bio-reproduced and plugged into a life support system including a neural interface. The neural interface fools the human into believing in a simulated world created by software: The Matrix. Okay. This may seem a little fantastic, but it is more in the realm of science fiction than of fantasy. Our virtual reality technology is not there yet. However, it has found practical application in many fields and is being deployed often in the wrapper of simulations. .
Virtual reality is only one simulation delivery mode. What makes a simulation a simulation?.
Definition.
Like most concepts, opinions differ on the definition of a simulation. Orlich, Harder, Callahan, Kauchak, & Gibson (1994) states that "a simulation is a representation of a manageable real event in which the learner is an active participant engaged in learning a behavior or in applying previously acquired skills or knowledge" (p. 243). Smith & Ragan (1999) state that "a simulation is an activity that attempts to mimic the most essential features of a reality but allows learners to make decisions within this reality without actually suffering the consequences of their decisions" (p. 143). In our text, Alessi & Trollip (2001) define an education simulation as "a model of some phenomenon or activity that users learn about through interaction with the simulation.
