Lesson 1 Activity 1 - Turn & Walk
The first activity in Lesson 1 is a participatory simulation called “Turn & Walk”. After
playing the “game” based on simple rules, students will see a computer
model based on the same activity. Of particular importance is the
comparison of real and virtual worlds and the consideration of how a
computer model might help us understand a phenomenon in the real-world. Students
will be exposed to characteristics of complex adaptive systems: many
agents, simple rules, emergent patterns, and “adaptive” to change. In
the second part of the activity, students will get an
overview of some of the parts of a computer model.
Watch the video of students playing the game “Turn & Walk” based on simple rules.
Quiz questions:
Watch a video that shows how to run experiments with this model. Open the computer model based on the activity and run the model several times with different parameters.
Quiz questions:
Next, run simulations using a computer model based on the same activity.
Click to open the StarLogo Nova Turn and Walk model.
Review new terms: agent, simple rules, heading, iteration, prediction, emergent patterns, scatter, initial conditions, outcomes, phenomenon, and adaptive.
Reflection:
Reflect on the correspondence between the model of Turn and Walk and the real-world activity.
- Watch a video of students playing the game "Turn & Walk"
- Watch a video on how to use the computer model of "Turn & Walk"
- Run simulations of the game using a computer model.
- Learn new CS concepts (events, event handlers)
Watch the video of students playing the game “Turn & Walk” based on simple rules.
Quiz questions:
1 point
What were the simple rules for" Turn and Walk"?
1 point
What was the emergent pattern that formed in Turn and Walk when the rules were repeated multiple times?
Watch a video that shows how to run experiments with this model. Open the computer model based on the activity and run the model several times with different parameters.
Quiz questions:
1 point
What were three of the variables you could set in the Turn and Walk model?
1 point
What is the name of the StarLogo interface area where the simulation takes place?
Next, run simulations using a computer model based on the same activity.
Click to open the StarLogo Nova Turn and Walk model.
Learn CS Concepts:
Read about events and event handling in these two documents
Review new terms: agent, simple rules, heading, iteration, prediction, emergent patterns, scatter, initial conditions, outcomes, phenomenon, and adaptive.
Reflection:
Reflect on the correspondence between the model of Turn and Walk and the real-world activity.
- What parts of the real-world activity were reflected the model?
- What are some differences between the modeled version of Turn and Walk and the real-world activity?
- What features of the real-world are left out? Do those features matter?
- How can computer models be used to learn about the real world?
- What kinds of things would you rather model on a computer than in real life?