Simulation

This week I'm going to take a bit of a step away from simulations role in education, and talk about simulation theory. Simulation theory is the idea that all of what we know as reality, is a constructed simulation. There are many people who have joined in on this argument both for and against the theory. In short, the argument supporting the theory states that the reality we live in has been constructed by a superior being, or beings, and control what happens around us. The argument against is grounded by the fact that we created simulations and control them. I want to know your thoughts on this. Even if this theory isn't real, does it provoke a conversation about the limits of technology? When have we gone too far, will we ever come to the point of too far?

Within the healthcare system there are three main uses of simulations, education, assessment, and research. Simulations in education allow students to have practice in between learning the material in class, and trying it out in clinical's. It is one more step to enhance their skills, and ensure the patients safety. Simulations in assessment work in a similar way. The students will demonstrate their skills beyond a typical written test. They demonstrate their competency through realistic action. Research simulations are different than the previous two, because these are done through constructive, or computer based, simulations. This means that nobody interacts with it. Instead the scenario is set up with all of the details that they are trying to test, and then it plays out on its own. This is a very low risk way to research medicine and disease because no animals or patients are involved. This is just a basic overview, but if you like more information I encourage you to visit th...

Learners learn through all of their senses, therefore the more hands on the better the learning outcome. https://blog.mclabs.com/t-tof-7-benefits-of-incorporating-hands-on-learning-into-your-classroom-training This is a link to a short list of reasons why hands on learning is important if you want to read more. The summarized version is that it increases retention, increases engagement, allows for instant feedback, allows extra practice, alleviates risk, accommodates different learning styles, and it improves problem solving skills. Because there are multiple different types of simulations, all of these important aspects of hands on learning can be accomplished through them. Simulations allow the possibility of practicing real life situations, prior to them happening. Because it is applicable to their life they will be engaged with the content, also raising the amount of information they will retain. They can receive feedback from their trainer, and run through the simulation aga...

Whether you realize it or not, it is very likely that you have interacted with a simulator before. I say this because one of the most common types of simulations are video games. The popular ones are games like Sims, any sports game, or even farming simulator. This genre of gaming is popular amongst all age groups. This is information most of us already know. What some people aren't aware of is a subset of video game simulators. This subset is used for training, most commonly for medical, business, or military purposes. These games are designed with one of three purposes: analyze a persons skills in strategy, assess a persons ability to formulate an operable plan, or as a learning exercise. What is so amazing about these simulations is their ability to allow people going into these fields to be analyzed prior to them actually stepping out on to the field. Medicine, business, and the military are all high risk fields. As someone hiring new people you would want to take every mea...

In short, simulation is the imitation of a process, however the world of simulation goes far beyond that. What a simulation is, is a model of a real life situation, and the person engaging with it can carry out real life actions without actually being in the situation. Simulations exist in many worlds such as education, science, healthcare, and even gaming. Each of which is using simulators for a different function. Throughout the semester I'll post more in depth about how each of these uses simulations. For now I will just talk about the different types of simulations. First there are live simulations. This is where people are interacting with physical objects, outside of their intended use. An example of this is the military using equipment to train prior to enemy engagement. Another type of simulation is virtual simulation. This is where a person interacts with a computer program. A common example of this would be the Sims video game. The final type is constructive simulation....

Hello All, welcome to my blog. I'm Michaela and my blog is all about simulation. I look forward to a good semester with everyone.