Re: Introduction

["Gary McCallister" <mccallis@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>]

Wow!  I am saving your post as a repository of rich ideas for exploration.  I
have touched on a few of these already, but not in much depth and not all.  

>>> jknope@xxxxxxxx 09/15/06 12:28 PM >>>
Welcome Gary!

I am very pleased at the prospect of seeing MW brought to use with college 
level work.  I have long lamented that so often Logo gets left in the dust, 
too often viewed as a child's program, its promise as a robust personal 
computing environment largely unfilled.

I suspect MW is really very well-suited to many studies of biologic 
modelling, population ecology, territory recruitment dynamics, species 
competition... to name just a few.  Turtles may used to act as individuals 
within a population, following observed (and easily programmed) rules of 
behavior; or they may be used to represent entire populations, in rule-based 
(gene-driven) interaction with other populations and the physical 
environment.  Judicious use of  limited randomness can be used to tease-out 
and demonstrate evolutionary pressures.

MW is also well-suited to more prosaic biology tasks, such as cataloging and 
collection management, distribution mapping, expedition management, etc.  I 
truly believe the possibilities are endless.

Welcome to the table.

Jeff

----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Gary McCallister" <mccallis@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
To: <mwforum@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>
Sent: Friday, September 15, 2006 8:25 AM
Subject: Introduction


> Hi!  I am joining the mwforum.  I am familiar with logo from previously, 
> as I
> was active in Logo teaching and learning a few years ago.  However, our 
> school
> went through some hard times and I lost support, and then got moved into
> administration (shudder).  But I am back and hope to pick up with my Logo
> involvement.
>
> I am a biology teacher in a small liberal arts college, with some
> responsibility for teacher preparation.  I have used Logo in the past to 
> build
> models of biological activity.  In fact, I developed, a few years ago, a 
> project
> I caled Logo Life where I built models of biological types of activities 
> in
> Logo.  I would love to update and improve these and get them posted on the 
> web
> some place.  I have done all my work in Microworlds.  In fact, I just gave 
> a
> series of papers on the Biology of the Mind and devoted most of one 
> lecture to
> parents and ther use of Microworlds.  Shouldn't I get a kick back or 
> something?
> ;-)  I am not sure what my questions are just yet, but I hope to join in 
> as I
> can.
>
>
>
> Gary McCallister
>
> http://www.onemanmormonbluesband.com 
> semi-serious and quasi-comic music for the non-disciminating consumer
>
>