Interview with Alex on 4/6
Questions
on AgentSheets
- What is the purpose of AgentSheets?
It was created as a simulation authoring tool for end users.
It focuses on two types of simulations, eductional games and computational science simulations.
- What was the inspiration of creating AS?
End users should be more empowered, much like use with spreadsheets. The exaggerated objective statement is to create something “powerful enough to create SimCity in 10 minutes”
Its main goal was to have a LOW threshold with HIGH ceiling.
It was powerful enough for NASA to use it to do payload simulations.
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The idea came from spreadsheets capabilities. The thought of adding buttons or even active agents instead of just numbers brought about Agent Sheets.
Another factor that lead to its development was Alex’s encounters with a connection machine. Its power was not being harnessed because the programs did not map to the parallel architecture. Agent Sheets was designed to take advantage of parallel computing.
- Who are the target users of AS?
Those users that have a task that have a simulation they wish to create that are not familiar or concerned with all the concepts of programming.
Alex used an analogy with the Turing Test which he called the Pac-Man test, in that every user should be able to create the game Pac-Man without too much difficulty.
Uses in Adults vs Students
The younger kids would use much more trial and error than the older people that would try to think and plan out the program before starting a program. AS is designed more for “tinkering” than the UML design process.
- Who actually uses AS? How do they use?
Scientists from chemistry, space, to social science used Agent Sheets to model viruses, the economy, and neighborhood segregation. There was not much different between social scientists and natural scientists using AS.
Unexpeced user: the Army.
Agent sheets is also used by non scientists to makes games and fun applications.
- What is the difference in the way AS is used by expert and beginner users?
Concepts between kids and scientists:
Scientist: may use more complex equations ie, AI
Kids may not understand all of the equations but they understand what they do and if given the right equations they can create complex things without necessarily understanding them.
SideNote:
In the computer clubs he is not really teaching anymore, they each teach each other. They would see something they like and then try and make that happen on their own program.
- How are the feedbacks from users?
Feed back is usually very positive.
Typically the negitive feed back comes from those people that have prior programming experience and expect Agent Sheets to fucntion as their native programming language would. Those that do not take Agent Sheets for what it is basically.
- Have you done any evaluation of AS?
They do lab evaulations, however the best way to view sucess is to see someone buy the product and use it to create a simulation to be posted on that person's webpage.
- What is your future development plan?
Working on Agent Cubes, built on quick time iTunes, rich textures and visualizations. Having the ability to interface with such things as xml. 3D seems attractive on the surface but it is very complex.
In most cases you can start in 2D and move towards 3D objects. Next task is interactive 3D simulations for end users.
on learning in general
Could you give us your opinion on following learning aspects?
- relationship between formal and informal learning.
Formal VS informal learning should be balanced, because in informal learning eventually they will get stuck. And formal learning needs some informal to understand the ideas learned.
In his courses he allows students to post and look at each other’s source to learn from it. From a language point of view, formal learning first has never worked. If you don’t have the need to use, the theory itself will not work for the majority of people.
- "learning about" and "learning to be"
Most school models learning about where statically most information does not stick, the second model is not easy to teach.
- motivation factor of learning
To learn more it is about being able to apply the knowledge to create something, not matter how trivial.
- tools for learning vs tools for living
It depends on the application. Bridge builder learning, weather application living.
- How do you think about the difference between learning by children and by adults?
It is mostly a question of attitudes. All of the kids are explorers and inventors. Then school has an effect on this reducing their creativity. Adults usually like to be on the safe side with offering an answer than children.
Adults need more scaffolding than children. Example in a High School simulation you would need to have an introduction, objective, and more for the simulation rather than younger children that just want to try it out.
learning project