My faculty has looked over STELLA & Vensim modeling. Here there is very
limited interest There are too many items on our agenda for us to stop and
try another avenue that is this complex during school operations
particularly when they perceive little immediate use, use that will increase
learning for everyone and make their teaching lives les stressful. Upper
level math faculty have some interest, CISCO systems faculty are not
interested right now. What we are looking for is something with general
applicability; ease of use for the non-technical person. They do not think
the current model has those properties. The e-mail that I have viewed seems
to be unconnected to anything we are interested in right now. If conditions
change, we might be interested.

Dr. Joseph M. Sullivan
Principal
Gloucester High School
32 Leslie O. Johnson Road
Gloucester, MA 01930

Xxxxxxxx

Date: Wed, 1 May 2002
To: k-12sd <k-12sd@sysdyn.mit.edu>
From: "Jay W. Forrester" <jforestr@MIT.EDU>
Subject: The discussion list

It appears that there have been no submissions to the email
discussion list since March 15, 2002. Does this mean that the list
is no longer of interest? Or, are we failing to receive submissions?
I would like to see a discussion of the usefulness of the list, and
how it might be made more effective for teachers who are venturing
into the use of system dynamics.

---------------------------------------------------------
Jay W. Forrester
Professor of Management
Sloan School
Massachusetts Institute of Technology
Room E60-389
Cambridge, MA 02139
tel: 617-253-1571
fax: 617-258-9405
Home office:
tel: 978-369-9372
fax: 978-369-9077

xxxxxxxx

Subject: Re: Forrester: The discussion list
To: k-12sd <k-12sd@sysdyn.mit.edu>
From: "Rafael Soto/RS2/CC01/INEEL/US" <RS2@inel.gov>
Date: Mon, 6 May 2002

Have you looked at the trend in prior years regarding the number of
submissions at various times during the school year? It might be an issue
dealing with Spring break plus "end of the year" syndrome.
I personally find the list useful. Please keep it up.

Thanks.

Rafael Soto
INEEL
Systems Science and Engineering
208-526-4250
rs2@inel.gov

Xxxxxxxxxxxx

From: "Jane Schumacher" <idea@idea.org>
To: "k-12sd" <k-12sd@sysdyn.mit.edu>
Subject: Re: Forrester: The discussion list
Date: Mon, 6 May 2002

Dear Jay:
Thanks for asking the question about the use of the discussion group! I am
so pleased that educators are beginning to talk about the implications of
systems thinking and systems dynamics in classrooms, schools, and school
districts across the nation.
Let me share a few thoughts with you. First and foremost, on a national
level, few key decision makers, ie. superintendents / principals are even
aware of the field of systems thinking. Most of the educators with whom our
organization works are focused on the increasing responsibilities and
growing complexities of educational leadership today. The hunger for
intellectual stimulation is a "still small voice" for most thoughtful
educational leaders, however, many are mired in the day to day operations
and growing accountablity initiatives required by the state and federal
goverments.
Second, in discussions that I have had with Daniel Kim, Bill Isaacs, Peter
Garrett, Mary Scheetz, Meg Wheatley, and others regarding the potential
power of systems thinking for educators, the notion of directing efforts
toward professional development for administrators in this field has been
noted. Our organization, IDEA (The Institute for the Development of
Educational Activities, Inc.) was begun as the educational arm of the
Charles F. Kettering Foundation in Dayton, Ohio in 1966. It's mission then
and now is to inspire educational leaders for the continual improvement of
public education.
I believe that the time is NOW to focus the efforts of our organization in
collaboration with MIT and other systems thinkers on the infusion of
systems thinking into the training and ongoing professional development of
educational leaders. I am most eager to talk with you at length about our
efforts to do just that.
Our first foray into the introduction of systems thinking for educational
leaders will be this summer at our 35th Annual IDEA Fellows Program. This
program brings together the nation's top educational leaders to live and
study together for one week in July on three college campuses across the
country. Mary Scheetz will be one of our Distinguished Speakers this summer
to share her work with the participants.
Jay, let me invite you to become a part of this initiative to bring systems
thinking to school leaders. I would love to have to join us in Atlanta
(July 14-19) either as a participants or as a Distinguished Scholar in
Residence so that you might study the possibilities for conversations in the
future.
I would love to talk with you further. Feel free to email me at this
address or to call me at home at 847.426.4044 or at the office. You might
also wish to look at our website (www.idea.org) to see the kinds of
opportunities that we might have to work together on a project designed to
bring systems thinking to school administrators. The possibilities are
endless!

Take care,

Jane Schumacher, Ed.D.
|IDEA (The Institute for Development of Educational Activities, Inc.)
259 Regency Ridge
Dayton, OH 45459
937.434.6969 (phone)
937.434.5203 (fax)
idea@idea.org

Xxxxxxxxxxxx

From: hansel@texas.net
To: k-12sd <k-12sd@sysdyn.mit.edu>
Subject: Re: Forrester: The discussion list
Date: Mon, 6 May 2002

I am one of the readers who posts rarely but always reads the posts. I hope
that the occasional lulls in the conversation will not give people the idea
that no one is interested.
We might want to pursue the discussion that we have had on and off about the
purpose of the list. If that were clearer, we might get greater
participation.
In any case, please keep this going! Once I have a chance to learn more about
systems dynamics, I will post more often and more confidently.

Janice Hansel

Xxxxxxxxx

From: Nancy Maville <nmaville@hps-inc.com>
To: k-12sd@sysdyn.mit.edu
Subject: STELLA Workshop Announcement
Date: Tue, 7 May 2002

From: "M. Atilla Öner" <maoner@yeditepe.edu.tr>
To: "k-12sd" <k-12sd@sysdyn.mit.edu>
Subject: Re: Forrester: The discussion list
Date: Tue, 7 May 2002 08:09:45 +0300

From: "k-12sd" <k-12sd@sysdyn.mit.edu>
I would like to see a discussion of the usefulness of the list, and
how it might be made more effective for teachers who are venturing
into the use of system dynamics.
-------------------

I joined the list with the goal of starting a SD programme for high-schools
in Turkey, hopefully in September 2002. I was expecting to listen to
experiences from USA.

Greetings,

Xxxxxxxxxxx

Date: Tue, 07 May 2002
From: Niall Palfreyman <niall.palfreyman@fh-weihenstephan.de>
To: k-12sd <k-12sd@sysdyn.mit.edu>
Subject: Re: Forrester: The discussion list

Jay Forrester schrieb:
I would like to see a discussion of the usefulness of the list, and
how it might be made more effective for teachers who are venturing
into the use of system dynamics.

I think I often find it difficult to assess the comments of others on
various issues, because I'm not sure how the comments and issues relate
to my own experience of teaching. The kind of post I really enjoy and
find useful is when someone reports on a particular concrete lesson
they've tried out, and tells the story of how it went and how others
might try the same experiment.

Best wishes,
Niall Palfreyman.

Xxxxxxxxxx

Shoukath

Xxxxxxxxxx

Date: Tue, 07 May 2002
From: Steve Kipp <skipp@glynn.k12.ga.us>
To: k-12sd <k-12sd@sysdyn.mit.edu>
Subject: Re: Forrester: The discussion list

Jay-
Sometimes we just get too busy in the trenches for listserve conversation! And
sometimes it's just too much of a mental stretch to go from all day
with 13 year
olds to the conversational level of this group, though when it's all working
well the two mutually reinforce each other.
But that last discussion about the relative merits of the different components
of the BOTG-through-computer-modeling continuum was incredibly useful, and when
all the diverse views were taken as a whole, it was some of the
clearest thought
I have seen expressed about this work we are doing. I'd say the listserve has
worked very well this year. But I'd also say we are nowhere near a level of
accessibility for those who are just starting their venture into ST/SD, this
level of discussion is too high for that. My two cents: we need to clarify our
purpose.

Steve Kipp

Xxxxxxxxxx

From: Sazonov Alexander <dalailama@rambler.ru>
To: k-12sd <k-12sd@sysdyn.mit.edu>
Subject: System dynamics and neurocomputing.
Date: Tue, 7 May 2002

Xxxxxxx

It is an extremely busy time for school administrators. I would like to
keep it going.

Kathy Minardi

Xxxxxxxxx

From: "Joy, Tim" <Tim.Joy@lasalle.pvt.k12.or.us>
To: "K12 (E-mail)" <k-12sd@sysdyn.mit.edu>
Subject: Discussion List

Date: Tue, 7 May 2002

Dear All:

I agree with Rafael Soto's comment that some of what we're witnessing is due
to the rhythms of the school year: the initial burst of energy flows out
for a few months, enough to sustain us heartily through Thanksgiving; into
January, another micro-burst propels us, but less so, as semester exams and
the ennui of winter sets in-these months test our will; after Spring Break,
we are on a breakneck roller coaster careening toward June. To take
Rafael's suggestion, we might track the traffic over recent years and see
what we're looking at.
In recent years, I posted questions in the Fall that received abundant,
thoughtful responses ; but in Spring, I felt as if I tossed a pebble into
the Grand Canyon, nary a reply. (I think Lees experienced the same thing.)
The original idea was that we might pass around the responsibity of
facilitating discussions on a 4 to six rotation, but we all know what
happened.
Perhaps, the natural rhythm of the list is just what we see-two items in the
Fall, one in the winter, one in the spring; but only if someone leads each.
We can expect declining participation each time, and that's the nature of
the beast. If we want more, we'll need both time and energy.
Another possibility is that, come April, someone simply steps forward on the
listserve and solicits from us a brief (two paragraph) description of
something that worked fairly well. And we bask in these successes. From
these brief reports, various listeners can directly contact those who are
doing work in their area, thereby speeding up the connections we so wish to
develop.
Or, perhaps, we consider Fall a time of questions, and-with some light
coordination from various people-Spring a time of reporting. That is, in
the early months, typical questions are raised, perhaps in an organized way,
as has been done in the past. After the holidays, people start posting
reports from the field (these people might even receive an honorarium), and
these reports, then, might provide the fodder for further discussions and
trial lessons in other parts of the country.
Not too sure about paying people to contribute or lead a discussion, but I
thought at least it ought to be out there on the table.
I do believe many more people are rather happily and excitedly lapping up
the discussions, but haven't much time to participate.

Date: Tue, 07 May 2002
From: Robert Cooms <rcooms@bigfoot.com>
To: k-12sd <k-12sd@sysdyn.mit.edu>
Subject: Re: Forrester: The discussion list

Hi -
I'm currently teaching 9th Grade World Geography and soon to be
teaching Government/Economics to 12th Graders. I'm looking for
relatively short applications that I could use with my kids. The
problem is that STELLA & Vensim don't seem like they'd work for me.
First, there's no money for software. 2nd problem is that my home
and classroom computers are PCs, but the computers that I'd have to
use with my kids at school are IMacs.
I've had a class in systems thinking and I fully appreciate the value
of it. I wish that there was a way to formally translate it for my
students, but either I would have to get ideas from listserv members
to utilize systems, or would have to be able to see things on the
Internet that could be accessed without any downloading due to my
school district's firewall.
So far the discussions, while at times interesting, has not helped me
with trying to accomplish the above. As I result, I've lurked but
this is the first time I've written. I realize that this sounds
pretty selfish but that's why I joined the listserv.

Robert Cooms

Xxxxxxxxx

From: "Terry McCarthy" <irishtmc@hotmail.com>
To: k-12sd@sysdyn.mit.edu
Subject: Re: Stuntz: 2002 Systems Thinking and Dynamic Modeling
Conference for K-12 Education
Date: Tue, 07 May 2002

Hi Lees,

What I find is that I am a "voice in the wilderness" when I try to
talk to my administrators and colleagues about systems thinking and
system dynamics. No own has a clue ,and I can see their eyes begin
to glaze over when I attempt to expound on the potentialities...
Since I became involved and focused on SD/ST through Bill Barrowy via
a Lesley University Masters in Ed. course, which culminated last
year, it seems hard to keep moving forward without some kind of local
support. Add to the scenario that I am a teacher of children in the
primary grades, and you can perhaps envision my struggle...
The seminars/workshops I see posted on the list are mainily from the
east-coast of the U.S., and I live on the "munificience" of a
classroom teacher's salary, I read and drool, but don't even think
about the possibility for attending...
Can anyone tell me when the west coast of the U.S. will begin to be
incorporated into the movement? Would it be possible to share at
least some of the largess of what is shared and learned with those of
us out here in the wilderness????? Although I am not personally
acquainted with others in my geographical area who are attempting to
integrate SD/ST into their teaching practice, there MUST be folks in
my neck of the woods. Is there a way to help us network?
Any assistance would be more than appreciated!

Yours for learning and sharing,

Terry McCarthy

Xxxxxxxxx

Date: Wed, 08 May 2002
From: Niall Palfreyman <niall.palfreyman@fh-weihenstephan.de>
To: k-12sd <k-12sd@sysdyn.mit.edu>
Subject: Re: Shoukath: simulation aids

Shoukath Ali schrieb:
I am interested in developing some animation schemes for simulating
some of the concepts in statistics usually difficult to explain by
the teachers and hard to understand by the studets...

I'm currently looking at ways of introducing math using SD to
first-year undergraduate students, and I'm finding Stella very useful.
In my opinion Stella (or one of the other SD products) would do the job
for you. For example, one simple model I use is intended as a reminder
of the role of the different coefficients in a quadratic polynomial. The
students can alter the coefficients and then redraw the curve to see the
effect of the changes. It took me about 2 minutes to construct this
model. If in addition you compile the model into a runtime version, the
students don't need to know anything about Stella to use it, but can
simply click on buttons you have placed for redrawing and quitting and
suchlike.

Best wishes,
Niall Palfreyman.

Xxxxxxxxx

From: "John MacKay" <mackay@pangea.org>
To: <k-12sd@sysdyn.mit.edu>
Subject: The discussion list and levels

Date: Wed, 8 May 2002

Dear list participants,

I propose that at the heading of each intervention the participants qualify
their level with a beginner, intermediate or advanced.
Possible consequences:
This would increase our confidence thus our participation.
Maybe some discussion on whether this is level such or such (not a big
problem there)
It would also deter those who jump onto some interventions as soon as they
see the opportunity for showing of rather than establishing a communication
flow.
Continue to form one same community in opposition to three independent
communities.

John MacKay
Barcelona

Xxxxxxxx

From: "shoukath ali" <drshoukath@hotmail.com>
To: k-12sd@sysdyn.mit.edu
Subject: SD modeling
Date: Wed, 08 May 2002

Dear Members

My Ph D work was on simulation of Blood bank Inventory Management
Systems using SD methodology. I was using an old version of DYNAMO at
that time that is back in 1991-92. I would like to know if DYNAMO is
still in vogue in Windows version?

Thanks and regards
Shoukath

Xxxxxxxxxxxx

From: "Bill & Cheryl Rathborne" <wfrcar@acncanada.net>
To: "K-12 Systems Dynamics" <k-12sd@sysdyn.mit.edu>
Subject: Rathborne: Use of list
Date: Tue, 7 May 2002

Like many I am an interested observer and not practised
in actually using SD software. I have locally tried
several times to interest our School Board at the
teacher, administrator, and trustee levels. I have even
gone to our Provincial Ministry of Education and the
Provincial "think tank" on education. Zero interest I'm
afraid. Since the local Board just announced the
cancellation of all "gifted" programs due to budget
cuts, I doubt they will ever have the inclination to
try something new or different. Great shame!

Bill Rathborne
London Ontario Canada

Xxxxxxxxxxxx

From: "José Luis Febles Patrón" <febles67@hotmail.com>
To: k-12sd@sysdyn.mit.edu
Subject: Febles: New Member and ask for help and advice...
Date: Wed, 08 May 2002

Dear list participants,

I am beginner in Systems Thinking and System dynamics.
I am a master´s student at Colegio de la Frontera Sur (www.ecosur.mx)
located in San Cristobal de las Casas, Chiapas, Mexico. I am studying
natural resources and rural development.
In particular, I would like to know how to make a model/map to
simulate my study subject. I want to study the ecological processes
related with succession of forest (jungle) at the Calakmul Reserve
(South of the Yucatan Peninsula), the landscape change over time due
to natural and human phenomena. How human activities (i.e
deforestation) affect the ecosystem in terms of biological diversity.
Also, I am interested to know the regeneration processes. In this
kind of system it could be good to predict vulnerability and
resilience.
Anyway, I need to focus more in particular my objectives for my proposal.
Thank you very much for your time and advice.

Yours in a common stewardship.

Jose Luis Febles-Patron
Posgrado
EL COLEGIO DE LA FRONTERA SUR
Carr. Panamericana y Periférico Sur s/n.
C.P. 29290, San Cristóbal de las Casas.
Tel: (967)81883, 81884. Ext: (4316)
Chiapas-México.

Xxxxxxxx

Date: Wed, 08 May 2002
From: Steve Barnes <steveb@pcez.com>
To: k-12sd@sysdyn.mit.edu
Subject: Reply to Jay Forrester

Jay wrote: I would like to see a discussion of the usefulness of the
list, and how it might be made more effective for teachers who are venturing
into the use of system dynamics.
------------------------------------------------------------------------
I found the discussions to be an unique opportunity to listen to
leaders in the system dynamics field and to other educators. It would
be helpful if the content of these postings could be subsequently
searched by sub-topic in an archive.
One topic that was not discussed on this listserv was the world
models used in future studies such as those found in: BEYOND THE LIMITS
by Meadows, Meadows, and Randers; and ECO-ECONOMICS by Lester Brown.
Since we are supposedly educating students for their adult years -a
decade or two from now, future studies for both educators and students
is a keystone of professional development and curriculum design.

Steve Barnes
steveb@pcez.com
Library/Media graduate student in Oregon

Xxxxxxxx

Date: Wed, 8 May 2002
To: k-12sd <k-12sd@sysdyn.mit.edu>
From: "Jay W. Forrester" <jforestr@MIT.EDU>
Subject: Where does systems enthusiasm start?

Terry McCarthy wrote:
What I find is that I am a "voice in the wilderness" when I try to
talk to my administrators and colleagues about systems thinking and
system dynamics. No one has a clue, and I can see their eyes begin
to glaze over when I attempt to expound on the potentialities...
it seems hard to keep moving forward without some kind of local
support.

Is it not too much to expect that administrators will be the first on
board? It seems to me that the schools we now see progressing
effectively have usually started with a single teacher who has
introduced system dynamics with growing student enthusiasm. The
interest diffuses outward and upward from an initial very local
success.
Is this observation correct? Are there examples where systems
enthusiasm started from the administration level and then moved to
the classroom?
--
---------------------------------------------------------
Jay W. Forrester
Professor of Management
Sloan School
Massachusetts Institute of Technology
Room E60-389
Cambridge, MA 02139
tel: 617-253-1571
fax: 617-258-9405
Home office:
tel: 978-369-9372
fax: 978-369-9077

Xxxxxxxxxxxx

From: "Chad Osborne" <ozpk@earthlink.net>
To: "k-12sd" <k-12sd@sysdyn.mit.edu>, <K-12SD@MITVMA.MIT.EDU>
Subject: The discussion list
Date: Wed, 8 May 2002

My vote: Keep it going. Even a voice crying in the wilderness eventually gets heard.
The Shodor Education Foundation has well developed simulations for Math and Science, mostly with Stella, for both Mac and PC. <http://www.shodor.org/interactive>http://www.shodor.org/interactive is the link; they also do free regional workshops: see <http://www.computationalscience.net>www.computationalscience.net Kirstin Riesbeck, Project Manager [<mailto:kirstin@shodor.org>kirstin@shodor.org] is the contact person.
My page <http://members.tripod.com/~ozpk/00005thDisc>http://members.tripod.com/~ozpk/00005thDisc has resources on 5th Discipline & System Dynamics resources.
The book Socrates Cafe is a good model for thought processes. The struggle for the Enlightenment must be fought in each generation.
My passion is creating DL courses for grad credit/PDP points. I'm shifting from Worcester to Santa Barbara, with a UCLA connection. My offer still stands to design a course for teachers based on sites I've noted herein.
WHAT MISTAKES HAVE YOU MADE? is still one of the greatest questions. I get lots from this list. Please keep it coming.

Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Dear Dr. Sullivan,

I would invite you to contact us here in Carlisle, as we are very involved
with Systems Thinking/Systems Dynamics in our K-8 school district. As you
know, we are an outstanding school system in Massachusetts, and we have come
to view systems as a very valuable "tool" in our skill-set that helps us
encourage the development of rigorous thinking which our students must use
as they proceed in life. We are using systems tools in the classroom from
grades 3 through 8 and are developing a "skills matrix" of the tools and
applications that we believe our students should have experienced when they
leave this school. We stress that it is not an add-on. As you say, there
are so very many things on the plate, that "one more thing," seems
impossible. Systems is what/who we are: an interdependent community of
citizens of the universe. Systems thinking helps us to understand "what is
going on" and "how it works." Believe it or not, the students grasp the
concepts more readily than we do sometimes. One student said, "there are
"systems thinkers by nature," here we have "systems thinkers by nurture." We
are proud of that.
Some of the postings on the listserv could lead one to think that "systems"
is applicable only to the APCalculus or Physics class, but that is not the
case.
We would be happy to have you visit - actually, we might be happy to visit
you, so near the beach in Gloucester! There are other school districts:
Harvard, Chelmsford Charter School, Acton, Concord-Carlisle High School and
I am sure others that are using systems tools. And that is another point -
there is an assortment of tools, that could be viewed on a continuum from
Behavior Over Time Graphs or BOTGS, through stock flow diagrams, causal
loops, to Stella modeling. Some tools are better than others for a
particular person, or a particular situation. There was a meeting last
summer in Essex to discuss the future of systems in education. There will be
a conference at the New England Conference Center in Durham, NH at the very
end of June, which is coordinated by the CLE (Creative Learning Exchange).
I believe they have just had a posting on this list serve.
Please feel free to contact us for more information.

Regards,

Eileen Riley
School Business Manager
Carlisle Public Schools
eriley@carlisle.mec.edu

We have a grant, generously funded through the Waters Foundation, which
enables us to have mentors to provide guidance, workshops and support to our
teachers and administrators. You could email one of them as well:
Al Ticotsky @ aticotsky@carlisle.mec.edu
Rob Quaden @ rquaden@carlisle.mec.edu
And I'm sure our superintendent could give you more insight as well.

Xxxxxxxxxxxx

Hi everyone,

John McCay had a good idea re: identifying their level of expertise.
I am a beginner with modeling but intermediate+ in terms of
familiarity with computers. I think it is easy for people to feel a
little bit intimidated by professors, authors of textbooks, software
developers, etc. who submit to this list & that is why we have more
"lurkers" & "takers" than "givers". I am a former coach who enjoyed
going to coaching clinics & "taking" ideas from other coaches. I then
took those ideas & put them into practice. I would like to see more
"teaching clinics" modeled after coaching clinics where teachers
would be giving other teachers ideas about what works best in their
field. Sharing ideas about best practices can be very powerful.
Encouraging more teachers to share their successes on this discussion
list and regional conferences would be very useful. Any suggestions
on setting up a Midwest regional conference and midwest modeling
competition?
Like many of the recent respondents, I am a "lurker". I teach HS
Social Studies at a small consolidated school in NE WI. ("300
students). We started ST/SD in the schools here in Door County 3-4
years ago with the help of a community organization that provided
funding to get site licenses in 2 school districts (Sturgeon Bay &
Sevastopol). For Robert Cooms that approach might be a
possibility--contact your local service clubs, businesses, etc. &
make a pitch to them. You will find that your students will be able
to make a presentation to their organization "showing their stuff" in
no time. Service clubs are always looking for program ideas!
You can download a save disabled version of STELLA from the HPS
website. You can build models & run "canned" models such as the Demo
Dozen (see the Creative Learning Exchange website) but you will not
be able to save the models. This might be a way to get started.
I appreciate Terry McCarthy's comments re: travel for seminars. I
paid all my expenses to travel "out east" last summer to attend a HPS
seminar at Lake Morey. For any of you who can go I highly recommend
it--you will find it worth your time.
One option that we have pursued to spread ST in NE WI is to get the
teachers to come to here. John Heinbokel & Jeff Potash (from Trinity
College at that time) came here to teach the introductory course.
Paul Newton also taught an introductory course to HS students,
teachers, & community members here in Door County. We are now trying
to get a local college to carry the courses so we can "infect" more
teachers. Recently the UW-Green Bay offered a program on educational
change that attracted pre-service teachers, administrators, &
teachers to learn how ST/SD can be used in the classroom. Students
from the local high schools presented the models that they created on
declining perch populations, solid waste site, pheasant populations,
terrorism, etc.
Currently there are 3 teachers in Sevastopol using ST/SD in some
fashion in their courses (economics, world history, current issues,
history, agribusiness) and 4-5 teachers in Sturgeon Bay doing the
same (current issues, science, biology, economics).
For the last 2 years Don has taught a modeling course at Sturgeon
Bay. I introduce basic ST concepts to the students (discussing mental
models, BOTGs, 10,000 metre thinking, ladder of inference, causal
loop diagrams & feedback loops, stocks & flows, delays, unintended
consequences, leverage points, asking better questions, etc.) We do
very little actual modeling. It is obvious from the comments to the
list that there are people with varying degrees of proficiency in
using STELLA & other modeling software. For those of you who are like
me & don't feel real confident in building models--don't worry. You
can still use the other tools available to you and help your students
get a greater understanding of how systems work.
ST is not something that I do that is in addition to the curriculum
or replacing other "stuff" in the curriculum. It is another tool that
I use such as maps, videos, primary sources, etc. With every unit I
get better at seamlessly integrating it into my units. You don't need
to add a course to introduce ST to your students. The tools in the
toolbox can be used with very little cost.
Don't let money (or rather the lack thereof) or the feeling of being
intimidated by the mathematics, technical aspects of using computers
to create models, etc. keep you from getting started. You will be
pleasantly surprised how ST can help your students grasp the concepts
that you are trying to teach.
All the best to you very busy teachers as you wind down the school year.

Xxxxxxxxxxxxx

Date: Wed, 08 May 2002
From: Della Robertson <frobchen@earthlink.net>
To: k-12sd@sysdyn.mit.edu
Subject: Discussion list

Thanks for the nudge to get things started again.
We just completed Star 9 Testing in California. I just finished applying
for a grant. Systems Thinking is going to become a part of a specialized
course--I am learning as I go, too.
As a mentor, I plan to create a lesson using ST to model a "critical
thinking" lesson. New teachers (a few) will attend various workshops
next school term. Critical thinking is part of the Standards for
Teaching in California.
I share this as a way of introducing ST in a less
formalized/institutionalized fashion. If you don't get support from the
top, you can start something growing at the bottom.

Della Robertson

Xxxxxxxxx

On Wednesday, May 8, 2002, at 01:05 PM, k-12sd wrote:
The
problem is that STELLA & Vensim don't seem like they'd work for me.
First, there's no money for software. 2nd problem is that my home
and classroom computers are PCs, but the computers that I'd have to
use with my kids at school are IMacs.

Vensim PLE is free -- just go to http://www.vensim.com and download it.
It runs on either Macs or PCs and the file format (text!) is identical on both platforms, so the same model runs on either.

...GPR

Date: Thu, 09 May 2002
From: "RICHARD TURNOCK" <Richard_Turnock@pgn.com>
To: <k-12sd@SYSDYN.MIT.edu>
Subject: Spring

Life is weather. Spring has more sunshine, more events, more work,
more things to do. I have seven events on Saturdays in the spring.
Tim Joy is right, there is a rhythm to the school calendar.
System dynamics and modeling for teachers to teach kids has a steep
learning curve. I took a summer workshop and then tried to teach a
class for educators. I didn't really learn dynamic modeling until I
had to teach it. I like challenges, I'm willing to take risks. Many
people don't feel comfortable with this approach.
I believe learning system dynamics and modeling requires mentoring
teachers. I suggest anyone on this list who would like to learn more
about dynamic modeling or get help introducing it in the
classroom or how to infect others at their school needs to be matched
up with an experienced person (of any profession). I am mentoring a
middle school science teacher because I believe in the power of the
infection model.
I believe the mentoring can be done on email, phone calls, mailing
materials, and using web sites. A class or workshop is the most
efficient way for a teacher to get started. After that mentoring is
needed. The Waters Foundation does a great job at this however they
have a limited capacity. This listserv and the International System
Dynamics Society have a lot of members with years of experience.

I'm listening.

Richard

Xxxxxxxxxxxx

Date: Thu, 09 May 2002
From: Steve Kipp <skipp@glynn.k12.ga.us>
To: k-12sd <k-12sd@sysdyn.mit.edu>
Subject: Re: McKay: The discussion list and levels

I propose that at the heading of each intervention the participants qualify
their level with a beginner, intermediate or advanced.
Continue to form one same community in opposition to three independent
communities.
I agree that we should avoid undue splintering, but perhaps we should consider
splitting into two groups: k-12 and post-secondary. Please note the words
"perhaps" and "consider"! The name of this group is "k-12", yet much of the
conversation is often dominated by college professors or graduate students who
are not teaching. No offense folks, but as a mentor working with teachers of
students in grades 4-10, I don't have the foggiest notion what is meant by
"artificial neural network with vector regression support to describe this
feedback." I introduce feedback to kids by having them tell me the
story of when
they yell at their sister, she yells back louder, which causes them
to yell back
louder, etc., or how a thermostat works to help control the temperature of a
room. Then I show them how to represent this phenomemon graphically and with
causal loops and/or stock-flow diagrams and/or STELLA models, depending on the
situation. So if we were to ourselves as beginner, intermediate, or
advanced, I
would consider myself advanced in k-12 classroom applications, yet a
beginner in
some of the conversations on this listserve (beginner in the sense of
"I have no
clue what you are talking about!").
Having said all that, us k-12 folks have a lot to learn from the post-secondary
crowd, and vice versa, and I would want to be on both lists. And it has really
worked well this year, despite the different levels represented and the natural
ebb and flow of time and energy that several have noted in previous postings. I
do like some of Tim Joy's ideas for organization, but will not have time to do
much more than lurk and enjoy and occasionally respond.
 
Steve Kipp

Xxxxxxxxx

Date: Thu, 09 May 2002
From: Steve Kipp <skipp@glynn.k12.ga.us>
To: k-12sd <k-12sd@sysdyn.mit.edu>
Subject: Re: Cooms: The discussion list

Robert-

Don't let a current lack of simulation software stop you. You can do a ton of
great stuff without computer simulation (e.g. helping kids to
articulate history
in terms of clearly defined, socially relevant variables that can be graphed
over time and discussed instead of memorizing and regurgitating facts about old
dead white guys). The Waters Foundation http://www.watersfoundation.org/ and
Creative Learning Exchange
http://www.clexchange.org/cle_homepage.html web sites are good (and growing)
sources of existing lesson plans, many of which do not involve computer
simulation.
Computer simulation is the ultimate crucible and forge for dynamic thinking,
however. Plus it really engages the kids. A version of Vensim is free for
download, although as a STELLA user I am biased toward STELLA's user interface.
HPS cuts a pretty good deal for educators, especially for school-wide site
licenses ($750, whole school), maybe you can write a technology in education
grant for the funds you need. Platform is an issue, but they are somewhat
interchangeable between mac and win. If you save a mac model with file name
suffix ".stm" onto a pc floppy disk in a power mac, it'll open on a pc. If you
create on pc it won't open on mac unless you initially create it on the mac,
save it to pc disk per above, then open, work and save changes on a
pc and it'll
open in mac. Weird, but true.
It'll also really help if you can interest at least one other colleague so that
you aren't out there on your own, that can be difficult to sustain.

Steve Kipp

Xxxxxxxx

Date: Mon, 13 May 2002
From: "Kimberly JINNETT" <kjinnett@wallacefunds.org>
To: <k-12sd@sysdyn.mit.edu>
Subject: Jinnett: Reply to Forrester

Jay and all:

My sense is that, to be most effective, systems enthusiasm should be
stimulated at all levels of the K-12 system. If we wait for
enthusiasm to emanate from the classroom level upward, I think it
will take a very long time. I'm interested not just in the potential
to teach systems thinking/approaches in the classroom, but to use a
systems approach (and tools, techniques, insights) in how the system
is structured, run, practiced, etc. How can we generate as much
enthusiasm among principals and superintendents as you have done with
teachers? My sense is that there are very few administrators who
practice a systems approach to their work. A whole systems approach
demands not just a focus on systems-oriented student learning, but
systems-oriented adult learning as well. Are others working on this?

Sincerely,

Kimberly Jinnett
Senior Evaluation Officer
Wallace Reader's Digest Funds
Two Park Avenue, 23rd Floor
New York, NY 10016
212-251-9763

<<< k-12sd <k-12sd@sysdyn.mit.edu> 5/13 1:36p >>>
Date: Wed, 8 May 2002
To: k-12sd <k-12sd@sysdyn.mit.edu>
From: "Jay W. Forrester" <jforestr@MIT.EDU>
Subject: Where does systems enthusiasm start?
Terry McCarthy wrote:
What I find is that I am a "voice in the wilderness" when I try to
talk to my administrators and colleagues about systems thinking and
system dynamics. No one has a clue, and I can see their eyes begin
to glaze over when I attempt to expound on the potentialities...
it seems hard to keep moving forward without some kind of local
support.
Is it not too much to expect that administrators will be the first on
board? It seems to me that the schools we now see progressing
effectively have usually started with a single teacher who has
introduced system dynamics with growing student enthusiasm. The
interest diffuses outward and upward from an initial very local
success.
Is this observation correct? Are there examples where systems
enthusiasm started from the administration level and then moved to
the classroom?
--
---------------------------------------------------------
Jay W. Forrester
Professor of Management
Sloan School
Massachusetts Institute of Technology
Room E60-389
Cambridge, MA 02139
tel: 617-253-1571
fax: 617-258-9405
Home office:
tel: 978-369-9372
fax: 978-369-9077

xxxxxxxxxxxxx

Is it not too much to expect that administrators will be the first on
board?
Administrators are very likely to leap at this, having typically a good
perspective from which to judge the broad utility of a systems approach.
But--and let's be honest about this--teachers generally look to
administrators to keep the school running and almost never about how to
teach. When teachers have questions about teaching, we primarily go to
other teachers.
And this whole pursuit is ultimately about teaching.
Still, administrators need to do a few things: find us time to create
curricula, support training so we can learn, provide some measure of
inspiration and support to keep us going, and supply us with cinnamon rolls
every Friday.
 
Tim
-----
Timothy Joy
La Salle High School
11999 S.E. Fuller Road
Milwaukie, OR 97222 USA
503/659-4155
503/659-2535 {FAX}
tjoy@jps.net

"I must Creat a System
or be enslav'd by another Man's."
-William Blake

xxxxxxxxxx

Date: Tue, 14 May 2002
From: Niall Palfreyman <niall.palfreyman@fh-weihenstephan.de>
To: k-12sd <k-12sd@sysdyn.mit.edu>
Subject: Re: Febles: New Member and ask for help and advice...

José Luis Febles Patrón schrieb:
In particular, I would like to know how to make a model/map to
simulate my study subject. I want to study the ecological processes
related with succession of forest (jungle) at the Calakmul Reserve

Hi Jose,

An excellent book on these topics is Andy Ford's book "Modeling the
Environment".

Best wishes,

Niall Palfreyman.

Xxxxxxxx

Tim,

I'm all for the cinnamon rolls on Friday . . in fact I actually baked
cranberry bread for our "systems meeting" last week. I think we are missing
the boat if we say, "this is all about teaching." It's all about "systems,"
and Jay's comment about administrators being the first on board is not out
of line. One of our teachers actually said, "Do you think the
administration has ever thought about trying this?" If a city or township
can consider it, as you have done with your students, Tim, on some projects,
then school systems certainly can and should. We spend and support a good
share of a communities resources; we most certainly should do it in a way
that is mindful of the "system" that we are part of.
I would respectfully suggest that a couple of things are needed - a "local
champion" with either funding and/or a depth of systems knowledge to provide
encouragement. In Carlisle we have been fortunate to have had Deb Lyneis on
our School Committee as a champion, access to the "systems community" from
Jim Lyneis to Peter Senge. We are close enough to MIT, to access their
resources. It is also key to have an administration that supports risk
taking and trying new things. Again, respectfully, as I am part of the
administrative team, the leadership for this starts at the top with the
school superintendent and we have that with Davida Fox-Melanson, our
superintendent. We have been very fortunate to have the financial support
and mentorship of the Waters Foundation. After quite a bit of reflection,
we feel that these things are critical to sustain a school system's
integration of "systems thinking and system dynamics practice.
However, "even the administrators" need training and the time for training.
That is a place where we sometimes struggle. There seems to be a great deal
available for curriculum in terms of training, including curriculum
examples. Building personal mastery is one way that administrators can
support the use of systems thinking. As with any "new" strategy, it takes
time to practice, and find places where it is most effective. We are making
some headway - we have had "teacher task forces" which have included
administrators, often as the facilitators, which have tackled some of the
thorny administrative issues such as student placement, realignment of
curriculum, technology, space and building expansion.
Last comment, and then it's back to my budget spreadsheets (!): all of us
are "life-long learners" and try to be "systems thinkers," and in education,
we should be setting the example, so we will keep trying, to inspire,
support, work with teachers (and unions) to find "time," and yes provide
"cinnamon rolls."

Regards,

Eileen Riley
School Business Manager
Technology Administrator
Waters Grant Site Administrator
Carlisle Public Schools (K-8)
Carlisle, MA

P.S. I think it is helpful if people identify where they are from
(geographically and school level), so personal and professional connections
can be more easily made.

Xxxxxxxxxxxxx

Date: Thu, 16 May 2002
From: Steve Kipp <skipp@glynn.k12.ga.us>
To: k-12sd <k-12sd@sysdyn.mit.edu>
Subject: Correction

This is a minor point, but I would like to amend my former comments
about pc-mac
versions of STELLA models. The following is from an email I received from Steve
Peterson of HPS, I had missed that this conversion utility was shipped with v7
(it converts pc v5 models to mac v5 models, too).
"A really easy way to [convert from pc to mac] is to use the little conversion
utility that we ship with the STELLA package. This little applescript
application is easy to use. Simply drag and drop the pc file on it, after
you‚ve put it on the mac hard drive, and you‚re good to go. The application is
called „Drag and drop PC model(s) on me‰. You‚ll find it in the PC Model
Conversion Utility folder, in the Tools folder, in your STELLA v 7 folder."
Thanks, I just wanted to set the record straight.

Steve Kipp

Xxxxxxxxx

I'm currently pursuing a vision of a Chaordic School, which would certainly
include systems thinking and the other four of Dr. Senge's major disciplines
as core elements. I must admit that I'm a rank outsider, and that I'm only
able to focus on this pursuit (very) part-time given my various other
projects, but I think I'll be able to pull something compelling together
within the next few months, and I have pretty good communication and
persuasion skills (not to mention a healthy amount of patience and
persistence in the face of great resistance). I plan to attend next month's
CLE conference, which I'm hoping will enable me to place at least some kind
of stake in the ground; I look forward to meeting anyone who's in on this
discussion and getting involved in expanded ongoing dialogs.

Kendall Scott

xxxxxxxxxx

From: "Debra Lyneis" <lyneisd@clexchange.org>
To: "k-12sd" <k-12sd@sysdyn.mit.edu>, <K-12SD@MITVMA.MIT.EDU>
Subject: Re: Joy: Reply to Forrester's Q #2
Date: Wed, 15 May 2002

I agree entirely with Tim Joy that K-12 SD must be rooted in the classroom,
as he wrote:
And this whole pursuit is ultimately about teaching.
Still, administrators need to do a few things: find us time to create
curricula, support training so we can learn, provide some measure of
inspiration and support to keep us going, and supply us with cinnamon
rolls
every Friday.
However, I think that administrators also have an even bigger essential role
to play if we are to grow and blossom. It is vital, of course, that they
provide teachers with support for training and curriculum development, but
they can do so much more.
*They can lead by shaping a vision that specifically includes teaching kids
to think and act systemically through system dynamics in the curriculum.
*They can foster a school climate of teamwork, creative risk-taking, and
continuous improvement-- for adults as well as for students.
*They can provide ample training opportunities and support for teachers with
the expectation that they will teach these essential skills to their
students. They can include these expectations in their professional
evaluation of teachers.
*They can focus the school's efforts on K-12 SD by holding at bay other
competing initiatives that come along.
*They can change schedules, provide technology, order supplies, etc. to
facilitate teaching.
*They can reinforce the efforts of students and teachers to learn this
approach by recognizing them.
* They can showcase students' and teachers' work at parents' nights,
student fairs, newspaper articles, etc.
* They can keep the school board and taxpayers actively informed. They can
enlist community support.
*They can "run interference" against resistance to change in the school
system and in the broader community.
I have watched the administration in Carlisle, led by Supt Davida
Fox-Melanson, do all of these things. None of it has been easy, and there
is still a long way to go.. Administrators face the same frustration as
teachers do in implementing change. When they work together, however,
teachers using system dynamics in the curriculum with supportive
administrators in a learning organization can create a powerful force, a
synergy. All of this benefits kids.
Yes, this pursuit is ultimately about teaching, but administrators are
essential too.

Deb

Xxxxxxxx

Sysdyn team,

We have to define the deal of sd: do we teach sysdyn
and systhink or do we conceptualize problems with
roots and fruits.
My opinion is to focus on strategic variables in every
problem we choose, no matter math, biology, history,
physics or literature.
I throw the problem to the whiteboardÖ than they go
for their personal needs choosing what is effective in
the search for causes and consequences. Every student
do his job. Then we construct. And then we change our
mental models.
The thing is that everything strategic is connected.
Two more aspects of the equation. One: try to contain
the natural tendency to judge the problem after we
arrive at it. We can model it while we are drawing
causes and consequences. The deal is not to lose what
we want to do with the solution of the problem. After
we draw BOTGs and the stock and flow diagram we'll
notice that the problem was modified but didn't loose
the sense.
The second aspect is that we must consider sd/st as a
creative exercise. Some literature students said to me
that this sd stuff is like being a creative engineer.
We design and redesign the problem and solutions.
 
Christian Abarca
c_abarca@onebox.com

Xxxxxxxxx

Sysdyn team
I am a Chilean teacher of language, communication and
literature working in a private school in Arequipa,
Peru. I work as a consultant in strategic negotiation
and organizational learning too.
The other day, in the 5th secondary level, teaching
pre-hispanic literature, I was trying to represent why
in Rome people prefer Comedy better than Tragedy, like
the Greek culture.
We made a stock and flow exercise. Then we choose the
causes and consequences in the variable: the best
representation for their own living culture.
Of course, Greek people prefer Tragedy, because it
represents the goal of that culture: that means being
the expression of human nature and culture.
By the other side, people of Rome prefer Comedy,
because they are more pragmatic. Comedy and rest-time
after work itís a great formula -students said.
Other consequence: see why Latin was a very effective
language in old history: we must wait till the verb is
ìonî, that means: all the other kind of words depends
on the verb. The verb was the engine the creates the
world.
And in Peru, the Quechua language made the same
miracle. But the advantage of Quechua is that it
accepts neologisms. So the Quechua language is alive.
Javier, friend and English teacher, is following me
because of the improvement of the young fellows. Now
he bought the Senge's 5th Discipline book. And he is
making efforts to follow me doing some causal diagrams
and happy to understand how stock and flow diagrams
functions.
You do the job, you play the figures dancing stock
and flow music. Don't be afraid of trial and error.

Don't be afraid.î

Dr. Oner,

I would recommend that you look on the CLE web site (http://clexchange.org)
at the newsletters as well as the materials. The newsletters contain a
wealth of experience of teachers over a ten year history in the US.

Lees Stuntz

Xxxxxxxxx

Dear members,

I would like to reply to Tim ( and to Christian Abarca who responded) that
the suggestion to ask the listserve to tell stories about what has, and
hasn't, worked in classrooms, and in administration, this school year is a
great suggestion for the end of the year.
I would love to print those stories in the CLExchange in the next issue.
So- I am officially asking the question:
What has worked this year? What has not worked? Tell us your successes and
your mistakes so that we can replicate the successes and learn from your
learning.

Lees

Xxxxxxxx

To All,

Recently Tim Joy asked, "Is it not too much to expect that
administrators will be the first on board?"
I would suggest that the answer is "YES." My sense about the dialogue
that has taken place on this listserv over the last few years is that it is
individuals who have seen the value of st/sd and have taken action.
When administrators are exposed to the value of st/sd and internalize
it, then they should be valued as colleagues who can spread the word.
When they don't see the value, well there are always other avenues to
pursue to spread the word.
It seems to me that if we make the adoption of st/sd by administratos a
high priority, we may be ignoring orther avenues of action.

Rich Langheim

Xxxxxxxxxxx

From: "Curtis Lee" <clee@spusd.k12.ca.us>
To: <k-12sd@sysdyn.mit.edu>
Subject: Lee : Reply to Forrester

Thanks for asking,

Curtis Lee
Director of Instructional Technology
South Pasadena USD
Los Angeles, USA

on 5/20/02 1:44 PM, k-12sd at k-12sd@sysdyn.mit.edu wrote:
Subject: RE: Joy: Reply to Forrester's Q #2
Sender: "rlanghei@ridgewood.k12.nj.us" <rlanghei@ridgewood.k12.nj.us>
From: "rlanghei@ridgewood.k12.nj.us" <rlanghei@ridgewood.k12.nj.us>
Date: Sat, 18 May 2002 17:43:31 -0400
To: "k-12sd@sysdyn.mit.edu" <k-12sd@sysdyn.mit.edu>
To All,
Recently Tim Joy asked, "Is it not too much to expect that
administrators will be the first on board?"
I would suggest that the answer is "YES." My sense about the dialogue
that has taken place on this listserv over the last few years is that it is
individuals who have seen the value of st/sd and have taken action.
When administrators are exposed to the value of st/sd and internalize
it, then they should be valued as colleagues who can spread the word.
When they don't see the value, well there are always other avenues to
pursue to spread the word.
It seems to me that if we make the adoption of st/sd by administratos a
high priority, we may be ignoring orther avenues of action.

Rich Langheim

Xxxxxxxxx

Subject: Bioethics simulations

Hi,
I am currently putting together a "book" of system dynamics simulations
for prospective students of bioinformatics, and I want to include
something on bioethics. Unfortunately I don't know a lot about
bioethics, and my hope is that someone of you might be able to suggest a
relevant bioethics model. The idea is that these are games for
school-leavers to experiment and interact with independently on their
own computer. I'll describe what I've done so far to give you some idea
of what they're like:
1. Physics: the first simulation looks at the idea of influence and how
one body affects another. The user plays with different kinds of fields
and tries to get a particle to land at a particular location after
following a complicated orbit through the various fields.
2. Chemistry: In the second simulation the user invesigates the
transformation of structure involved in a simple chemical reaction. The
issue underlying this simulation is the one of structure and its
transformation in nature.
3. Biochemistry: here the user plays with the reaction rates in an
enzymatic reaction. The main point made is the representation and
relevance of information in biological systems. An enzyme is essentially
a piece of chemical information with a physical "meaning" in terms of
reaction rates.
4. Life: the user investigates self-organisation in biochemical systems
in the context of the cyclical reactions of Belousov and Zhabotinsky.
Self-organisation and non-equilibrium are then described as the keystone
of living systems.
5. Biology: here we look at the generation of a pulse in a neuron, a
phenomenon which arises from non-equilibrium enforced by means of
spatial separation of solutions. Spatial separation is described as the
characteristic tool of biological systems in fulfilling the
non-equilibrium criterion of life.
6. Populations: this simulation investigates the conditions under which
the evolution of the human population on Earth can enter a state of
chaos. The conditions for chaos and how to detect it are discussed.
7. Ecology: here we look at the Daisyworld model of James Lovelock. Two
competing species on a planet negotiate with each other to result in
stability of the planet's ecology. The importance of global effects in
ecological systems is stressed.
8. Bioethics: ??? Here I want to take some interesting issue from
bioethics and help the user to investigate playfully the pro's and con's
of the issue in a simulation. The simulations are all essentially
graphical and interactive representations of dynamical systems - that
is, they can all be represented as (sometimes very complicated) systems
of differential equations. I don't really know much about bioethics, but
I can imagine that there might be some example of a biological system
which can be manipulated in more than one way, with different
consequences, and that these consequences can be far-reaching enough to
probe the ethical values of the user. I'm sorry I can't be more
specific, but as I say I'm a beginner myself in ethical issues. Do you
have any ideas for such a system?
Thanks in advance for any help you can offer.

Best wishes,
Niall Palfreyman.

Xxxxxxxx

From: Nancy Maville <nmaville@hps-inc.com>
To: k-12sd@sysdyn.mit.edu
Subject: ANNOUNCEMENT: A STELLA-based Learning Laboratory in... Biology
Date: Wed, 22 May 2002

Date: Wed, 22 May 2002
From: Steve Kipp <skipp@glynn.k12.ga.us>
To: k-12sd <k-12sd@sysdyn.mit.edu>
Subject: Kipp: reply to Palfreyman

Reply to Niall Palfreyman:
It seems like some of the hot bioethics issues in the news include stem cell
research, cloning, potential health effects of human consumption of genetically
modified organisms, and the intentional or accidental introduction of GMOs into
ecosystems. I don't know if any SD work has been done on these.

Steve Kipp

Xxxxxxxxxxx
 
Subject: Re: Stuntz: Question for List
To: k-12sd <k-12sd@sysdyn.mit.edu>
From: "Rafael Soto/RS2/CC01/INEEL/US" <RS2@inel.gov>
Date: Wed, 22 May 2002 16:48:59 -0600

Dear List:

Here is a "success story" and some ideas on what to do to open people's
eyes about ST/SD in an educational setting:
(See attached file: SD in HS - Summary.pdf)(See attached file: SE & SD in
HS Project Report 15 - appendices.pdf)(See attached file: SE & SD in HS
Project Report 15 - no append.pdf)
(NOTE from the MODERATOR: The files mentioned above are not attached
here. Please contact Mr. Soto directly if you wish to receive them
from him.)

Rafael Soto
INEEL
Systems Science and Engineering
208-526-4250
rs2@inel.gov

Xxxxxxxxx

Eileen, et al.

Let me clarify a bit. As an administrator for the last 20 years, my strong
sense is that change comes from many quarters. Sometimes board
members are the initiators, sometimes parents or teachers and
sometimes students.
Aside from initiating change, the pressure to change may build from
many quarters. At times, so many parents favor, or demand, changes
that those of us in the system respond to those changes.
I think that we should maintain our adaptability and take advantage of
whatever opportunities arise.

Rich Langheim

Xxxxxxxxx

on 5/23/02 1:33 PM, k-12sd at k-12sd@sysdyn.mit.edu wrote:
Subject: RE: Riley: reply to Langheim
From: "rlanghei@ridgewood.k12.nj.us" <rlanghei@ridgewood.k12.nj.us>
Date: Wed, 22 May 2002 20:47:56 -0400
To: "k-12sd@sysdyn.mit.edu" <k-12sd@sysdyn.mit.edu>
Eileen, et al.
Let me clarify a bit. As an administrator for the last 20 years, my strong
sense is that change comes from many quarters. Sometimes board
members are the initiators, sometimes parents or teachers and
sometimes students.
Aside from initiating change, the pressure to change may build from
many quarters. At times, so many parents favor, or demand, changes
that those of us in the system respond to those changes.
I think that we should maintain our adaptability and take advantage of
whatever opportunities arise.
Rich Langheim

Rich,
I couldn't agree more.

Regards,
Eileen Riley
Carlisle Public Schools

Xxxxxxxxx

Date: Thu, 23 May 2002
From: Niall Palfreyman <niall.palfreyman@fh-weihenstephan.de>
To: k-12sd <k-12sd@sysdyn.mit.edu>
Subject: Re: Fwd: Re: Palfreyman: Bioethics simulations

Steve Kipp schrieb:
It seems like some of the hot bioethics issues in the news include stem cell
research, cloning, potential health effects of human consumption of
genetically
modified organisms, and the intentional or accidental introduction
of GMOs into
ecosystems.

I don't know if any SD work has been done on these.
An SD simulation around stem cell use would be just the ticket. Does
anyone know of anything relating to this?

Niall.

Xxxxxxxxx

Xxxxxxxx

From: Nancy Maville <nmaville@hps-inc.com>
To: k-12sd@sysdyn.mit.edu
Subject: FW: ANNOUNCEMENT: NetSim Creator v2.0
Date: Wed, 29 May 2002

High Performance Systems, Inc. is very excited to announce the introduction of a completely re-written version of NetSim Creator! NetSim Creator 1.0 required you to be a programmer in order to render your ithink and STELLA models suitable for running over the web (or an intranet). With Version 2.0, all you need to do is set up the interface for your netsim within STELLA or ithink. Then, when you choose „Export for NetSim‰ from the File Menu within STELLA or ithink, the entire interface from your model is ported over to HTML format so that you instantly have a runnable, interactive netsim! You will probably want to polish the crude interface using an HTML editor, but all of the interactive devices (including graphs and tables) will already be there, automatically! Version 2.0 finally brings netsim capability out of the back room!
In order to run NetSim Creator, you will need to have the NetSim Creator components installed on a Windows 2000 or NT 4 server running IIS 4 or IIS 5 web server software. For more information, including full description of System Requirements for NetSim Creator, visit our website at·
<http://www.hps-inc.com/netSim/netsimIndex.htm>http://www.hps-inc.com/netSim/netsimIndex.htm

End of May, 2002