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This afternoon’s session was not nearly as confusing as previous first day’s sessions.  The Game of Life simulation demonstrated that seemingly complex results can come from very simple rules.  It does not however mean that all complexities have come from seemingly simple rules. Complexities in origins of behavior and learning are more complex than simply viewing red and green dots on a computer screen.  As an educator, I must remember that 5 – 4 may cause students to recall more emotional responses than considering basic mathematical computations.  What I view as a simple request “bring back the reading homework” may have complex interferences…the student’s and the parent’s view of education, homework and ect.

Langston’s Ant still bothers me.  Although the rules are very simple, the ant is programmed to do the same thing, after 11,000 steps, the un-hindered ‘ant’ will build a bridge.   Adding the barrier only ‘allows’ the ant to interact with it’s environment.  Yet, the ant in the program continues to follow the same pattern, following the two internal rules.  When people in the natural world interact with their environment, they rarely follow the exact same pattern in response to changes.  The original complex looking pattern is really a simple one that will yield the same results, if un-hindered.  In all of my years of teaching, both academically, and as a Bible school teacher, have I ever had the exact same result to similar lessons.  Because people tend to respond in creative ways, The Langston’s Ant program bothers me… as I am not sure what it is trying to prove.