TurboTurtle: A Collaborative Microworld for Exploring Newtonian Physics

Cockburn, A. and Greenberg, S. (1995)
TurboTurtle: A Collaborative Microworld for Exploring Newtonian Physics. In Proceedings of the 1st Conference on Computer Supported Collaborative Learning - CSCL'95. (Bloomington, Indiana), Lawrence Erlbaum Associates, pages 62-66, October 17-20. Also as Report 1995-551-3, March.

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Abstract

This paper describes TurboTurtle, a dynamic multi-user microworld for the exploration of Newtonian physics. With TurboTurtle, students can alter the attributes of the simulation environment, such as gravity, friction, and presence or absence of walls. They can also manipulate the "turtle" (a movable ball) directly. Students can adjust its position, velocity and mass; change its kinetic and potential energy; and apply a force to it by strapping a rocket to its back. Through TurboTurtle's "group awareness", several students, each on their own computer, can simultaneously control the microworld and gesture around the shared display.

This paper focuses on the rationale behind the major "group awareness" design decisions made during our development of TurboTurtle.

Bibtex entry

@INPROCEEDINGS { 1995-TurboTurtle.CSCL,
CLASS = { CONFARTICLE },
AUTHOR = { Cockburn, A. and Greenberg, S. },
TITLE = { TurboTurtle: A Collaborative Microworld for Exploring Newtonian Physics },
BOOKTITLE = { Proceedings of the 1st Conference on Computer Supported Collaborative Learning - CSCL'95 },
PAGES = { 62-66 },
YEAR = { 1995 },
MONTH = { October 17-20 },
PUBLISHER = { Lawrence Erlbaum Associates },
ADDRESS = { Bloomington, Indiana },
NOTE = { Also as Report 1995-551-3, March },
}