Re: [seul-edu] Math teachers...

[Douglas Loss <dloss@suscom.net>]

On Thu, 20 Jul 2000, Chris Hobbs wrote:

> thi wrote:
>  
> > all those simulations are variants of dopewars:
> > 
> http://bellatrix.pcl.ox.ac.uk/~ben/dopewars/
> 
> Not too sure the title and content would go over real well -
> but then
> again, I'm out here on the edge of forever, and there are
> plenty who
> might be far too familiar with the subject :)
> 
Yeah, but think of the hook!  Life skills training indeed!  I
don't know much about the program, but conceivably the user
would have to choose which drugs to manufacture based on the
production cost, overhead like bribes to officialdom, and
projected return on the street.  He'd have to choose how potent
to make the stuff to make sure it's sufficiently addicting but
not too quickly lethal.

> Since it is GPL'd, though, it might make a useful starting
> point...
> thanks for the tip!
> 
Yeah, if you can change the names of the commodities and the
various other items, you may have the good beginnings of a
business simulator.  As long as it's intended to teach
arithmetic rather than business management, it may do just fine.
 I notice that it's ncurses-based rather than having a GUI.  I
don't know if that would be a liability.  If so, there are
programs you can find on Freshmeat that will put a GUI face on a
text program.

-- 
Doug Loss           The art of medicine consists of amusing the
dloss@suscom.net    patient while nature cures the disease.
(570) 326-3987             Voltaire