ABSTRACT
Tomorrow’s teachers need to be prepared to use technology in their classrooms. However, student teachers have little knowledge about what kind of computer software to use, where to find good examples of such software, or how to use it with their own students. It is the premise of this paper that computer modeling and simulation software can play a pivotal role in helping pre-service elementary and middle school teachers learn about robust uses of technology in the science classroom as well as helping them learn about important issues of science pedagogy and epistemology. Computer modeling and simulation software, or software that represents data or phenomena in a way that can help predict and explain those phenomena often by visually representing abstract components and causal relationships over time, lies at the core of scientific practice and has revolutionized science and engineering. Further, educational versions of such software enable students and teachers to visualize and develop reasoning about abstract scientific concepts and phenomena, access cutting–edge scientific research, engage in authentic practices of science, and do so in interesting ways.
