ABSTRACT
There are several ways to use technology to enhance the learning of students, but one that is especially effective is the use of computer models. Computer models allow students to try their solution in different ways. They can make three or four attempts at something, changing something major or just making minor tweaks, leading them closer and closer to a functional solution. Computer models allow students to fail with a safety net in place. Computer simulations make problem solving more authentic because they put students in the shoes of the person or people experiencing the problem, and they are also excellent examples of learning from failure. Students will work in groups to plan a simulation for a one-way road trip involving at least three people to somewhere in the United States. Students can select destinations where they have never been, attractions they have always wanted to see, places where family lives, places where they have been before but enjoy, etc.
