If you want more about Microworlds (examples of its use with middle school students) you could contact [log in to unmask]  (Stowe Technology Integration Specialist).  She ran a Microworlds club this year and was quite excited about it. 
 
Mark Arnold
Educational Technology Specialist
Morristown School District
(802) 888-6729 (w)
[log in to unmask]
 
 

________________________________

From: School Information Technology Discussion on behalf of Robert Sargent
Sent: Tue 5/17/2005 12:49 PM
To: [log in to unmask]
Subject: Re: Elementary software



I am a long-time enthusiast for using Logo with students.  At the Waits
River Valley School we had success using Microworlds with young children,
e.g. kindergarten, as a drawing program.  What is nice about this
application is that it seemlessly leads to electronic multimedia projects
including simple animations and publications like simple books.
Underlying this application is the LOGO programming language that leads to
programming projects like having older students, e. g. grade 4, make
simple video games.  The current version of Microworlds integrates with
Lego Robotics as the programming language for the RCX, the programmable
brick.  Robotics is an awsome subject for multi-disciplinary projects
involving the physical science of motion, simple machines, computer
science and programming concepts, simple arithmetic involving measurement
and converting units of measure, and concepts in math like proportions,
ratios, and rates.  Robotics projects are appropriate for middle school
students, e. g. grades 7 and 8.  MicroWorlds gives the teacher a tool that
is very flexible with respect to placing a student in a nominally
self-directed problem solving environment appropriate to the student's
level of skill, a continuum of challenges from simply drawing on the
computer to programming robots.

If you compare the price of Microworlds to KidPix it looks expensive, but
if you consider everything that MicroWorlds can do it is really a bargain.