Simulations can be experienced online or through a purchased product/program. They allow people to explore different places, events and times in a safe environment. They can take place in the past, present or future and can deal with both realistic and fantasy contexts.
Modeling is the representation of things and objects in a real life context. It is related to simulations where people can experience these things by going online and in a safe environment. How it differs from simulations is that they mainly deal with real life contexts where as simulations have a high level of fantasy content.
Simulations and Modeling are very useful in schools for a number of reasons. Firstly they allow students to experience things that they might not get to in real life. They also create high levels of imaginative thought with students taking on different roles and pretending they are in different places in the world. They also cater for the different learning styles of students these days as they contain high levels of visual and audio media.
Below are some links to some sites containing simulations and modelling:
