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2. Spreadsheet as a tool that extends and constrains our thinking

Preamble: Spreadsheets are one of the "changes in... technology [that] have changed our needs and capacities for mathematical thinking."

Goals:

• Learn or refresh basic spreadsheet commands.
• Understand the idea that quantitative tools can extend what we can think about/through.
• Learn or refresh exponential growth models.
• Understand the idea that tools (including computer models) build in rules that restrict the user's options. Understand and apply guideline that ways should be explored to expose this restrictiveness.

Activities (instructions (pdf version))

1. Exercise to predict future populations
2. Shaping the future of the two islands, a discussion
3. Identifying different kinds of analysis through the language used
4. Review lesson in light of learning objectives

After-class Reading (optional): Taylor, "How do we know..."

Plus-delta feedback on activity

References
Meffe, G. K., A. H. Ehrlich and D. Ehrenfeld. (1993). "Human population control: The missing agenda." Conservation Biology 7: 1-3
Taylor, P. J. (2000), “How do we know there is a population-environment problem?” http://www.faculty.umb.edu/peter_taylor/popdialogue.html (view 7 Sep 17)