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Global Impact of MicroSims

This interactive infographic map visualizes how MicroSims are transforming education worldwide, connecting teachers and students across the globe through free, open educational resources.

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Overview

The Global Impact visualization demonstrates the exponential growth and spread of MicroSims and intelligent textbooks across continents. Watch as knowledge flows from creators to central libraries and out to students in schools around the world.

How to Use

Animation Controls

  • Play/Pause Button: Start or stop the automatic animation showing the growth of the network over time
  • Time Slider: Manually scrub through time to see how the network evolves from Year 1 to Year 5
  • Statistics Panel: Watch real-time counters for MicroSims created, knowledge connections, and countries reached

Interactive Features

  • Hover over nodes: See detailed information about each location
  • Click on markers: View popup with specific MicroSim examples and statistics
  • Zoom and pan: Explore different regions of the map in detail

Visual Elements

Node Types

Icon Type Description
Blue circle MicroSim Individual educational simulation
Purple book Intelligent Book Interactive textbook with embedded simulations
Orange building Library Central repository (Minneapolis, CMU, Cairo)
Teal circle Teacher Educator using or creating MicroSims
Red building School Educational institution
Green circle Student Learner accessing educational resources

Connection Types

Color Flow Type Description
Blue MicroSim to Library Creators contributing simulations
Purple Book to Library Authors contributing textbooks
Green Library to Student Knowledge flowing to learners
Gold Peer Sharing Schools sharing directly with each other

Central Hubs

Minneapolis MicroSim Library

The primary development hub focusing on physics, mathematics, and general STEM simulations. Home to 45+ MicroSims and 12 intelligent textbooks.

CMU Pittsburgh Library

Carnegie Mellon University's contribution center specializing in computer science, AI, and algorithm visualizations.

Cairo MicroSim Library

Regional hub serving the Middle East and Africa, with localized content and translations.

Key Statistics

  • 100+ simulations and growing every day
  • Every subject, every grade level supported
  • Minutes to create a MicroSim, years of impact on learning
  • Free for all educators worldwide

Educational Context

This visualization supports understanding of:

  • Global education initiatives: How open educational resources spread across borders
  • Network effects: The exponential growth of interconnected educational communities
  • Digital divide solutions: Reaching rural schools in Africa, Afghanistan, and India
  • Collaborative knowledge building: How creators, libraries, and learners form an ecosystem

Technical Details

  • Framework: Leaflet.js for interactive mapping
  • Base Map: CartoDB Dark theme tiles
  • Animations: SVG curved paths with CSS animations
  • Responsive: Adapts to different screen sizes

Learning Objectives

After exploring this visualization, learners will be able to:

  1. Understand the global scale of open educational resource distribution
  2. Identify the key hubs and regions involved in MicroSim development
  3. Explain how knowledge flows from creators through libraries to students
  4. Appreciate the role of peer sharing in educational networks

References