Never far from shore: productive patterns in physics students’ use of the digital learning environment Algodoo

In this paper, we present three types of activity that we have observed during students' free exploration of a software called Algodoo, which allows students to explore a range of physics phenomena within the same digital learning environment. We discuss how, by responding to any of the three activity types we identify in the students' use of Algodoo, physics teachers can springboard into a range of relevant physics discussions while supporting and valuing student agency and divergent thinking. Thus, while one might not expect students' undirected use of a digital tool such as Algodoo to be particularly worthwhile for the physics classroom, we highlight how students are never 'far from the shore' of a productive physics discussion.