Simulations

In the January 12th edition of Ed Week, there was an article about simulations for pre-service teachers. Two words of it caught my attention.  In a section, the author was saying that simulations give an opportunity to "experiment--and make mistakes--without the worry of doing harm to an actual child's learning." 


While I understand that simulations are a good place to practice, especially for people who might be nervous in front of a crowd, but "doing harm" sounds a little overly dramatic when we're talking about how a child learns.  The kids might be a little bored or confused, but then they'd tune out or ask questions before any harm came to pass. This sounds like the voice of a simulation manufacturer trying to sell more simulators.