Technology & Social Studies: Stock Market Simulation Games

     One of the most important things in America’s economy is the stock market.  We know that America’s biggest stock exchange is located in New York City, and that in 1929 there was a “crash” that helped America spiral into the Great Depression.  We have heard of things like the DOW index, but may not be totally sure how it works.  In fact, there are many that may not understand the ins and outs of the stock market, and why it is significant to our economy.  While Social Studies teachers are expected to discuss this in lessons, and many high schools and colleges offer Economics as a class, for many the only way to properly learn about something like the stock market is through first-hand experience, and that is where something like a simulation game can come in handy.

I’ve played the “stock market game” twice before: in 8^th grade, and again in my Junior year of high school (this is something that can be done via websites like www.stockmarketgame.org or www.marketwatch.com, or one can just look at the market on Yahoo Finance; this is up to the teacher).  A participant starts out with a certain amount of money designated by the teacher, and then they make their own decisions regarding which companies they would like to “buy stock” in, and what trades and purchases they would like to make as the game goes on.  At the end of the game, whoever has the highest amount of money is the winner (both times I have played, the game went for a month, but this is up to the teacher). 

This is a great opportunity for one to understand how the market and buying shares in a company works, as this is something they may have interest in doing for themselves at some point.  As they invest shares in particular companies, they grow to understand the potential benefits and pitfalls of investing in stock, as they see how easily one can gain and lose money.  It is a good way of showing a real-life situation in a risk-free and hands-on manner.  It helped me get a better idea of how our economy can work, and I feel it is something that all students would benefit from doing at some point. 

 

Unit Plan Canvas

     As I stated in Activity #3, I felt that the lesson plan that I discussed, which attempted to find a connection between The Cold War and Brown vs. Board of Education, to be an interesting one in theory, but was somewhat underdeveloped.  My canvas helps to give students a forum to discuss if there is indeed a connection between these events, and my key question helps raise an important point: can two events that may not appear to have anything in common have a connection of some sort?

     I posted videos and posters related to both events, and the students can work to figure out if there are any underlying connections themselves, promoting their own critical thinking in the process.  This is an interesting lesson, and done correctly can be a great lesson for the students, something that I felt wasn’t fully accomplished by the plan I had read for our previous activity.

http://www.play.annenberginnovationlab.org/play2.0/challenge.php?idChallenge=2469&mode=view#network6 

Technology and Social Studies: Smartboards

     While Smartboards were first created in the early 1990’s, I did not see one for myself until I was in eighth grade (2005-2006), when my Social Studies teacher had one installed in his classroom.  While this did not occur in my time in middle school, every classroom there now has a Smartboard installed in it.  If I were a teacher there, I would take this as a sign from the administration that we are expected to use this as an integral part of the everyday curriculum.

     Smartboards can be a benefit to just about any class, and Social Studies is no different.  It is an easy way to pass along information to the students.  Instead of writing out information on the board (which can take up quite a bit of valuable class time), or creating transparencies to put onto an overhead projector (where the teacher will have to spend their own time and, possibly, money, to create these), the Smartboard is an extremely convenient device that speeds up the relaying of information to the student.  

     One example of a time when this piece of technology was beneficial to the teacher was during my Social Studies course in eighth grade, which I mentioned above.  As we discussed the expansion of the United States, via acts like the Louisiana Purchase, my teacher was, with a simple tap of the board, able to switch between maps to show the change in size of our country.  While he could have simply given us handouts, or attempted to tape a map on the board (and hope it doesn’t fall), this is just one small example of the convenience that a Smartboard offers.

     There are many other benefits than the (somewhat minor) one listed here, but Smartboards can be an extremely helpful tool in the classroom, if implemented properly.  If I had to choose one major piece of technology in my future classroom, there is a very good chance that this would be it.