According to the Board of Studies K – 6 HSIE Syllabus, a “simulation is a situation where students can assume the roles of others in a simulated environment acting according to specified rules and procedures which give the illusion of reality, without the consequences of actions that are inherent in real life situations,” (1998, p. 204). This definition can be directly applied to an online or virtual environment as it was in the week nine workshop presentation.
The presenters (Cristy, Nicole, Danielle, Rosemary) introduced the class to The Le@rning Federation site; one which I’d not heard of prior to this tutorial! We were to play the simulated game to see who could make the most money – we were to buy and sell fish in Australia and New Zealand and record our trades on a worksheet. Clicking on the introduction screen below will take you straight to this interesting simulation.
I had fun trading fish in this simulation, it actually got quite addictive! The more you buy and sell, the more exotic fish that appear! I am certain that students would enjoy playing this game, not even realising the maths they are doing while participating. I will definitely utilise this resource in the future!
