Middle school math class, special ed. But, for a change, they had a fun activity. They were to play games on the computers. Math games.
The first one was a cashiering game called Cash Out. The second was called Garage Sale Wizard. (Click on the links if you want to try. There's a whole website with these sorts of games.)
They got started. Then one boy informed me that I owed him a dollar.
Upon closer examination, I discovered that the "prize" for winning the game was a "certificate" that they could print out with money depicted. Not real money.
When I explained this, the boy wanted to print out the certificate right away. I explained that he could save the thing to his cloud and print it out at his leisure. And keep playing.
Well, he bored with the game pretty quickly. I assume because he was having trouble.
Why do I think he was having trouble? That "dollar" he "won"? Was a low end prize. Other students won ten dollars or up to fifty dollars.
He was probably hoping to get into the money printing business!
ReplyDeleteI'm sure. I bet he thought the printout would be about the right size and he could pass it off as currency. I would have loved to see his face when he printed it out and it was the wrong size.
DeleteAnd here he thought he was a money genius.
ReplyDeleteIt seems he wasn't taking any chances on not actually holding that dollar!
ReplyDeleteOh yeah, he wanted it. And now.
Deleteyeh they are very quick to discover the real value of the cash...That's a damn fine lesson. Happy chrissie
DeleteYay for math games, I wish my school had done that when I was younger :)
ReplyDeleteThere's so much good stuff now. Although, that's balanced by things I'm happy they didn't have when I was their age.
DeleteI wonder if he thought he was going to get an actual dollar. Or if maybe he thought you'd be clueless enough to give him one.
ReplyDeleteThose sound like cute games to play!
ReplyDeletebetty
Oh that would be real fun it if was actual money. lol
ReplyDeleteThings in life don't comes to us at the rate we need or want it to.
ReplyDeleteCoffee is on
But try telling them that...
DeleteThose games sound like fun! Reminds me of my computer lab in elementary school (in the mid 90s) where my favorite games were Storybook Weaver and Dinosaur Park Tycoon :)
ReplyDeleteElementary school in the mid-90s... Now I feel really old...
DeleteHi Liz - well I sure hope they learn ... and perhaps he did print the thing out when he got home. Good fun for the kids to keep using their maths though ... cheers Hilary
ReplyDeleteThose sound like fun games. Great way to encourage students to think about money. (I assume. Didn't actually look at the games.)
ReplyDeleteThey were. I hope they got something out of it.
DeleteIronically, I just read belatedly about the panic in India when 500 and 1000 rupee bank notes were announced as illegal tender. I really should follow the news but there is so seldom anything good to learn. I'd rather read your blog! Best wishes, my dear.
ReplyDeleteScary.
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