| Interactive Resources | |
This page carries links to interactive resources for economics on the Internet. The modern name for these resources is the programming term learning objecct. By and large they have all been developed for courses overseas and hence they need to be used with care. Despite this many of these resources can be used profitably in VCE Economics and some in the middle school. This collection also includes some resources included purely for teacher interest. They are too hard for students but many teachers may be interested in them and curious as to how the new technologies are being deployed in tertiary settings. The two best sources for interactive activities on the net are BizEd Uk and the London Economics Teachers Support Network. The Learning Federation has developed a wide range of learning objects for use in schools in the SOSE area. These have been distributed to schools by DEET and should already be loaded onto your school networks. Many of the objects developed by the Learning Federation are relevant to junior SOSE and are excellent examples of how to use the new interactive technologies in the classroom.
Kim Sosins interactive demand and supply This was one of the first interactive quizzes to appear on the Internet and has been used sucessfully by many economics teachers both here and overseas.
Applia demonstration sets Applia is a private UK company that develop and sells interactive online course materials. It offers samples of its interactive materials that teachers mau use for free. These cover markets and macroeconomics. Teachers should note that some of these are too difficult for secondary students.
Economics at Biz Ed This is a directory of Economics resources on the Internet from Biz Ed Uk. Try the one on demand and supply. There are many different interactyls available. Markets - Demand and supply (1)
Lemonade Stand Game In this game students plan how many glasses of lemonade they intend to produce and then the price at which they will sell them. The TV screen carries weather forecasts and eventually they realize weather has profound influence on sales. Price also has a strong influence on sales. This is a good game when you are introducing markets at any level. The simplicity of the game allows most students to acquire key concepts in this area quickly. Students can also run a Nuclear power plant at this site if they wish!
Hot Shot Business This is a kid's game developed by Disney. Hot Shot Business is a business simulation game and I have found it useful to develop ideas of resource allocation and productive capacity. Players have to run a business and buy and change equipment in response to changes in consumer demand. Students both in the junior and Senior School enjoy this game. Teachers should note Disney is restructuring its web site and hence the url to the game may change. Usually you can access it from the Disney splash page.
Tutor2u - Interactive Quizzes for Economics This site carries a range of online quizzes, multiple choice tests and crosswords that students can complete online. The material here is more relevant to the UK Economics courses than Australian ones. The materials will not work on Apple operating systems
Basic Micro Economics This site contains online lectures with simple demonstrations and voice overs on a range of micro economic topics. It is designed for tertairy students however the section on the circular flow model and markets most secondary students would benefit from.
The Digital Economist This site provides online resources for economists in the US and many classroom resources. It contains a gallery of educational applets. While many of these address the needs of tertairy students some are suitable for use with secondary students. This site is often very slow to load.
IOWA Markets An American game where students may particpate in fictional markets.
FRB Peanuts and Crackerjacks a game for US students on Sport and Economics.
Econ Port At Econ port teachers need to register and then can configure a range of java based games where students can conduct market experiments. This site is deisgned for tertiary students however teachers will find it interesting to see the applications of artificial intelligence and micro economics.
Monopoly Monopoly is an useful game for introducing students to basic ideas about wealth accumulation. This can be played online. Teachers who wish to use this site will need to make sure their networks support the appropriate version of Java otherwise the game will not run. Secondly you will need to log in and register with Atari. This site was previoulsy hosted by Play Games.com which still has a wide selection of games some of marginal relevance to Economics.A demo version of Monopoly is available from Hasbro.com.
FlashEcon.org This site hasa selection of interactive diagrams produced in flash and aimed at tertiary students. Topic covered inlcude markets and comparative advantage and specialisation.
Games Scene offers a heap of distractions however Far East Trader is an useful game students can play when studying either markets and relative prices or international trade.
Commodity Trader An online commodity trading game. It is easy to cheat but some students enjoy it.
OANDA Currency trading demo Oanda is an online 4x trading site. They offer a online simulator that lets students trade currencies in real time and at current prices. Complex but a useful experience for students coming to terms with foreign exchange markets. Students and teachers need to register to play this game.
Don't forget the all Australian classic ASX sharemarket game a hit everywhere.
Virtual Economy This is an online budget simulator for the UK economy. Students are able to decide economic policy, try out their policy and review the results. A stack of support materials are provided for teachers. A great resource for senior economics students on economic policy.
Cameron Balloons Factory This resource takes students on a guided tour of a Balloon factory. Worksheets and activities are provided that relate the experience to Business theories and concepts. Useful for elaborating student understanding of the supply side of the economy.
Virtual Farm Students are given the opportunity to run a farm for ten years. Students on the basis of a current set of prices make decisions about which crops to grow, how much fertiliser to use and then review results. Students need to make decisions over time based on the relative productivity of various fields and take into account the weather. This activity needs to be carefully explained to students but is well worth 50 minutes in the classroom. It deepens their understanding of how demand and supply conditions affect a farm and the production sector generally.
EUROGAME One of the early business simulation activities on the net.
US Budget SImulator Students use menu's to make policy choices and then calculate works out the effects. This uses old technology.
Simple UK Budget Forecaster This is a simple form based forecaster. Students enter percentages and it calculates impacts on key economic objectives.
Macroeconomic Models These were produced for G Mankiw textbook. Most are too difficult for students however some of the easier ones could probably be used with year 12's.
Java Applets and Statistics There are a wide range of Java based applets dealing with statistical ideas on the Internet. Most of these are for tertiary students however some of the simpler ones are suitable for use with secondary students. This page provides a listing of some of the more popular tools available.
Fair Model A forecasting model teachers can play with online for the US economy.
LavaMind business simulations Teachers can view screenshots at the above site but need to order the actual CD ROM from overseas.
Greenpeace Video's Greenpace makes online videos and games available from its website. These are useful resources when covering Environmental and related growth issues. Spank Esso for example!
Friends of the Earth: Build your own welfare indicator Students are able to build their own indicator of economic welfare and it calculates the results for the UK. Sometimes this java servlet does not worl well unless you have Java 2 installed.
Links to interactyls from the old puppyspirits web site.