Virtual Stock Market Contest

Last semester I started a virtual stock market contest for my two sections of MBF3C.  I had heard that student's in other schools have really enjoyed this contest so I decided to give it a try.  To say that they were excited was an understatement.  The words engaged, enthusiastic, and almost obsessed come to mind!!!

From the moment class began each day, students were anxious to see the standings in the contest and would work diligently so that they could have a few minutes at the end of class to jump on the netbooks and start trading.  I had students on the website at home and actually having discussions with family members about the contest.  YES, they were talking about math class... AT HOME!!!  Amazing!

The website www.howthemarketworks.com is very user friendly and allows students to sign up with fake email addresses.  Teachers have access to all student logins (in case they forget) and are able to reset passwords.  The best part is - it's FREE!!!
I spent one class in the lab introducing students to the site and looking up:

• terms in the glossary,
• symbols for various companies,
• current prices of specific stocks,
• and finally, buying their own virtual stocks given $10,000.

I ran the contest for a month and the top three finishers were given prizes at the end of the contest.  I will definitely be running this each semester, and maybe even competing against other schools in the county.  Check it out!