MarketTools: An educational commodity marketing game
Agricultural commodity market participants make decisions in a risky and changing environment. Few agricultural producers use the diverse marketing alternatives available to them. Many are unfamiliar with the mechanics of the alternatives and methods for incorporating them into marketing strategies. This article describes MarketTools, an educational software package designed to support real-time, competitive marketing games. MarketTools simplifies record keeping and provides the basis for a structured approach to marketing education. The concluding section summarizes experience in using MarketTools in adult education and classroom settings. © 1995 by John Wiley & Sons, Inc.
AN APPLICATION OF RISK ANALYSIS: LOCALIZED CORN AND SOYBEAN PRICE DISTRIBUTIONS
This paper examines the spatial elements of marketing grain. The decision of " where" to market has been ignored due to data limitations and lack of necessity. The author will incorporate localized probability distributions of price/basis in an Excel spreadsheet using @RISK which will evaluate marketing decisions for producers.
Using a Computer Game to Reinforce Skills in Addition Basic Facts in Second Grade
Early work in computer-assisted instruction (CAI) involved using the computer to present drill-and-practice exercises to the student (e.g., Suppes, Jerman, & Brian, 1968; Suppes & Morningstar, 1972). Since the computer can provide immediate feedback to the student and can control the sequence in which the exercises are presented, such CAI has generally proven to be effective, although the cost-effectiveness of such systems of programmed instruction has been questioned (Vinsonhaler & Bass, 1972). Two large CAI systems, PLATO and TICCIT, have incorporated games, simulation, and the use of graphics. Although evaluations of the affective and cognitive effects of these systems have produced mixed results, they have established that such systems do have a place in the curriculum (Alderman, Oppel, & Murphy, 1978). In recent years there has been an increasing interest in research on the effects of instructional games (Reiser & Gerlach, 1976; Bright, Harvey, & Wheeler, Note 1). Two studies in grades 4, 5, and 6 conducted by Bright, Harvey, and Wheeler (1979, 1980) have shown that games can be effective at the post-instructional level in retraining and maintaining skill in multiplication basic facts. This study is an extension of the Bright, Harvey, and Wheeler games research to addition basic facts in a primary grade and to the implementation of the game on a microcomputer. The question addressed was "Can a computer game be used to increase proficiency at the post-instructional level in addition basic facts in the second grade?"