Conclusion
This semester’s romp through the futures market has been a lesson in discipline, international trade, and the importance of consistence in computer programing. To stage this final blog post I have decided to discuss what I liked about the project, what I didn’t, and ways I think the project could be improved.
What worked
Trading was an excellent opportunity to get firsthand experience in markets. I think everyone involved in the project walked away with a greater respect for the markets. Most felt price shocks first hand, some dabbled in fundamental analysis, and some played the technical game. What’s more, this project created a common ground for members of the class to bond over.
I think this is good place to note that the guest presentations were excellent. Sometimes it’s insightful for someone with hands on trading experience to share with the class; it helps to balance out the curriculum.
What didn’t
Tradesim. It was inconsistent and cumbersome. It had a user interface that was outdated by the time I had started high school. Frankly, it was just unpleasant. This is news for no one involved in the project; however I felt my conclusion would be lacking if I didn’t have a chance to get that off my chest.
As far as the social media aspect is concerned, the blogs were good, twitter could have been better. If I was to change the blog method, I would make it so that each week is a single entry, instead of three. It would make the blogs easier to navigate and would make them easier to grade. Twitter wasn’t used much beyond blog announcements and info gathering. The fact that we spend about twenty hours a week together means that most info spreads word of mouth. Sometimes, even in this theologically advanced environment, being social beats social media.
How do we improve this program for the next year?
I would highly encourage the administration to keep the futures project in the curriculum. However, under no conditions should Tradesim be used. If we really look at where this project fell apart, it wasn’t in the construction of the curriculum; it was in the failure of the software. I highly encourage the administration to consider StockTrak.com. Other than that, making a single weekly blog post and less emphasis on twitter would be positive changes.
November 26th, 2012 at 10:58 pm
Appreciate your comments. Thanks.