Dear Michael,
I thought your virtual vacation was a wonderful project. It was very well detailed and planned. I used it with my 6th graders in our applied mathematics class. I did have to make some adjustments for the level of children I was working with. They were a little confused at first, but that may have just been the way I presented it. Once they caught on they had a ball. They were excited about their destinations and the routes they were to take, etc. The winning team got to go to lunch with me.( That may not have been much of a prize but it got them out of the school! :)) They truly enjoyed it. Thanks for asking!
Mary Peterson
Big Walnut Middle School
Sunbury, Ohio
Dear Michael,
Thank you for such a wonderful program. I am currently using your virtual vacation for my math students. The students loved the idea about going on a trip and planning the route. I have modified your outline a little. I have allowed my students to choose their final destination city, as long as it is at least half way across the country. They started their trip in California.
We did not use the Canadian or Mexican exchange. Most of my students say to me that it would be easier to actually go on this trip than planning and virtually spending. This is a credit to the program. It makes the students think about where to stay the night and what attractions they want to see. They now realize how much money an actually trip like this would cost.
For my students final project, I am going to let them use PowerPoint. They will use this software to share with the class their virtual vacation. They have not been exposed to PowerPoint before and this will be a great opportunity for them.
I was a little unclear on one point of your program. It says that the students may run into trouble along their trip. (flat tire, car sickness, etc.) I was unsure if you as the teacher randomly picked trouble for the students along the way or if you had something else in mind.
Overall, the program is wonderful. You have organized the virtual vacation very well and completed the groundwork. Making the students research which hotel to stay at and write checks allows them the responsibilities of an adult. Some of my students presign checks without filling anything else out on the check. If I can I "steal" these checks and write my name on them and fill in the amount. I then hand the checks back to them so they can subtract the amount from their checkbook ledger. Really a wonderful lesson to learn, don't you think.......
Thank you again for the program. It has helped replace the redundant packets my students are using to learn math. Please use my name and comments to help those who are thinking about getting your program.
By the way, I was born and raised in Michigan so its nice to see that this program came from the great state......keep up the good work.
Sincerely,
Matt Malzahn
Pittsburg High School
Pittsburg, California