"XE" - The easy solution for currency conversions
Currency Exchange, Brisbane, Australia
APP
Xe
PLATFORM
IOS, Android, Microsoft
APP RATING
MAPPING
Finance, Front Office, Hospitality
Fabulous finance
If you find yourself delivering Process Financial Transactions you will know about the quirky requirement to train and assess currency conversions. I’m not sure about you, but sometimes I have students who have not been interstate, let alone left the country; so foreign currency conversions can be just that to students, foreign! The Xe app could help change all that and help you bring clarity to this confusing subject!
What is Xe?
Xe is a currency converter and money transfer application available for iPhone and Android.
What does Xe do?
Xe is primarily a money transfer service but don’t let that put you off! It allows consumers to convert currency and transfer it internationally. App users can check live currency rates for over 130 currencies, send money globally at a time that suits them and all their transactions can be monitored and tracked. Xe is also known as one of the world's most downloaded foreign exchange applications, their website promotes that over 275 million people visit Xe online to conduct their transactions every year. So how can this help you in the classroom?
How is Xe helpful for learning?
This application is ideal for explaining and demonstrating the process of currency conversions. It’s simple to use, downloading the app is low risk and students get a visual perspective of the conversion.
Imagine a scenario where a hotel guest is checking out and they ask to pay their hotel bill in US dollars. Generally; hotels in Australia do not hold US currency. So, in this case while the hotel can accept US dollars for payment, any change would need to be given back in Australian dollars. It’s complicated, so it’s not surprising currency conversions can be a very tricky concept for students to grasp, especially since they’re not exposed to it.
Before I discovered this application, I would ask students to calculate their conversions on a calculator. The problem was, it was just like doing any other multiplication calculation, so the meaning was missed. Using the app helped to bring more clarity to the process. Students could identify and select a foreign currency; they also saw the country’s flag. I found this helped bring some form of context to the numbers. In a few taps they simply entered an amount in their chosen currency and they could see the conversion to Australian dollars instantly appear. It was just as simple to convert the Australian dollar back to any currency they wished to view.
SELECT a CURRENCY
Select between 1 and 10 currencies. It’s as simple as ticking the currency and they can be changed at any time.
CONVERT 800 AUD to foreign
When converting from Australian Dollars, the foreign currency amount is shown across all the saved currencies.
CONVERT 10O usd to AUD
When converting a foreign currency to Australian Dollars, all the foreign currencies saved show their equivalent amount.
Tips for Teachers
- This app could also be helpful for Front Office units to help with hotel check outs and payments.
- Travel agency and tourism teachers may also find this app useful in their teaching practice.
- The app can be downloaded and used solely for the purpose of conducting currency conversions.
- There is no pressure or requirement to sign up to the transfer money function.
- There is no need to enter any personal details.
- I have used this app for years and it has been reliable and it has not spammed me
Stephen's Take
Unit of Competency Mapping
Please note; the purpose of this article is to introduce current hospitality trends. The content broadly applies to the units of competency listed. It is not intended that all content in this article maps directly to all performance evidence and knowledge evidence in the unit of competency.
Bring your teacher currency to the classroom! Try the following documents and website links!
Article and photos original by Stephen Duncan