Business Bytes By Barb - January 2001 Edition

Business Bytes By Barb

A Newsletter for Business Technology Educators January 2001

In this issue...

2001 And Beyond
Professional Development
Hard Lesson To Learn The Global Buffet Teaching Students T-Accounts Outstanding Classroom Teacher Promote Business Education Speed Up Your Web Searches Build Rapport With Your E-Mail Mary Tidd Apple Award Winner
2001 And Beyond
Over the holidays, I had lunch with a friend of mine who asked my thoughts on Business Technology Education in Indiana. This topic is always a thought provoking one, and there are definitely no "pat" answers. However, I do think there are some issues we must address as we think about the future of our discipline.

Teacher Shortage. For years we have heard about the possibility of a teacher shortage but very few were concerned. We are now seeing a serious teacher shortage in our discipline that will cause serious problems within the next five years. If we do not encourage young people to enter the teacher profession in business, we will not be able to fill the vacant positions. The National Business Education Association recently developed a packet of materials entitled, "The Business of Teaching." The recruitment kit may be purchased by NBEA members for $6.00, Catalog #120.21. The materials are a great way to share information on our profession with counselors, students, parents, and community leaders. Each one of us must do our share to recruit for Business Education.

Curriculum. In the fall of 2000, all schools were required to align their business offerings with the Indiana Department of Education's approved course titles. Not only have course titles been changed but what we teach in those courses must also be changed. This is sometimes difficult for us to accept. For example, we should no longer be teaching three to four semesters of keyboarding. In fact, keyboarding skills should be taught by the time students reach high school.
IMore emphasis should be placed on courses such as Business Foundations, International Business, Marketing, Entrepreneurship, Accounting, and Business College Level. We must send a message to administrators, parents, and the community that business education is more than just technology. Of course, we integrate technology into all of these areas, but let's not forget that business education is much more than just technology!

Personal Financial Literacy. The Jump$tart Coalition administered a 30-question multiple-choice exam to 723 12th graders across the country. Only 51.9% of those taking the exam achieved an average score. The exam covers knowledge of personal finance in four basic categories: Income; Money Management; Saving and Investing; Spending and Credit. "Students can take courses in Multi-variable Calculus and Advanced Placement Physics, but personal money management has been mostly ignored by the nation's high schools," says Lincoln Mayer, Sidwell Friends High School.
Business teachers must take a leadership role in promoting personal financial literacy to young people. In fact, it is our responsibility to do so.

Technology. What is our role in teaching technology? Every student should have basic computer and technology skills. We must integrate technology into all business courses. However, we must be very careful that we don't just teach "Internet" or "Specific Software Applications." We must incorporate critical thinking and problem solving and show students how to use technology to solve real-world problems.

Final Thoughts. We must look very closely at what we are teaching and why. We cannot rest on our past experiences or training. Business teachers should be involved in professional development opportunities regularly if we are to keep current with our discipline. You must also evaluate your Business Department to see if you are meeting the standard and where you need to improve. Business Technology has many issues that must be addressed. Let's not rest on past performance but plan for the future by being visionary. Business Education can only survive by having individuals in our field who are willing to change and keep abreast of current trends and issues. Let's do it in 2001!
Professional Development There are a number of professional development workshops scheduled during the next few months for Business Technology and Marketing Educators. Brief descriptions of the various workshops are provided in this newsletter. If you would like to register, please fill out the necessary registration forms enclosed.

Financial Knowledge For Investing
Financial Knowledge for Investing (CD ROM) teaches students the basics of investing and gives them the tools to begin making better financial decisions. Participants will receive a copy of the CD ROM and will learn how to use the program and access information on the Web. Wednesday, February 7, 2001; 4:00-6:30 p.m.; Muncie. (See attached form) PDF format

Hospitality, Travel, and Tourism
This one-day workshop will cover the new Hospitality, Travel, and Tourism marketing course. Teachers, Administrators, and Counselors are welcome to attend to learn more about this program. Four workshops are scheduled throughout the state. (See attached form) PDF format

Minibasket/In-Basket/Internet Workshop
The purpose of this workshop will be to prepare project-based learning activities for your classroom based on examples and real world situations from business and industry. Emphasis will be placed on incorporating high-end technology including use of the Internet for research, etc. This is your opportunity to get involved and develop projects that you can use in your classes! You will work in teams of two or three, and all work should be completed during the workshop. A small stipend, travel, and lodging will be paid. Registration is limited to 15 participants. See the enclosed registration form (PDF format) for more information.

Speech Recognition Workshops
The purpose of these two-day workshops will be to train teachers to integrate speech recognition software into their keyboarding, document formatting, computer applications, and vocational business classes. The two-day workshops will be held in June and July at three locations. There is a limit of 15 participants per workshop. (See attached form) PDF format

TECH Camp 2001
IUPUI will be hosting the five-day Tech Camp 2001 Summer Workshop on July 23-27. Participants may select one of three tracks. This workshop is limited to only 100 participants. The attached flyer and registration form (PDF format) will provide more detailed information. Don't wait to register! Spaces are limited!

Marketing Educators' Academy
The Indiana Marketing Educators'Academy will be held June 11-15 in Indianapolis. The purpose of the Academy is to prepare marketing teachers to implement competency-based instruction and mastery learning in their classes. Lodging and most meals will be provided through IDOE. If you are planning to teach a full year marketing class next year, you should consider enrolling in the Academy. The first-year class will meet for only three days. College credit is available. If you are interested, contact Barb Beadle for an application. PDF format

Hard Lesson To Learn Sandra Escala wanted an education when she went to college. She got one: a 10-year lesson in personal debt. After only one year at Saddleback College, the Mission Viejo, California woman had run up a total of $10,000 on nine credit cards she'd received as a freshman. She overspent on clothes, dinner, and furniture. The card that started the problem, a Visa, was her very first credit card. And she got it on campus. Escala had to quit school at age 19 and get a full-time job to chip away at her bills. "School was out of the question. It became a luxury I could not afford," says Escala, now 29. Debt, she notes sadly, has cost her time. "It took me 10 years to get out. By now I could have had a master's degree." Escala'a experience is a cautionary tale for the thousands of students who are arriving on campuses. It's not tough to get plastic. There are few, if any, income requirements because issuers know most parents will bail out kids who rack up big bills. No credit history is needed. Just fill out an application received in the mail or at the credit-card tables that are set up at some campuses. You might even get a free T-shirt as an enticement, possibly distracting you from the high interest rates the cards carry on average, 17.5 percent. Students can avoid the credit-card trap by understanding how their plastic works and more importantly when to use it. School supplies, gasoline, and care repairs are considered OK purchases to make with credit cards, experts say. Also emergency spending, such as an unexpected trip to the doctor or dentist. What's not OK to charge? Dinners, Drinks, Clothing, Groceries, Movies. If you're living off your credit cards, you're in trouble. Once students start carrying a balance, the card becomes costly, especially if they're only making the minimum monthly payment. Sure, these cards usually only carry credit limits of $250 to $1,000. But by sticking to the minimum payment, a student would take seven years and $804 in interest to pay off a $1,000 balance on a card with a 17.5 percent annual rate. That's only if they don't spend more on the card. "I learned a very hard lesson at a very young age," says Escala. Her advice to students tempted by credit cards? "If you can't pay for it, don't buy it." Source: The Indianapolis Star; Monday, October 2, 2000.

The Global Buffet Students become international chefs in Jim Fox's international business classes. Fox has his international business students participate in a project he calls "The Global Buffet." Here's how it works. Fox divides the class into small groups. Each group is responsible for researching their assigned country and then prepares a native food item. Fox designates a date and time for students to have their countries food item prepared. Students are asked to prepare enough food to feed a typical family. On the day of "The Global Buffet," teachers and administrators within the school are invited to sample the delicacies. As part of the evaluation procedure, students are required to include a summary sheet about their assigned country's culture, the food's ingredients, recipe, and the significance of the food in the culture. The summary sheets are also placed alongside of the corresponding food item during "The Global Buffet." "The Global Buffet" allows students to practice cooperative learning and engages them in active learning about the many cultures that occupy our earth. Source: Submitted by Jim Fox, Business Teacher, Carmel High School, Carmel, IN. Teaching Business Education, November/December 2000.
Teaching Students T-Accounts After covering the rules of debit and credit for permanent and temporary accounts, Pam Baker, a teacher and business department chair, tapes six "T-accounts" on the classroom wall using masking tape. As the students enter the classroom, Baker hands each 1 or 2 (depending on class size) 3 x 5 Post-it Notes with either a + - Bal. Dr. Cr. Or a classification name A, L, OE, R, E, W written on it. The first student sticks his Post-it Note under a "T." The next student sticks his/her note and has the opportunity to move one other note. This pattern continues until all students have placed their sticky notes. The cycle ends when the student that began has one opportunity to make one last correction. Baker usually grades this activity as a quiz. To try this activity in your own accounting classroom, you'll need to create the following Post-it Notes: 6 Bal., 6+, 6-, 6 Dr., 6 Cr., 6 Classifications for a total of 36 Post-it Notes. Source: Submitted by Pam Baker, Wichita Heights High School, Wichita, KS. Teaching Business Education, November/December 2000.

Outstanding Classroom Teacher Barbara M. Lorch, South Bend Clay High School, was recently awarded the Indiana Business Education Association Outstanding Classroom Teacher Award at the Business and Marketing Education Conference in November. During the past 20 years, Barbara has been a teacher and department chair at South Bend Clay High School. Barbara's students and colleagues describe her as a highly dedicated, concerned, and talented teacher who is devoted to her students and to her profession. Through her leadership and vision, the business education department has become highly competitive with other departments in attracting highly motivated students. Integrating business and industry concepts into her program has been a priority. Barbara's approach to technology and education have been both innovative and creative. A colleague described her as being vigilant, always seeking to bring in that new piece of software or implement new hardware that will enrich the experiences of her students to give them that competitive edge. Barbara's commitment and love for business education can best be defined in her own words. "I feel it is so important to find the light switch in each and every student so I can turn on the light bulb and give him or her a reason to love to come to class." Congratulations, Barb, and best wishes for many more years to come!

Promote Business Education The National Business Education Association has developed brochures to promote business education. If you would like to get the message out about business education, you may want to purchase the following:

Facts Every Administrator Should Know About Business Education #118.20
Facts Every Business Should Know About Business Education #118.70
Facts Every Counselor Should Know About Business Education #118.30
Facts Every Legislator Should Know About Business Education #118.80
Facts Every Parent Should Know About Business Education #118.60
Facts Every Student Should Know About Business Education #118.40

Contact NBEA for price information at 703 860-8300; 703 620-4483-fax; or http://www.nbea.org/nbea.html.

Speed Up Your Web Searches Save time when you search the Web by following these rules:

Envision the perfect site. If you were designing the one Web page that answered your question, what key terms would it contain? Use those terms as your search criteria.
Start narrow and then widen., if necessary. When it comes to Web search results, less is better. So type in as many specific terms as you can to really zoom in on the fewest sites possible. If you don't find what you need, widen the search in steps by deleting one search term at a time.
Don't waste time scrolling through dozens of search results. Instead, narrow your search with more key words.

Source: Adapted from Editors Only.

Build Rapport With Your E-Mail Given the ease of email, you may prefer it to live conversations. But it's often hard to build trust when you communicate online. Take these steps to establish rapport:

Play it straight. Cynicism and teasing can backfire over the Web. Don't rely on :) symbols to lighten the mood. Instead, write clear messages and save the subtleties for when you can look others in the eyes.
Talk first. Research shows that, while it's tough to earn trust in a purely online relationship, it's easier to maintain trust after you've spoken with someone. So make a few phone calls or meetings to break the ice. Then use email to stay in touch.
Confront problems in person. Overcome the temptation to use email when you dread having to talk to someone. You'll make matters worse if you distance yourself in cyberspace. Discuss delicate topics face to face or on the phone.

Source: Adapted from Psychology Today.

Mary Tidd Apple Award Winner Mary Tidd, Martinsville High School, was awarded the Apple Award by the Indiana Department of Education, Office of Career and Technical Education, for her dedication and commitment to Business Technology and Marketing Education initiatives in Indiana. Mary has served on a number of IDOE committees and has developed curriculum for Business Technology Lab I & II. She recently served on the committee that developed the Business Services and Technology Teacher and Student Manual and also worked on development of the Functional Station Manual. Mary also contributed as a member of the International Business curriculum committee. "Mary is a true professional," says Barb Beadle, IDOE. "It has been my privilege to work with Mary on a number of projects, and she always contributes to the team and conducts herself in a professional manner."

For information in this newsletter, contact Barbara K. Beadle, Program Specialist Business & Marketing Education (317) 232-9179-office or (317) 232-9121-fax email: bbeadle@doe.state.in.us www.doe.state.in.us/octe/bme
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