Fall 2008 Issue - Volume 34, No. 1
Transcription
Fall 2008 Issue - Volume 34, No. 1
Notes & Quotes Mountain-Plains Business Education Association Colorado Kansas New Mexico Nebraska North Dakota South Dakota A Region of the National Business Education Association Oklahoma Texas Wyoming Manitoba Saskatchewan Volume 34, No. 1 Fall, 2008 President’s Message Sue Sydow, M-PBEA President G reetings on behalf of the Mountain-Plains Executive Board and best wishes for an outstanding 2008-2009 school year. With each new year comes new classes, students, student organization members, books, rooms, administrators and bell schedules. Whatever the challenge, M-PBEA is here to help by providing programs and services developed to enhance your professional growth. As a member of NBEA/M-PBEA, the premier organization for business education, you have a wealth of resources available to you that will keep you up-to-date and informed about the latest issues and trends in business education. Plan now to attend the 2009 M-PBEA conference in Rapid City, South Dakota, June 1720, 2009. This year our theme is “21st Century Pathways in Business Education.” You won’t want to miss all the excitement that the conference team from South Dakota and Wyoming is planning. This conference will explore pathways for many professional development opportunities for you with informative sessions, exhibits, and social activities. Complete conference details will be available on the M-PBEA website at www.mpbea.org under conferences and in the spring issue of Notes and Quotes. Another pathway will lead you to the national convention in the heart of Downtown Chicago, April 7-11, 2009. There will be 40 concurrent sessions from which to choose. The 2009 program will have extra concurrent sessions on Wednesday as well as Friday afternoon. An exciting addition includes offering 16 round tables on Friday afternoon. The topics for all sessions will be relevant and cutting edge. If you are a professional member of NBEA/M-PBEA and have never attended the annual national convention, you are eligible to apply for a $200 professional development stipend. The $200 stipends will be presented during the Awards Luncheon at the NBEA 2009 Annual Convention in Chicago, Illinois, on Friday, April 10. Winners must register for the luncheon where they will receive the stipend from NBEA President, Sharon FisherLarson, on behalf of the regional or corporate sponsor. There will be two stipends awarded to NBEA members from the Mountain-Plains region. The application form must be received at NBEA Headquarters by January 2, 2009. You will be able to find all the details on the NBEA website at www.nbea.org. Your professional organization will continue to guide business educators down the pathway of leadership and professional development. There will be continued emphasis on leadership and professional development at the annual conference, national convention, state conferences, and LDI’s to provide pathways for many professional development opportunities for you, our members! Again, make sure that you visit the M-PBEA and NBEA websites for complete details. Contents Board Directory 2 NBEA Greetings 4 YOU, too can blog! 5 Membership Form 9 Award Winners 10 State Association News 15 M-PBEA Board Nominations Needed 16 Financial Tips For Everyone 18 What’s Missing in YOUR BackTo-School Backpack 18 Award Nominations Needed 19 Help Needed for Conference 19 Bus Ed National Hall of Fame 20 Meet Your M-PBEA Board 21 2008 Convention Report 21 2009 Convention Flyer 23 LDI Nominations Wanted 24 NBEA Exec Board Report 25 Legislative Notes 26 ISBE News 27 2009 SIEC/ISBE 28 Chicago NBEA INFO 29 Wisconsin Bus Ed Journal/Call for Manuscripts 30 Blogging Practice 30 (Please see PRESIDENT’S MESSAGE, page 3) 1 www.mpbea.org Notes & Quotes Fall, 2008 M-PBEA OFFICERS President Suzanne Sydow STATE REPRESENTATIVES Colorado Angela Satterly asatterly@burlingtonk12.org susydow1@wsc.edu President-Elect Sandy Braathen sandy.braathen@mail.business.und.edu Kansas Connie Lindell cnlindell@aol.com Treasurer DeLayne Havlovic delayne.havlovic@ops.org Nebraska Patricia Arneson paarnes1@wsc.edu Executive Secretary Jean Sykes jean.sykes@mcclave.k12.co.us New Mexico Connie Casebolt conniejc@unm.edu Past President Lynette Heitz heitzl@hotmail.com North Dakota Glenda Rotvold Representative NBEA Exec. Board Marilyn Jones mjones@friends.edu Oklahoma Mitchell Ober obermi@cox.net South Dakota Brenda Merkel Brenda.Merkel@k12.sd.us Texas Violet Snell vsnell@neisd.net Wyoming Murleen Bellinger mbelling@esu6.org Nancy Warren Nancy_Warren@ncsd.k12.wy.us Manitoba Vacant Dennis Krejci dennis.krejci@tricountyschools.org Saskatchewan Vacant EX-OFFICIO MEMBERS M-PBEA Archivist ISBE Journal Editor Cindy Johnson cjohnson@usd339.net Leadership Award Betty Johnson bjohnson@sfasu.edu Legislative Chair Sheryl Piening Keller spiening@southeast.edu Newsletter Editor Wanda Samson wanda.samson@gmail.com Publications Chari Sowers csowers@cox.net Regional Membership Director Ramona Schoenrock rschoen@megavision.com Webmaster Toni Landenberger tlandenb@southeast.edu Mountain-Plains Business Education glenda.rotvold@mail.business.und.edu EX-OFFICIO MEMBERS NATIONAL OFFICE NBEA Executive Director Janet Treichel jtreichel@nbea.org NBEA President Sharon Fisher-Larson satbfl@aol.com 2 Fall, 2008 Notes & Quotes M-PBEA President’s Message (PRESIDENT’S MESSAGE continued from page 1) NBEA/M-PBEA has an excellent awards program where we annually recognize and celebrate the achievements of members and programs that have made significant contributions to the field of business education. Please consider nominating a worthy professional and outstanding program for these awards. Applications for all the award categories can be found on the M-PBEA website. Congratulations to the winners of the 2008 M-PBEA awards: Lucinda Carpenter (Colorado), Secondary “Rookie” Teacher of the Year; Mona Fannon (Texas), Secondary Teacher of the Year; Sherrell Wheeler (Texas), Postsecondary Teacher of the Year; Judy Grotrian (Nebraska), Collegiate Teacher of the Year; and David Loper (Texas), Administrator/Supervisor of the Year. I was honored to receive the M-PBEA Leadership Award. In addition, congratulations to Ramona Schoenrock for receiving the NBEA 2008 Secondary Teacher of the Year Award. She is currently serving as your M-PBEA membership director. Membership is the life and successful existence of any organization. We value and appreciate your membership! To help NBEA/ M-PBEA remain strong and viable we need everyone’s help to find the right pathway to increase membership by annually renewing our membership dues and recruiting our colleagues. If every current member would encourage just one new member, we could double our membership. Can you think of someone YOU could encourage to become a member? Joining is easy, just visit the NBEA website at www.nbea.org, click on “Join Now” and submit the form. As Helen Keller is quoted as saying, “Alone we can do so little; together we can do so much.” Advocacy is a challenging pathway. NBEA/M-PBEA supports national-level efforts to ensure that your voice is heard by legislators and policymakers. NBEA's Legislative Advocacy Committee represents association members through ongoing liaison with Congress, federal officials, congressional committees, state legislatures, and other professional associations. Michelangelo stated, “The greatest danger for most of us is not that our aim is too high and we miss it, but that it is too low and we reach it.” Through your continued participation, NBEA/M-PBEA will keep on the pathway of excellence for which the Mountain-Plains region is known. Our organization is receptive to 21st Century Business Education Pathway changes—and as business education changes, we will move the organization down whatever 21st Century Pathways are needed to continue our rich history, while shaping its future. As John F. Kennedy stated, “Change is the law of life and those who look only to the past or present are certain to miss the future.” It will be both a pleasure and an honor to serve the Mountain-Plains region into 21st Century Pathways this year. I look forward to seeing you in Chicago and Rapid City. I hope you all have a great year! M-PBEA is the best! MARK YOUR CALENDARS FOR FUTURE CONFERENCES M-PBEA CONFERENCES June 17-20, 2009 June 23-26, 2010 June, 2011 Rapid City, South Dakota Fort Collins, Colorado Kansas NBEA CONFERENCES April 8-11,2009 March 31-April 3, 2010 April 20-23, 2011 April 4-7, 2012 3 Chicago Marriott Downtown San Diego Marriott Hotel & Marina New Orleans Marriott Boston Marriott Copley Place www.mpbea.org Notes & Quotes Fall, 2008 Greetings from NBEA President, Sharon Fisher-Larson T hank you Mountain-Plains business educators for your wonderful hospitality in June at the M-PBEA Conference in Lincoln. The location was super, the sessions were great, and I enjoyed meeting so many of you for the first time as well as getting to visit with many good friends. I especially enjoyed speaking to the Leadership participants. They were so energetic! Make sure M-PBEA harnesses that energy! I am sure you will have a great 2008-2009 year under the leadership of Sue Sydow, your M-PBEA President. Business education is so important! As you all know, business educators educate for life in so many ways. We are the ones who teach students to succeed in everyday life. As business educators, we must continue to work with teachers from other disciplines, administrators, and the local, state, and federal legislatures to ensure the continued success of business education in the schools. Be proud of what you are doing for your students and the community. During my term as NBEA president, my major goal is to increase membership. I hope to achieve this goal by reaching out to the states and the regions. We have so many business educators who are not members of NBEA; and, therefore, are not enjoying the many benefits of membership: excellent publications (Forum, Keying In, Annual Yearbook, and a variety of other publications), numerous insurance options, and networking at the regional and national levels. In July, the NBEA board will officially begin its new structure with one regional representative from each region, a NABTE representative, an ISBE representative, a member-at-large, and the executive officers (Past President, President, President-Elect, and Secretary/Treasurer) along with Jan Treichel, our Executive Director. This is a much smaller board that will present challenges as well as opportunities. On April 25 & 26, 2008, the 2009 Convention Planning Committee met in Chicago. During that time we brainstormed about possible sessions, speakers, and structure. The meeting was extremely productive. You have a very hard working committee. Look for more than 60 different concurrent sessions on the 2009 program. In fact, we have added concurrent sessions to Wednesday for those of you that arrive early. In addition, we have added 16 roundtables on Friday afternoon. Although there is a lot to do on the Magnificent Mile, it will be difficult for you to choose between the convention and enjoying the city. We will follow last year's format with a special ticketed event on Friday evening. General session speak- Mountain-Plains Business Education ers and other details are still in the works. The convention is being held at the Marriott on Michigan Avenue, the Magnificent Mile. The important thing for you to do immediately is put April 8-11, 2009 on your calendar. Then get your request to attend through the proper channels. It's all about planning! A new strategic plan was developed under the leadership of Cynthia Green at the NBEA Strategic Planning Committee in August 2008. A considerable amount of time was spent on membership as well as technology’s role in retaining and attracting membership. You will see some great things happening in the next few years. The much awaited National Honor Society will hopefully be implemented in January 2009. Watch for news of this in the Forum and other NBEA publications This NBEA endeavor will give business educators an opportunity for their students to be involved in a national honor society. NBEA is also sponsoring a competition at the FBLA National Convention. Business educators are always so dedicated. Keep up the good work! The NBEA presidency will be both a challenge and an amazing opportunity to continue to grow professionally and assist business educators throughout the states. Have a great summer and an even better 2008-2009 school year. I hope to see you in Chicago at the 2009 NBEA Convention. Need to contact me? Just e-mail me at satbfl@aol.com! The NBEA Mission NBEA is committed to the advancement of the professional interest and competence of its members and provides programs and services that enhance members' professional growth and development. Further, NBEA serves as a unifying agency among other groups dedicated to advancing and improving business education. NBEA provides the vital link between both the private and public sector. NBEA gives business educators an opportunity to stay on top of the changing skills required in today's business world through its linkages with corporations and small businesses. In addition, NBEA's Legislative Advocacy Committee keeps members involved with the ongoing national, state, and local efforts to further business education in our schools and communities. 4 Fall, 2008 Notes & Quotes YOU, too can blog! A Submitted by Sandy Braathen, M-PBEA President-Elect fter attending a presentation by M-PBEA webmaster Toni Landenberger at the 2008 NBEA conference, I was inspired to use blogs in my classes. Toni’s presentation was excellent because she really knows her stuff and is able to present it in a manner that allows her to easily communicate with techies and non-techies alike. As Toni told us, “Blog” is the term coined to represent weB LOG. That’s what a blog is, a log of posts that is available on the web. When I returned from the NBEA conference, I created my own blog for my business communication course. I decided this would be a great starting place since blogs are for communicating, right? I posted questions and asked the students to respond to them (giving them points for posting their responses). I would have liked to have it be an “open” blog that students could simply post to; however, I decided to require that their comments be moderated (approved by the blog moderator/ owner) prior to being posted. That way I could be sure that no inappropriate content was published. Although I teach at the university level and do not have the same need to “protect” my students, I was fearful that (a) someone outside our class would stumble upon our blog and decide to post inappropriate comments just for fun, (b) my own students may post items that were inappropriate, or (c) comments may be posted that would harm the communication process—such as negative or derogatory comments from one student directed to another. My ultimate goal would be to have students visit the blog “at will” and have a desire to communicate with one another (and me) as peers and not just to earn points! While my students posted comments, it seemed that the students didn’t share my eagerness to continue blogging. Because the end of the semester and the winter break were just days away, the students may not have had the time. Realistically, it was likely that we had not created a community where they felt they were key participants. Instead of seeing this as an opportunity to communicate with their peers, they likely viewed it as “one more” assignment to be completed before the end of the term. Having created a blog and using it in my class, I felt somewhat successful. However, I did vow to do a better job setting the stage next time. In order to do that promised better job, I decided to look more closely at blogging and how it was being used in the educational arena. This article includes some of my questions and the answers I found for them. With these answers and a little preparation, YOU, too can blog! Isn’t a blog just a web page? How do they differ? Blogs consist of items “posted” by the blog owner in reverse chronological order. They allow “comments” from others to be added to the previously posted discussion. Bloggers can include links to other blogs and web pages, blog rolls (a listing 5 of favorite blogs usually found as a list on the side), pictures, audio and video clips, and other media. Like other Web 2.0 technologies, blogging takes advantage of the shared community of ideas. Shared ownership and contributions from many are common in the Web 2.0 arena. The two main ways that blogs are different from web pages are (1) blogs are dynamic and constantly changing, and (2) blogs are much easier to update. Blogs allow comments from others to be posted without needing authorization (if comment moderation is turned off). The online software interfaces for creating and maintaining blogs is generally much easier than learning how to program your web page in Hypertext Markup Language (HTML). With a blog, you simply click the “publish” button. Blog interfaces make it relatively easy to add pictures, podcasts, audio clips, video clips, or other media as well. As Risinger (2006) states, teacher-designed classroom web pages are being replaced by blogs because blogs are easier to set up and maintain. Why would I want to blog? Importance of blogging in the work world leads to a need for our students to be blog savvy. Dearstyne (2007) notes a rising importance of knowledge workers and stresses that they are “heavily dependent on information systems and tools to create information and also to access, analyze, exchange, and synthesize the information that is the essential precursor of knowledge” (p. 27 ). He adds that the three types of Web 2.0 collaborative tools that are particularly important are blogs, mashups, and wikis. The 21st Century requires that our students are able to collaborate, communicate, and problem solve. Therefore, the very nature of blogs will enhance our ability to prepare students for their futures. The increasing number of business-related blogs is also evidence of the increased importance of the technology as a business tool. Blogs are being used for everything from marketing a product to obtaining feedback from consumers. Some businesses actually have employees search other blogs for discussions of their product and then post comments to those blogs to enhance the awareness and understanding of their product. Incorporating blogs into our classrooms gives us the opportunity to help our students learn how to use blogs productively. Doing so is one more way we can prepare our students for the world of work. In addition to being a technology we teach our students, blogs can also be an educator’s tool. They can be used to enhance communication and promote more engaged learning. Blogs can be used to provide students—as well as parents—a way to view daily activities or handouts, view homework assignments, discuss important issues, and ask questions. Teachers can use blogs to showcase classroom activities and accomplishments, supplement classroom discussions, facilitate new (Please see BLOG , page 6) www.mpbea.org Notes & Quotes Fall, 2008 YOU, too can blog! (BLOG continued from page 5) discussions, answer questions, and even promote safe blogging (Berson & Berson, 2006; Risinger, 2006). What can I do with a blog in MY classroom? How you utilize blogs in your own classroom depends on what your instructional objectives are. Are you looking to teach your students the technology of blogs (how to create, update, and manage a blog, design considerations, security considerations, etc.) or are you looking to use blogs as an instructional tool? In addition to having students review the structure and usage of blogs, publicly accessible blogs can be used for students to research information, review marketing practices, compare viewpoints and analyze or synthesize discussions. Student generated blogs could be used for students to demonstrate their knowledge of subject matter. Students could use blogs to summarize their research findings. Student blogs could also be “how to” blogs which would showcase students’ skills while making the blog helpful for others. The sky is the limit for “how to” topics: everything from how a given technology works, how to use a software application, or how to complete daily assignments like posting a journal entry to a ledger account. Student generated blogs could also be discussion groups for communities of learners. Students could be in charge of determining the blog content with the only restrictions being assignment requirements. Student generated blogs could also be used as an online journal of their individual experiences such as an internship or cooperative work experience. Finally student generated blogs could be used as a Q&A Forum where students could post questions regarding class topics and other students would be the “experts” who are assigned to answer questions. Either Teacher generated or student generated blogs could be used for discussions which debate issues related to business classes or current events: ethics, business laws, current business practices and other similar topics. Teacher generated blogs could also be used to continue class discussions “outside the classroom.” Teachers could use blogs to clarify ideas or topics discussed in class. Teachers could post questions for students to answer. Teachers could provide answers to student questions. Teachers could also post materials for students to review prior to the next class period. Quible (2005) uses blogs in his written business communication course to provide students additional writing activities. The first activity uses the blog provide students with sample situations. Students are asked to create various sections of letters to respond to the situations. Different students write different sections of the letters, the class views them via the blog, and then the class selects the best option for each section. The second way Quible uses the blog is to post sentences from students’ work which contains errors (grammar, punctuation, style, etc.). The sentences are posted without student names. The sentences become available as a teaching/ learning tool for ALL members of the class. The third way that Quible uses the blog is to post a sample letter which is intentionally an ineffective version. Students then are asked to comment on the letter and suggest improvements. The blog has provided Quible a way to make activities available to students outside the classroom without the cost of printing/ duplicating them. How can I get my students more involved in blogging? The reality is that our students already ARE blogging. They are digital natives who are connected and regularly communicate online. A 2007 survey found that students spend almost as much time using social networking services and browsing websites as they do watching TV. “Ninety-six percent of students with online access have used social networking technologies, such as chatting and blogging, and visited online communities, such as Facebook and MySpace” (Fletcher, 2007, np). Students create content online on a daily basis. They post comments, upload music or podcasts, upload selfmade videos, or maintain their own blogs. The challenge is not to get students blogging. Rather, the challenge is to get students blogging in ways that enhance their learning experiences. In order to do this, we can take advantage of what students are already doing. Blogging lets students explore, discover, create and achieve immediate gratification. Incorporating these options makes any assignment more appealing to students. An example is instead of a student writing an essay about “What I Did Last Summer,” creating a blog of what they did last summer will allow the student to incorporate a variety of media, to organize the material into a series of posts, and to quickly see their results of their efforts. Blogging is a great tool for helping students to organize and develop writing. “Blogging engages students in creating short bits of writing, which…they can piece together and develop into larger pieces” (Sturgeon, 2008, np). Brock Dubbels (cited in Sturgeon, 2008) is a high school engineering teacher in Minneapolis who uses blogs in his classes. He believes that students will perform better when they know their peers will be reviewing their work in addition to turning it in to the teacher. What about safety? There are risks ANY time you allow students to post to the Internet. Recognizing the risks and planning ahead can minimize the danger. Before your students begin blogging, make sure you have well developed policies and that students are aware of the policies. Just as schools and school districts have developed acceptable use policies (AUP) for general computer usage, new policies need to be developed for the blogging experience. Blogging policies could be an addition to your AUP, or they could be entirely new policies. (Please see BLOG, page 7) Mountain-Plains Business Education 6 Fall, 2008 Notes & Quotes YOU, too can blog! (BLOG continued from page 6) A recent study (Mitchell, et al., 2008) looked at whether blogging put youth at risk for sexual harassment or exploitation. In addition to their findings that bloggers are more likely to be females who are heavy Internet users, they found that bloggers were also more likely to post personal information online. Personal information they were likely to post were their real last name, phone number, school name, home address, age or year of birth, and pictures. The good news is that the researchers found the act of posting these personal items did not tend to increase the risk for the adolescents: “…blogging in itself is not related to increased risk for online sexual solicitations or for the more serious aggressive solicitations in which solicitors make or attempt to make offline contact with youth. Rather, it is interacting with people the youth meet online that poses the greatest risk for sexual solicitation. There are many ways such interactions can begin and continue online, including in chat rooms, through instant messaging, and gaming sites. There is no indication that blogs are more likely to lead to solicitations than other forms of online communication….” (Mitchell, et al., 2008, pp. 289-290). This is not to say that sex offenders won’t attempt to use information that is posted online. Personal information could, in fact, provide offenders the knowledge needed to begin an interaction based on the adolescent’s interests. Finally, they note that posting personal information online is becoming more of a normative behavior and that more youth Internet users post information online than not; therefore, it is important to place the emphasis on educating youth about the dangers of interacting with people they meet online rather than trying to stop them from posting personal information (Mitchell, et al., 2008). Other authors are more cautious and simply say that students should never post personal information. Any risk is too big of a risk and should be avoided. Some schools have required that blogs for students are on private, members-only sites to protect the students. Blogs can be password protected, limiting access to a restricted audience. Teachers’ blogs with information for parents and students could be made public, while keeping the collaborative student blogs private. Additionally, teachers may want to manage postings prior to allowing students to publish them to the web. Additional privacy protections include having students blog under a pseudonym, using only their first name or initials, or using a number rather than a name. Integrating cybersafety into the curriculum is another way help protect students. Berson and Berson (2006) provide the following guidelines for managing the risks and challenges of having students blog: 7 Avoid posting of personally identifiable information such as student name, school name, friends’ names, sports teams, etc. Even small clues about an individual can be linked to reveal the location of a person online. Remind students that they are never truly anonymous online. Users who are engaged in illegal activities can be found by law enforcement agents working with internet service providers and blog hosts. Be aware that blog postings are “public, permanent, and available worldwide”. Even blog entries that have been deleted may have been archived by someone who downloaded and saved the information. Students are encouraged to activate privacy preferences, use password-protected blogs, and restrict access to their own blogs to family and trusted friends. Do not allow messages that could be embarrassing, offensive, or harmful to others. Bloggers are responsible for the contents and material that appear in their own blogs. Remember, anyone can download images from the web; therefore, photos could end up in anyone’s possession. Before posting photos, care should be taken to ensure that the young person is not easily identifiable and the photo is not potentially embarrassing or offensive. Always abide by copyright rules and regulations. (Berson & Berson, 2006). Where do I start? Most authors caution against jumping into blogging without any background. Brookover (2007) suggests that we need to think carefully about how the blog will be used as well as the time commitment you will have to give, the scope of the topics you want to include, whether you will allow public comments, and how you will measure the success of the blog. “Brushing off any of these issues is not an option” (Brookover, 2007, p. 28). Joanne Leight (2008) suggests you subscribe to a number of blogs and web sites that use RSS feeds and a news aggregator to get a feel for how they work. Once you are familiar with how they work, you can share this information with your students. She recommends bloglines.com as a starting point. She says this news aggregator is free and is one of the easiest and quickest to get you started. Just as familiarizing yourself with blogs and RSS (really simple syndication) is suggested, it is also recommended that you familiarize your students with the concept of blogging before expecting them to do it. Have conversations with them about what is expected including proper conduct, what makes a good blog, and how to upload a post (Sturgeon, 2008). It’s also recommended to spend time with students discussing blogging guidelines and having students visit blogs so they (Please see BLOG, page 8) www.mpbea.org Notes & Quotes Fall, 2008 YOU, too can blog! (BLOG continued from page 7) can anticipate and experience firsthand what blogs can provide. The time spent introducing students to the uses of blogs as educational tools will assist them in becoming better bloggers and will inspire them to blog well. Sturgeon (2008) provides educators a list of five DON’TS for blogging: DON’T just dive in. Make sure you have guidelines established and you have objectives. Consider having students sign off on a code of conduct which covers guidelines prohibiting behaviors such as bullying, slander and foul language. Further, send a note home to parents describing the blogging project and have a parent sign to grant their permission. Another excellent suggestion is to email the owners of other educational blogs and ask them for advice. DON’T confuse blogging with social networking. “MySpace, Facebook, and other social networking tools are just that--social networking platforms. However, a genuine educational blog is not about socializing, but about students helping each other get through coursework” (Sturgeon, 2008, np). One way to do this is to help students generate thoughtprovoking questions at the end of their posts to encourage comments and feedback from their peers. Depending on the experience level of the students, teachers might consider not grading the quality of posts but rather how seriously the students attended to the task. DON’T leap at freebies. Although some sites allow you to use their development tools and offer server space for free, you need to consider whether they offer the tools and security needed for your school district. One tool recommended is Class Blogmeister which is available at www.classblogmeister.com. It is a simple tool that gives the teacher control and availability of filtering each entry before publication. DON’T force a sequential style. Structuring entries by topic rather than by date will allow readers to make better sense of the blog. Forcing students to follow only one stream on a given date will stifle their posting and their creativity. Create a map of what you want to accomplish with the blog and allow it to play out over time. DON’T leave blogging to the students. The teacher needs to start the process with an initial post and stimulate comments. By starting a post and providing examples, the teacher can set the stage for students to start their own posts. If you are looking to create your first blog, both Brookover (2007) and Leight (2008) recommend Blogger.com. Their site has helpful links for getting started, such as “What is a blog?” Leight’s article even walks the novice through the Mountain-Plains Business Education first time of using blogger and creating your own blog, while Brookover (2007) provides the pros and cons of three blogging sites: Blogger (www.blogger.com), Movable type (www.sixapart.com/movabletype), or WordPress (www.wordpress.org). While all three are free for personal use, Movable Type charges for commercial use and has lower pricing available for nonprofits. Brookover’s pros and cons indicate that Blogger is likely the easiest for newcomers to use. Finally, a word of caution when getting started. Make sure you check the privacy and terms of service on the blog site you select. In some cases using their site grants them an exclusive license to display the material. If this will create an issue, you may not want to post your unique material to the blog (Leight, 2008). Using blogs in our classrooms can be effective tools as we prepare our students for the 21st Century world of work while using a technology that most students will embrace. You, too, can blog and will find that there is a wide world of options of what you can do with blogs! References Alexander, B. (2006, March/April). Web 2.0: A new wave of innovation for teaching and learning? EDUCAUSE Review, pp. 33-34, 36, 38, 40, 42, 44. Berson, I. R., and Berson, M. J. (2006). Privileges, privacy, and protection of youth bloggers in the social studies classroom. Social Education 70(3), pp. 124-129. Retrieved online from <http:// find.galegroup.com.ezproxy.library.und.edu/itx/start.do? prodId=SPJ.SP00>. Brookover, S. (2007, November 15). Why we blog. The Library Journal, pp. 28-31. Dearstyne, B. (2007, July/August). Blogs mashups and wikis: Oh, My! The Information Management Journal, pp. 2433 Leight, J. (2008). Lifting the fog on instructional blogs. JOPERD, 72(9), pp 52-59. Quible, Z. K. (2005, July/August). Blogs and written business communication courses: A perfect union. Journal of Education for Business, pp. 327-332. (Please see BLOG, page 9) 8 Fall, 2008 Notes & Quotes YOU, too can blog! (BLOG continued from page 8) Risinger, C. F. (2006). Using blogs in the classroom: a new approach to teaching social studies with the internet. Social Education, 70(3) pp. 130-132. Retrieved online from <http:// find.galegroup.com.ezproxy.library.und.edu/itx/start.do? prodId=SPJ.SP00>. Sturgeon, J. (2008). Five don'ts of classroom blogging: avoiding these pitfalls will help students get the full benefits of online journaling. (web 2.0). T H E Journal (Technological Horizons In Education), 35(2) pp. 2628. Retrieved online from <http:// find.galegroup.com.ezproxy.library.und.edu/itx/start.do? prodId=SPJ.SP00>. Mitchell, K., Wolak, J., and Finkelhor, D. (2008). Are blogs putting youth at risk for online sexual solicitation or harassment? Child Abuse & Neglect, 32(2), pp. 277-294. M-PBEA JOURNAL NOW AVAILABLE The M-PBEA Journal presents research, strategies, and methods that can be used by both veteran teachers and those new to the field of business education. This third edition includes new technologies and emerging issues that continue to shape business education such as the hugely popular use of social networking among students and the evident necessity for cybersafety. Twenty-two authors from six states submitted manuscripts for consideration. The 2008 edition of the M-PBEA Journal is available in an electronic version to members. The journal can be found on the Mountain-Plains Business Education Association website at http://www.mpbea.org/journal.htm. A limited printing of hard copies was completed, and copies sent to contributing authors. If you are interested in receiving a hard copy, the remaining copies will be made available to members at the M-PBEA Conference this upcoming summer. NBEA/M-PBEA MEMBERSHIP Name __________________________________________________________ Preferred Mailing Address _________________________________________ City, State, ZIP __________________________________________________ School/Institution ________________________________________________ Phone: ________________________ Email __________________________ MEMBERSHIP CLASSIFICATION: Professional......................................................................................................................................................................$80 Professional/International Society of Business Education (ISBE).................................................................................$110 METHOD OF PAYMENT: NBEA, 1914 Association Drive, Reston, VA 20191-1596 Check Payable to NBEA Visa MasterCard Card Number Expiration date 3 digit code Signature (Required for all charges) Note: payment may be made online at www.nbea.org 9 www.mpbea.org Notes & Quotes Fall, 2008 Congratulations 2008 M-PBEA Award Winners Lucinda A. Carpenter Secondary “Rookie” Teacher of the Year Lucinda Carpenter has taught at Creede School District in Alamosa, Colorado, for the past four years. She earned a bachelor’s degree from Adams State College in Alamosa. A colleague writes, “Lucinda demonstrates effective teaching and organizational skills. Her understanding of the curriculum and her passion for education are clearly evident in the classroom. She uses a variety of instructional methods to achieve student performance and meet standards. Her use of innovative technology in the classroom is evident in the wikis and blogs that she has established to communicate with her students.” Mona G. Fannon Secondary Teacher of the Year Mona Fannon has taught for 29 years in the business department at Borger High School, Borger, Texas. In addition, she has served as an adjunct professor at Frank Phillips College in Borger. Mona earned her bachelor’s degree from the University of North Texas in Denton and her master’s degree from West Texas State University in Canyon. An administrator writes, “I have found Mona to be the consummate professional. Her dedication and commitment to excellence is evidenced every day in her classroom and witnessed by the great success her students have in BPA competitions. Her creativity in the classroom motivates students and her attitude pushes students to excel.” Another colleague writes, “Mrs. Carpenter daily performs acts of great personal commitment, but none more touching than her work with special needs students.” A former student writes, “Both BPA and Mrs. Fannon’s business education classes have taught me both soft and hard skills that I will carry with me throughout my career. She has encouraged me to reach my full potential.” An administrator writes, “Mrs. Carpenter is the district’s only business teacher. In that position, she teaches six different business subjects per day – each requiring its own lesson plan. Often, Mrs. Carpenter offers more than one class per hour to provide the opportunity for individual students to take a class that would not have otherwise been available.” Mona has co-authored a computer course for Texas and also a new theory in education called the “Corporate Complex,” which has been copyrighted. She has written many successful grant proposals dealing with business and marketing issues, integrating academics and career and technical curriculum, virtual reality, and college preparation. To increase student interest and achievement in her classes, Lucinda, incorporates innovative activities that include her use of differentiated products to show student achievement, integration of technology in the classroom, the development of an on-line learning community using Moodle and the inclusion of digital video in the classroom. Mona has been a member of TBTEA for 30 years, serving as State President, District 16 Representative, Secondary Vice President, and she is currently serving as the Past President. Lucinda is a member of the Colorado Business Educators, National Business Education Association, Colorado Association of Career and Technology Educators, Association for Career and Technical Education, and Future Business Leaders of America. She has attended various state and national conferences and presented at the 2008 NBEA convention. Lucinda received the 2006 and 2007 Business Educator Award – BEST in Colorado. Mona has been the recipient of many awards throughout her career. She was chosen TBTEA Region 16 Teacher of the Year in 2006, TBTEA Region 16 Business Teacher of the Year in 1997 and 1987, Texas State Teacher of the Year in 1997 and 1998, BPA Star Advisor, BPA Honor Advisor, and Outstanding Educator for Delta Kappa Gamma. She was awarded the prestigious “OEA: Your Business is Growing” Award as only one of three advisors in the nation. Congratulations, Mona! Congratulations, Lucinda! Mountain-Plains Business Education 10 Fall, 2008 Notes & Quotes Congratulations 2008 M-PBEA Award Winners Sherrell Lynn Wheeler Judy A. Grotrian Postsecondary Teacher of the Year Collegiate Teacher of the Year Sherrell Wheeler has been an administrative assistant program instructor at Frank Phillips College, Borger, Texas, since 2002. She also taught at Palo Duro High School, Boys Ranch High School, Pampa High School and White Deer High School during the first 20 years of her career. She earned bachelor’s and master’s degrees from West Texas State University in Canyon. Judy Grotrian has been an Associate Professor of Business at Peru State College, Peru, Nebraska, since 1998. In addition, Judy was a high school business instructor for 23 years at Johnson-Brock High School. Judy earned a bachelor’s degree from Peru State College and master’s and doctorate degrees from the University of Nebraska, Lincoln. An administrator writes, “Sherrell is a shining example of holistic education. Every moment of every day, she is a teacher, and every moment of every day, she changes the future by empowering her students.” A colleague writes, “Dr. Grotrian is one of the brightest, most articulate individuals with whom I have had the pleasure of working. She possesses the qualities that characterize a true professional in higher education. She is student focused and is always available to both students and colleagues. She has a wonderful sense of humor and brings out the best in the people with whom she works. I can truly say that she is a respected colleague, one I would call upon for guidance.” Another administrator writes, “As an educator, advisor, and advocate of administrative assistants Sherrell exemplifies an admirable dedication to the profession. With twenty years teaching experience prior to coming to Frank Phillips College she has more than adequately trained, counseled, and advised students in the skills, work habits, and characteristics necessary to enter the workforce as a professional.” A colleague writes, “Sherrell has taken a very active role in our state business education association for many years, has served on the board in various capacities and now serves as our president of Texas Business & Technology Educators Association. She can best be described as an ambassador for business education!” Sherrell is currently serving as the National Office Coordinator for BPA and has assisted in making significant changes to the national program. Sherrell has written grants that have provided for equipment and curriculum changes in her administrative assistants program. In addition, a recent grant was used to pay for MOS certification tests for TBTEA Region 16 conference participants to enhance attendance. Judy has designed and teaches several on-line courses in Employee Training, Communications, and Financial Accounting. A supervisor writes, “To summarize my impression of Dr. Grotrian’s instructional skills I will use a term I do not employ lightly: Outstanding! Through particularly welldeveloped assignments and the provision of exceptionally detailed and valuable feedback, Dr. Grotrian has helped students make significant gains in their writing and analytical skills.” Judy is a member of the Nebraska State Business Education Association, Nebraska State Education Association, National Education Association, Delta Pi Epsilon, National Business Education Association, Phi Delta Kappa, Peru State College Education, and Peru State College Education Association. She has presented at professional conferences, written articles for many of her professional organizations and is a renowned leader in the area of speech recognition. Sherrell was named the 2007 TBTEA Postsecondary Teacher of the Year, 1998 TBTE Secondary Teacher of the Year and BPA State Star Advisor. She received the BPA National Service Award in 2006. Judy was named Professor Honors Chair in Business in 2006 – 2008 and was honored as a Business Education’s BEST in Nebraska recipient for several years. Congratulations, Sherrell! Congratulations, Judy! 11 www.mpbea.org Notes & Quotes Fall, 2008 Congratulations 2008 M-PBEA Award Winners David B. Loper NBEA Award Winners Congratulations to our latest M-PBEA member who was named an NBEA winner in San Antonio. Mona Schoenrock, Nebraska, is the 2008 NBEA Secondary Teacher of the Year! Administrator/Supervisor of the Year David Loper has been the Chair of the Business and Computer Science Department at Trinity Valley Community College, Athens, Texas, since 2001. Prior to assuming the chair’s position, he taught 27 years in that department teaching various accounting and business related courses. He received an associate’s degree from Lon Morris College, Jacksonville, Texas, and a bachelor’s and master’s degree from Stephen F. Austin State University, Nacogdoches, Texas. M-PBEA members have been well represented over the years. Here’s a list since 2000. A supervisor writes, “He has contributed significantly to the development of new curriculum in the Accounting Division at Trinity Valley Community College as well as other divisions. He is an innovative and progressive instructor who designed and taught some of the first accounting courses through the distance education program.” NBEA Secondary Teacher of the Year A student writes, “The knowledge I gained from Mr. Loper created the foundation of what has become a rewarding career. I use the expertise I gained to assist hundreds of clients in public accounting.” NBEA Postsecondary Teacher of the Year David is a past State President of TBTEA, served as president of Region 7, and has chaired the Legislative Committee for the M-PBEA. He has served on conference planning committees, written articles for profession publications, and has participated as a presenter at many conferences and workshops at the state, regional and national levels. A professional colleague writes, “He was the co-chair of the first cluster conference for business educators in the East Texas region. His untiring dedication has enabled us to create an annual conference that is widely recognized throughout Texas as comparable to most state business education conferences.” David has been honored as the TVCC, Occupation Teacher of the Year, TBEA District VII and the State – Post Secondary Business Teacher of the Year and TBTEA Region 7 Administrator of the Year in 2005 and 2006. 2007 2006 2004 2003 2000 Murleen Bellinger (Nebraska) Connie Lindell (Kansas) Suzanne Sydow (Nebraska) Gary Schepf (Texas) Sheryl Piening Keller (Nebraska) NBEA Collegiate Teacher of the Year 2003 Jim Rucker (Kansas) Congratulations to Mona and all the M-PBEA members in previous years who have represented us so well. Future Award Winners See page 19 if you would like to nominate a future Award Winner. Congratulations, David! Mountain-Plains Business Education 12 Fall, 2008 Notes & Quotes Congratulations 2008 M-PBEA Award Winners SUZANNE R. SYDOW LEADERSHIP AWARD Sue Sydow has been a business educator for the past 34 years. All 34 years, she has taught at the Lyons-Decatur School District in Lyons, Nebraska. Currently, she is the assessment director at Wayne State College in Wayne, Nebraska. Sue’s leadership in the Mountain-Plains Business Education Association started in 1992 when she attended her first Leadership Development Institute in Colorado Springs. Since that time her Mountain-Plains involvement has included being the 2003 Conference Chair, Executive Secretary from 2003 to 2007 and she is currently the M-PBEA President. The National Business Education Association has also benefited from Sue’s leadership. She recently served as the Program Director for the 2008 national convention in San Antonio, Texas. She also served as the Secondary Program Director for the 2005 national convention. Sue currently serves on the Administrative Curriculum Committee. She has attended 11 national conventions and assisted with registration at many of them. For 33 years, Sue has been attending FBLA conventions at the state, regional and national level. As the FBLA adviser at Lyons-Decatur, Sue sponsored six state officers and numerous state winners. She served on the Nebraska FBLA Board of Directors from 2000 to 2006 and was recognized as the Nebraska State FBLA Outstanding Local Adviser in 2000. At the state level, Sue has served on a total of 11 different curriculum-writing teams. She has been recognized by the Nebraska Department of Education as a BEST winner for the past 17 years. Sue has also held various positions in the Nebraska State Business Education Association (NSBEA), including president-elect, president and past president. There are several other professional organizations that benefit from Sue’s leadership abilities. She has also written numerous articles for many publications. Sue has presented various times at the national, regional and state level. During her career, Sue has received many honors and awards. Among the honors are the NBEA Secondary Teacher of the Year in 2004, the Nebraska Delta Pi Epsilon Outstanding 13 Teacher in 2004, the NSBEA Service Award in 2001, the Association for Career and Technical Education of Nebraska Teacher of the Year in 2001, the M-PBEA Secondary Teacher of the Year in 2000, and the NSBEA Secondary Teacher of the Year in 1999. Suzanne R. Sydow is very deserving of the 2008 MountainPlains Business Education Association Leadership Award. Congratulations, Sue! Leadership is not something that is done to people, like fixing your teeth. Leadership is unlocking people's potential to become better. Bill Bradley 2009 M-PBEA Leadership Award Nominate a Colleague! Complete Nomination Packets must be postmarked by March 1, 2009. Nomination forms and guidelines can be found on the M-PBEA website. or from Betty Johnson Stephen F. Austin State University P O Box 13060—SFA Station Nacogdoches, TX 75962-3060 936-468-1833 bjohnson@sfasu.edu www.mpbea.org Notes & Quotes Fall, 2008 Congratulations 2008 M-PBEA Award Winners Share-An-Idea Winners 1st Janelle Stansberry Cedar Bluffs High School Cedar Bluffs, Nebraska The first place entry was Create Your Own Graduation Announcement. This entry was created in response to a need expressed by the parents of seniors for economical options for graduation invitations. From the teacher’s standpoint, the project allowed students to demonstrate that they understood basic layout and design principles and the opportunity to practice their communications skills as well. For the students, they had the opportunity to use their creativity and computer skills to create a product meaningful to them. Congratulations to Janelle as she received a check for $105 to pay her NBEA and ISBE dues. 2nd Murleen Bellinger Waverly High School Waverly, Nebraska Murleen’s 2nd place entry is titled Interactive Activities to Introduce Teamwork Skills. This project was created as a result of being on a learning team and a lesson plan was required. The material submitted deals with Teamwork skills. The lesson plan along with a case study and questions for a discussion board was shared in the entry. 3rd Connie Lindell Santa Fe Trail High School Carbondale, KS Connie’s entry was entitled PowerPoint Presentations: My Life So Far and What Interests Me. What student wouldn’t prefer to demonstrate achievement by putting together PowerPoints and present to class instead of taking a traditional test! Students needed to use creativity, time management, problem solve, accept personal responsibility, demonstrate the ability to listen attentively, set personal goals, analyze work quality, and use self discipline to meet deadlines. Congratulations to Connie. She received a check to pay onehalf of her NBEA dues. Be sure to enter the contest for 2009 so you have an opportunity to be a winner in June! Congratulations to Murleen as her $52.50 check pays for onehalf of her NBEA/ISBE dues. The Share-An-Idea Contest is held annually with entries due May 1. Entries are evaluated by an anonymous panel of judges, and prizes are awarded to the winners at the banquet during our annual conference. Enter this year and you could be a winner in 2009! The Entry Form, guidelines, examples of how the entry should look, and the rubric used to judge can be found at www.mpbea.org. Your entry and supporting files need to be submitted electronically by May 1. You will be notified when your entry is received. There is no penalty for submitting your idea early! Questions? Contact Wanda Samson at wanda.samson@gmail.com. Prize money is used to pay your NBEA dues. First Place worth $110.00—NBEA/ISBE DUES Second Place worth $55.00—1/2 NBEA/ISBE DUES Third Place worth $40.00—1/2 NBEA DUES Mountain-Plains Business Education 14 Fall, 2008 Notes & Quotes NEWS FROM THE STATE ASSOCIATIONS Kansas Report Submitted by Connie Lindell Kansas Membership Director The 59th annual Kansas Business Education Association (KBEA) convention was held Thursday & Friday, October 1617, in Wichita, Kansas. Friends University was the site for Thursday’s “hands-on” computer sessions. Topics included were: Flash CS3 Professional, Garage Band ‘08, Advanced Photoshop, Beginning Flash, and CS3 Premiere, Office 2007, One Note, and Quia sessions. Thursday evening exhibitors began setting up their booths and the evening ended with a dinner sponsored by for the Emporia State University’s DPE (Delta Pi Epsilon) chapter, featuring a presentation on the ‘Kansas Career Pipeline’ website. Our keynote speaker for Friday’s Opening General Session was Marcy Walsh, a professional speaker, trainer & author. Ms. Walsh’s presentation was titled, “An Education Worth Having: The Value of Reality Based Learning.” Throughout the morning, convention attendees could tour through the many exhibits, purchase tickets for a chance to win prizes, and attend educational breakout sessions addressing a variety of topics. The convention ended with a business luncheon, new officer installation, and award presentations. NBEA Past President, Jim Rucker, brought greetings on behalf of the NBEA executive board and M-PBEA President, Sue Sydow, brought greetings to the assembly encouraging members to stay active in their professional organizations and continue to be current on the ‘ever-changing’ software & hardware trends. Dawn Rottinghaus, Wellsville HS, received the 2008 Outstanding Secondary Business Teacher of the Year award; Cheryl Stanley, Jackson Heights HS, received the 2008 Rookie Business Teacher of the Year honor; and Darla Stone, Kansas State University, received the 2008 Outstanding Post Secondary Business Teacher of the Year. A $1,000 scholarship was presented to two deserving college students. They were Ryan Norton from Emporia State University and Maria O’Halloran from Kansas State University. The 2008-2009 KBEA Officers are: Vicki Hesser, President; Gina Stanley, President-Elect; Kenna Teel, Secretary; Sherry Wiesen, Treasurer; Jennifer Hanson, Conference Director; Dawn Rottinghaus, KBT Editor; Kim Dhority, SE Director; Kristina Dickerson, SW Director; Denise Parr, NW Director; Michelle Bruna, NE Director, and Connie Lindell, M-PBEA Representative. The Kansas Business Education professional community is saddened by the news of the passing of Dr. Nancy GronemanHite's husband, Robert. Services were held on October 29 in Emporia, Kansas, with burial in Lincolnville, Kansas, for Dr. Robert Hite, Dean of the Emporia State University Business School for four years. NBEA Professional Development Professional Stipend If you are a professional member of NBEA and have never attended the annual national convention, you are eligible to apply for a professional development stipend. The $200 stipends will be presented during the Awards Luncheon at the NBEA 2009 Annual Convention in Chicago, IL, on Friday, April 10. Winners must register for the luncheon where they will receive the stipend from NBEA President, Sharon FisherLarson , on behalf of the regional or corporate sponsor. If you would like to apply for a Professional Development Partnership Program Stipend, complete the Professional Development Stipend Application Form found at www.nbea.org . Print the form and mail it to NBEA PDP Program, NBEA, 1914 Association Drive, Reston, VA 20191-1596 or fax it to (703) 620-4483. The application form must be received at NBEA Headquarters by January 2, 2009. No applications will be accepted after the deadline. Winners will be notified by February 6, 2009. 15 www.mpbea.org Notes & Quotes Fall, 2008 News From North Dakota Submitted by Glenda Rotvold North Dakota Representative NDBOEA held its first meeting in conjunction with the Professional Development Conference sponsored by the North Dakota Department of Career and Technical Education in Bismarck on August 8. Sessions included InDesign, Photoshop, Entrepreneurship, Office 2007, Imagine the Possibilities, and “From Theory to Practice—Integrating Business Standards in the Classroom.” Since the state business education standards were recently completed, an afternoon session covered ways to apply the standards in the classroom. A copy of the state standards and the NBEA standards was also distributed at the session. During the business meeting committee reports and updates were given. A new hosting service for the web site has been contacted. The web site conversion and update will be in process this fall. Additional feature items to attract members to check out the site including an area to share ideas were discussed. The NDBOEA/NBEA membership form will also be posted to the ND Career and Technical Education site. Due to declining enrollments and costs, the membership decided to discontinue the business and office education sectionals and NDBOEA meeting at the NDEA fall conference. The NDBOEA board, however, will continue to meet twice a year—in August and January. The general membership meeting will continue to be held in conjunction with the PDC conference in August. Ideas to increase membership and attendance at the fall conference were encouraged. Nominations to fill the 2009-10 officer vacancies will presented at the January meeting. M-PBEA BOARD SEEKS NOMINATIONS The M-PBEA Executive Board is seeking nominations for three positions: President-elect, Executive Secretary, and Membership Director. M-PBEA members elected to these positions will serve a three-year term, beginning July 2009. Candidates for M-PBEA President-elect must have served three years on the M-PBEA Board and must currently be a NBEA/M-PBEA member in good standing. This individual will serve as president-elect (2009-2010), president (20102011), and past president (2011-2012). As president-elect, this individual is responsible for administering the M-PBEA awards program. As president, this individual will oversee the business of the regional association and preside at the annual conference. As past president, this individual will conduct the Leadership Development Institute. Nominations of qualified individuals are being sought from all states in the M-PBEA region. Candidates for Executive Secretary can be any NBEA/M-PBEA member in good standing who is interested in serving on the M-PBEA Board in an officer position. Duties of the M-PBEA Executive Secretary are those common to such an office. Maintaining complete files of all pertinent information of the Association and a complete and accurate roster of the M-PBEA Board members are among two duties of this position. Candidates for M-PBEA Membership Director must have served three years on the M-PBEA Board and must currently be a NBEA/M-PBEA member in good standing. The Membership Director will work with the State Membership Directors and the NBEA Membership Director. Any individual who is interested in serving on the M-PBEA Executive Board as President-elect, Executive Secretary, or Membership Director should contact Lynette Heitz, Nomination Committee Chair, at heitzl@hotmail.com. Be part of a dynamic leadership team serving our regional business education association! Submit your name for consideration for one of the M-PBEA Executive Board positions! Mountain-Plains Business Education 16 Fall, 2008 Notes & Quotes TBTEA News Submitted by Violet Snell, Texas Representative Every July for many, many years, the Texas Education Agency has sponsored a state Professional Development Conference. This year was a bit different as TEA did not play much of a role in our conference. Our state organization, together with the Marketing teachers of Texas, provided the framework from which our business and marketing educators could come together for networking and professional growth. Our theme was “Achieve Texas—Moving Forward” and proved to be quite satisfactory. The Dallas Sheraton Downtown was the location for this year’s conference. TBTEA was called upon to assist in many areas during the week of July 15 -19, 2008. Officers for 2008-2009 were installed at this luncheon. Our organization held a silent auction as well as a raffle for a color printer—both of which were quite successful. Michelle Kirkland, our new president, chose as her theme for the year Our annual TBTEA luncheon is always a popular event as we usually are fortunate to receive some financial sponsorships towards this event—therefore luncheon prices are reduced. Our luncheon speaker was “our own” Dr. William Pasewark, author of many of our textbooks and a very active NBEA member, who spoke about his initiative to “grow” the whole business education curriculum across the country. Texas’ recipients of the 2008 Texas Awards: Secondary Teacher of the Year: Mona Fannon Collegiate Teacher of the Year: Mazie Will Supervisor of the Year: Gwen Davis Texas Hall of Honor: David Loper Also, Pasewark, Ltd. was recognized for the “Distinguished Service Award for Outstanding Contributions by a Business.” Michelle Kirkland, President Ann Wilson, President Elect Janet Flusche, Vice-President/Secondary Education Karen May, Vice-President/Post-Secondary Education Cheryl Mallan, Secretary Shirlyelaine Gray, Treasurer Karen May, Webmaster and Editor of The Voice Violet Snell, National Representative Barbara Leschber, Executive Director Sherrell Wheeler, Past President “Surfing the Waves of Change in Business Education.” Three of our regions are hosting cluster conferences this fall. November 1: Region 20: Apple Annie’s Tea Room & Bakery, Artisan’s Alley, 555 W. Bitters Road, San Antonio November 3: Region 17: “Celebrate America,” Texas Tech University, Student Union Building, Lubbock November 10: Region 7: Trinity Valley Community College Baugh Technology Center, Athens And, of course, we were very excited to have our national conference in San Antonio last spring and look forward to NBEA in Chicago in April and our Mountain-Plains in Rapid City, SD, in June! Entries due by May 1, 2009. See www.mpbea.org for details. 17 www.mpbea.org Notes & Quotes Fall, 2008 Everyone Financial Tips for ^ Young People What’s Missing in YOUR Back-ToSchool Backpack? Patricia Arneson Nebraska Membership Director Submitted by DeLayne Havlovic M-PBEA Treasurer, Nebraska A few months ago, my wife and I became tempted by the dropping prices of larger homes in our community. We decided that what we could have bought three years ago is now $20-30,000 cheaper. We called our friendly real estate agent who told us to stage our home (which is a nice way of saying take away all of the junky things you don’t want to live without, like the bedroom TV). Our current home is nice and we determined a competitive price and we waited…and waited…and adjusted our price…and waited…and waited… and adjusted our price again…and we are still waiting. This experience gave me a renewed interest for Economics. Every night I paid close attention to economic indicators that the world news people made their breaking story. Between the high supply and low demand for houses in my community and the tightened regulators by lenders, the housing economy has slowed down to a crawl. I have to wonder if some of this could have been avoided if the credit happy buyers of post 9/11 had taken a step back before buying and buying. The Jump$tart Coalition for Personal Financial Literacy provides great resources to educators on personal finance education. A few of their tips that serve as a good reminder for our students, many of whom are just entering the world of work, becoming greater buyers and sellers in our economy follow: 1. Map your financial future – Document financial goals 2. 3. 4. 5. along with a realistic plan for achievement. Budget your money – Identify expected income and expenses to better plan for saving, rather than suddenly needing credit. Don’t borrow what you can’t repay – Enough said… know your limits with credit. Your credit past is your credit future – Poor credit scores can do a lot of harm for an individual. Making wise credit decisions makes for greater personal financial success. Don’t expect something for nothing – Use financial caution. If it sounds too good to be true, it probably is. Well, time is up for our real estate agent. We told her if we don’t see a contract in the next two weeks, we are pulling our listing, along with her 7% commission and we get to “unstage” our house – I get my TV back in the bedroom! I t's school time again! You're probably feeling excited and maybe a little sad that summer is over. It’s time to purchase school supplies, clothing and shoes, get a haircut or a different hair style (perhaps even a color tint!) and gear up for another year. Think I’m talking about students? Well . . . maybe . . . but I’m really addressing you teachers! Although students may grimly count down the days before school starts with dread (although teachers and parents know kids are really ready and possibly anxious for school to start), we teachers are ‘counting forward’ to having students back in our classes. Yes, our attitudes sometimes need ‘adjusting’ when school seems to start earlier and earlier each year (what happened to starting after Labor Day?), but admit it, deep down, you’re ready to go back to school! (Ever notice how teachers never say they ‘go to work’?) “Starting fresh” for each school year psychologically reminds both students and teachers alike how important ‘attitude’ is for success. That’s why so many community organizations sponsor back-to-school drives to equip needy students with new notebooks, supplies, and backpacks. But what’s missing from YOUR backpack for the new school year? Hypothetically speaking, peek inside your teacher school bag – is your commitment to your profession hiding inside? Are you a member of both your state and national professional associations? (Obviously, if you are reading this article in the Notes and Quotes, you are a member of NBEA/M-PBEA.) But what about your business and marketing ed colleagues who aren’t members? When you pack your school bag for the day, don’t forget your lunch or the papers you just graded last night. But even more importantly, include a membership form to give to a colleague who isn’t a member of NBEA! PROFESSIONALISM BEGINS WITH YOU! Begin the year with the ‘right attitude’ by joining and supporting NBEA and M-PBEA! Have a great school year! Source: JumpStart Coalition for Personal Finance Literacy, Sept 2008; http://www.jumpstartcoalition.org/. Mountain-Plains Business Education 18 Fall, 2008 Notes & Quotes M-PBEA SEEKING AWARD NOMINATIONS —YOU CAN HELP! Submitted By Sandy Braathen The M-PBEA region has a wealth of talented educators and administrators along with numerous quality business education programs. Each one of us could name several individuals, businesses, or programs who are deserving of recognition. WHAT CAN YOU DO TO HELP THEM RECEIVE THE RECOGNITION THEY DESERVE? The answer is easy— nominate them!! Each year, the M-PBEA awards program recognizes individuals in our region who have made significant contributions to business education. There are seven award categories: Secondary Teacher of the Year Postsecondary Teacher of the Year Senior College or University Teacher of the Year Administrator or Supervisor of the Year Contributions by an Institution/Agency Rookie of the Year Middle Level, High School, Community College and/or College Business Education Programs Last year, the M-PBEA Board approved and added a new award. The purpose of this award is to recognize outstanding achievements of middle level, high school, community college and/or college business education programs. An individual program is eligible to apply or a school/college may submit an application on behalf of the business education program. Carefully consider nominating a program this year!! Award nomination forms are posted on the M-PBEA website at www.mpbea.org. Award nominees must carefully adhere to the award guidelines. These guidelines include: Postmark application by January 31, 2009 Correct typing requirements Correct color of paper Correct number of support letters Our region has many outstanding business educators and programs. These individuals and programs deserve recognition for their achievements and for their contributions to business education. Make a nomination today by contacting a deserving nominee. If you have questions about the M-PBEA awards program, contact Sandy Braathen at sandy.braathen@mail.business.und.edu. Help Wanted The planners for the June conference, June 17-20, 2009, need your help. 1. Volunteer to present at a session. 2. Volunteer to be a Coordinator or Liason for a session. The forms for each can be found at www.mpbea.org. There’s a link on the home page. Take Care of this ASAP! 19 www.mpbea.org Notes & Quotes Fall, 2008 Business Education National Hall of Fame News Release October 14, 2008 On Saturday, October 11, 2008, a beautiful fall day in Wisconsin, Dr. Robert P. Poland and Dr. Fred E Winger were inducted into the Business Education National Hall of Fame at the University of Wisconsin-Whitewater. Dr. Poland served Business Education for 45 years. He most recently taught at Michigan State University, published numerous research articles, and authored a series of textbooks in typewriting and office education. Dr. Winger, with over 40 years of experience, most recently taught at Oregon State University. He was an author of numerous typewriting textbooks and conducted research in building keyboarding/typing skills. The primary purpose of the Hall of Fame is to pay tribute to those men and women who have made significant contributions to business education in the United States. The Business Education National Hall of Fame was relocated to the University of Wisconsin-Whitewater in 1995. Prior to that time, the Hall of Fame was located at Rider College in Lawrenceville, New Jersey, from 1977 to 1994. Nomination Procedures Names of proposed nominees must be submitted in writing no later than May 1, in even numbered years, on forms obtained from the Director of the Hall of Fame. To be nominated, a candidate must have been an active business educator (teacher, lecturer, author, supervisor, publisher, inventor) and have been deceased at least three years prior to the nomination deadline. Elections to the Business Education National Hall of Fame are held every two years. Up to three persons may be elected to the Hall of Fame each election. The Selection Committee is comprised of an anonymous group of business education leaders from throughout the United States. Donations Your tax-deductible contributions are needed to continue the Business Education National Hall of Fame. Please send your donations to the University of Wisconsin-Whitewater Foundation, 800 W. Main St., Whitewater, WI 53190. Contributors of $1,000 or more will have their names prominently displayed on a center plaque of the Hall of Fame in the university’s College of Business and Economics. For more information about the National Business Education Hall of Fame, contact Lila Waldman, Department of Information Technology/Business Education Director, Business Education Hall of Fame University of Wisconsin-Whitewater 800 W. Main St. Whitewater, WI 53190 Phone: (262) 472-5475 Fax: (262) 472-4863 E-mail: waldmanl@uww.edu Mountain-Plains Business Education 20 Fall, 2008 Notes & Quotes MEET YOUR M-PBEA BOARD MEMBERS DeLayne Havlovic, Treasurer, currently works for the Omaha Public School District in Omaha, Nebraska, as a Career Education Specialist for Information Technology, where he has been for the past year. Some of DeLayne’s responsibilities include working with and supporting district wide curriculum related issues, planning staff development related to Business and Information Technology and working on district projects and initiatives. Prior to this position, DeLayne was a Business Education teacher at Omaha Central High School where he mainly taught Accounting and Economics. DeLayne’s undergraduate degree in Vocational Business Education is from Wayne State College, has a Masters Degree in Instructional Technology from Peru State College, and will complete a second Masters Degree in Educational Administration from the University of Nebraska at Omaha in 2009. DeLayne and his wife Jeana have one son, Zach, age 2, and are eagerly anticipating their second this December. Cindy Johnson, Journal Editor, has recently completed her first edition of the M-PBEA Journal. She has been teaching business and communication technology courses at Jefferson County North High School in Winchester, Kansas, for nine years. She has served as track coach, Future Business Leaders of America adviser, class sponsor, and secretary of the Technology Committee. She currently serves as the yearbook adviser, district webmaster, and helps the district maintain vocational funding through the state department. Cindy completed her Bachelor’s degree in Business Education and her Master’s degree in Instructional Design and Technology at Emporia State University. She is a proud member of the Kansas Business Education Association and completed her term as past president this fall. In the spring, Cindy will be celebrating her ninth anniversary with husband, Jerome, a band director at a neighboring school. They have one daughter, Clara, who will be three in January, and they are expecting their second child in May. As a family, they enjoy finding time to relax and read a good book in their log cabin in the country or watching a DVD and eating lots of popcorn. 2008 M-PBEA CONVENTION REPORT Murleen Bellinger, Conference Chair Patricia Arneson, Publicity Chair One hundred and twelve business educators from the Mountain-Plains region took a “global journey” by attending the 2008 MPBEA Conference held in Lincoln June 18-21. The Embassy Suites Hotel was the ‘destination’ for the conference. Chris French (Wyoming), past president of M-PBEA, began the journey by facilitating the Leadership Development Institute. Pre-conference Office 2007 hands-on sessions were popular, whereas attendees not learning Word or Excel were able to tour Duncan Aviation. Conference ‘tourists’ delighted in seeing where multi-million dollar aircraft from all over the world undergo maintenance, refurbishing, and customization. Tour guides included Duncan CEO Aaron Hilkemann and two additional plant execs. NSBEA hosted a “welcome luncheon” on Thursday to officially greet conference attendees to Nebraska. John Munn, Director of Banking for Nebraska, was guest speaker. Thursday evening’s activities concluded with a popular walking tour of the Haymarket District and dinner in many of its popular eateries. The ‘journey’ was in full swing on Friday. Greetings were brought from Jan Treichel, Executive Director of NBEA, as well as students representing FLBA/Phi Beta Lambda and Pi Omega Pi. Opening session speaker was Aaron Davis, former Nebraska Cornhusker football player who shared insight, enthusiasm, and motivation to audience members, driving home his points by sharing lessons learned from the football field. Closing session speakers included Aaron Hilkemann, president of Duncan Aviation, and a business panel representing the finance industry. Mona Schoenrock, 2008 NBEA Secondary Educator of the Year, was guest speaker at the DPE Luncheon on Friday and Sharon Larson-Fisher, NBEA president-elect, was the luncheon speaker on (Please see REPORT, page 22) 21 www.mpbea.org Notes & Quotes Fall, 2008 (REPORT continued from page 21) Saturday, which concluded with 2007-08 M-PBEA President Lynette Heitz (South Dakota) transferring the gavel to incoming MPBEA President for 2008-09, Sue Sydow (Nebraska). Sessions! Sessions! Sessions! Conference attendees made tough decisions regarding which sessions to attend! Choices included topics on Pay Pal, Google, podcasting, soft skills, accounting, entrepreneurship, accounting . . . . not to mention two panels sharing their insight and experience--one with novice beginning business teachers, the other with experienced business people. Our final destination was the Chuckwagon and Dinner Show at the Double D Ranch near Ashland. The food, entertainment (including ranch tour and bandit holdup), and camaraderie were all excellent ways to conclude our successful journey! But hang on to your cowboy hat and boots . . . next year’s 2009 M-PBEA Conference will be held in the beautiful Black Hills at Rapid City, June 17-20, 2009. Here’s a pictorial tour of the 2008 M-PBEA conference! (Photos courtesy of Deanna Christensen, Conference Photographer): CEO Hilkemann shows plane interior Duncan Tour LDI Participants 2008-09 New M-PBEA Board Mountain-Plains Business Education Word 2007 Workshop Aaron Davis makes his point with Football! Past M-PBEA Presidents NBEA President Sharon FisherLarson 2007-08 President, Lynette Heitz, hands the gavel to Sue Sydow 200809 M-PBEA President 22 Fall, 2008 Notes & Quotes 21st Century Pathways In Business Education Submitted by Lynette Heintz, 2009 M-PBEA Conference Co-Chair Keynote Speakers! Tours – Black Hills Gold business Downtown walking tour Special Events Shop in Keystone and visit/eat at Mt. Rushmore Drive through scenic Black Hills and Custer State Park Evening meal at a Game Lodge and theater production at the Black Hills Playhouse Mark your calendar for June 17 – 20, 2009 in Rapid City, SD Educator sessions of interest to business, marketing, and information technology educators! Hands-on Computer Workshops See you in Rapid City, SD on June 17 – 20, 2009 Don’t miss a single event at the M-PBEA Conference! 23 www.mpbea.org Notes & Quotes Fall, 2008 Wanted: LDI Nominations Submitted by Lynette Heitz, M-PBEA Past President/LDI Director Leadership Development Institute (LDI) Nominations 21st Century Career Pathways in Business Education Are you looking for an opportunity to further develop your leadership pathway skills? Are you interested in serving your state, regional, or national business education associations in a leadership role? If you answered ‘Yes’ to these questions, then you should be a delegate to the 2009 M-PBEA Leadership Development Institute. This leadership institute will be conducted June 17 and 18 in Rapid City, South Dakota, prior to the 2009 M-PBEA annual conference. During the M-PBEA Leadership Development Institute, participants will have an opportunity to explore career pathways in: Personal leadership skills and traits Professional, career, and personal goals with a leadership focus Professional organizations and their relationship to business education Leadership techniques, including parliamentary procedure Procedures for conducting meetings and conferences Each state business education association in the M-PBEA region is asked to submit nominations for three individuals to attend LDI. States are encouraged to select individuals who serve in officer positions in their state associations, a college student majoring in business education, and/or a relatively new teacher. In addition, these individuals must be members of NBEA/M-PBEA. However, each state can use its own selection process in choosing the three LDI delegates. Contact your state president for details about the selection process in your state or contact Lynette Heitz, LDI Director, at heitzl@hotmail.com for a nomination form. Nominate a colleague or yourself to attend the 2009 M-PBEA Leadership Development Institute. M-PBEA needs dynamic business educators to accept leadership roles in our state, regional, and national business education associations. Be one of those leaders! Be one of the LDI delegates from your state. THANK YOU to all members who contributed articles and information to this newsletter! Perhaps something you read triggered a thought in your mind that you wish would be included. To be part of the Spring, 2009, issue, email an article to the newsletter editor (wsamson@tvsonline.net OR wanda.samson@gmail.com) by March 15, 2009, for the Spring Notes & Quotes! Any NBEA member may contribute. Mountain-Plains Business Education 24 Fall, 2008 Notes & Quotes NBEA EXECUTIVE BOARD REPORT Submitted By Marilyn Jones, M-PBEA Representative to the NBEA Executive Board The Fall Board meeting for NBEA was held October 31-November 1, 2008. The following items were discussed and acted upon. Dues will increase $5 for regular dues and go into effect immediately. State President-Elects are encouraged to attend the session Wednesday morning at the National Convention in Chicago. This has proven to be very helpful for everyone. Be sure and let the National Office know if you will be there or not. There will be more Round Table sessions for topic discussions/sharing/networking at the National Convention in Chicago. The tour during the National Convention in Chicago will be to the Federal Reserve; watch for all the information in the December FORUM. November is the month for National Education for Business Month. The theme this year is Business Education Translates to Success and the poster is AWESOME! It stresses international business!! Be sure and use!! COMING SOON … a new National Business Honor Society (honorary) … for our best high school business students. There will be much more information coming, but they are hoping to have it ready by January. Chapters will pay a fee which will be renewed each year. Students will get a certificate, they will be able to get a lapel pin, key chain, and honor cords will be available – depending on what the chapter wants. etc. **Membership Directors – be aware that for a school to have a chapter, all of the teachers in the department must be NBEA members. NBEA is continuing to work with AICPA on the A-P Accounting. There will be a new Teacher Award developed for the middle school business teacher. Be watching for the information. The decision was made that location is more critical than the practice of having the National Convention in the rotating regions. There is a strong possibility that M-PBEA will not host another National Convention for quite a few years. Also there is a possibility that Convention may not be during Holy Week some years in the future. 25 www.mpbea.org Notes & Quotes Bill No. H.R. Fall, 2008 Legislative Notes… Submitted by Sheryl Piening Keller, Legislative Chair Building Relationships for Business Education This article does not address specific legislation. Instead, I am suggesting three ideas that we might do to gain support for business programs at the local, state, and national level. The following ideas were suggested by me at the Mountain-Plains Business Education Conference held in Lincoln, Nebraska, in June. The following three are not presented in any order of priority. First, we must be diligent about fighting for funding so that we cannot only maintain our programs, but continue to move our business programs forward. As many of you know, the Bush Administration has not been supportive of Perkins Funding for Career and Technical Education. This administration eliminated Perkins funding in the fiscal years of 2006 and 2007 and cut funding in half in 2008. However, Congress has restored funding for the Perkins program each year. President Bush vetoed the additional appropriations request for Perkins Funding right before Christmas last year, and we did not have enough votes in Congress to override that veto. One of the reasons the Bush Administration has not been supportive of additional funding is the information it is receiving. The Performance Rating Assessment Tool used by the government to rate all programs receiving federal funding, indicates that Career and Technical Programs are ineffective. According to an ACTE news release, the research, which was conducted over five years ago, is faulty. My question is, “What are we doing to refute the information in the Performance Rating Assessment”? Janet Bray, the Executive Director of ACTE, spoke at the Nebraska Career Education conference in June (2008). She said that government wants data, and we have not been very good about providing the data. Do your policymakers know the impact your business education programs have on the students in your schools? If not, what can we do to gather the data at our state and regional levels that will produce results for us? I encourage you to form a team in your state to determine what kind of useful data has already been gathered to support the positive effect the programs have on students. What kind of data is still needed, and how do we go about gathering that information? If this is done, Business educators can be proactive in providing information to key people in our community, state, and nation. Second, we must build relationships with policymakers. I know that many of you have been very good about contacting your members of Congress to fund our career and technical programs of which business education is a vital part. We need to continue building those relationships and connections so that we can get the funding needed to keep and improve our business programs. By doing so, we can prepare out students to meet the demands of their careers in an ever-changing world. I also encourage you to build relationships with policymakers at your local and state level. Those relationships need to be made with your local school boards, your community leaders, and your state policymakers--including your legislators and state board of education. (Sometimes, we focus on the national level and overlook what is happening in our own state until it is too late). If we can build those relationships, we will have better access to the policymakers and, perhaps, a greater voice in decisions made. My third and last point is about promotion of business education. I frequently see promotion of business education as topics at conferences, and I know we all do something to promote our programs and our courses. However, we must not be doing enough. Last spring, I participated in a career fair in Kearney, Nebraska. As students walked by, I asked them if they were interested in business, and I was appalled when more than one student said, “I really don’t know what that is.” When I named off courses, they said, “oh yes, I took that course, or I will take that next year.” I was also asked by more than one student, “Well, what can I do with that”? At the DPE luncheon held during the M-PBEA summer conference, a relatively new teacher who now teaches in Omaha, Nebraska, provided this information. When she was in college, other students asked her about her major. When she told them she was in business education, students replied, “Oh, I didn’t know that was a major.” Please do not assume that your students know that Personal Finance, Accounting, Business Math, etc, are business courses. You must remind them. Please make sure your students realize that every occupation requires business knowledge. Make sure your students know about businessrelated careers, including the need for business educators. (LEGISLATION continued, page 31) Mountain-Plains Business Education 26 Fall, 2008 Notes & Quotes ISBE NEWS Submitted by Tamra S. Davis US VP to the SIEC Executive Committee & M-PBEA Member Greetings Mountain-Plains. You Need ISBE! It is with much excitement that I bring you news of ISBE. This past summer, the SIEC/ISBE organization met in Ireland for the very first time. Our Irish hosts were wonderful and provided many opportunities for networking and scholarship to the attendees who represented 15 different countries. I have attended multiple SIEC Conferences over the years and I think that this was one of the best conferences (but then I say that every year and mean it!). The US has many reasons to be proud of its ISBE Chapter. Not only does the US support the international conference each year, US members are serving the organization in leadership positions. The current International President is Peg Saragina from California. Judy Olson-Sutton of Wisconsin serves as the General Secretary, I represent the US Chapter of ISBE as the Vice-President to SIEC, Brenda Ingram-Cotton of California represents us on the Networking Committee, and Lila Waldman of Wisconsin represents us on the Pedagogical Committee. For the 2008 SIEC Conference, Marty McFarland of California served as the US Representative on the Conference Planning Committee. During the past year, SIEC/ISBE created an electronic newsletter for all international members. The newsletter is published four times per year, approximately in October, December, March, and June. The newsletter contains teaching tips, technology tips, short lesson plans, photographs, and other items of interest to teachers at all levels of business education. In addition, The Review, is making a comeback this year, but in a new and improved form. Previously this publication of SIEC was a review of the conference, meeting minutes, budgets, etc. In January, the new The Review will be published. It will contain approximately three international research based articles that can be used as part of an international business class. We also launched a new website, http:// www.siecisbe.org. The new site is very user friendly and contains many electronic resources and information for business teachers. The US Chapter of SIEC/ISBE also offers the teacher resources. We currently publish two newsletters per year and The Journal for Global Business Education. The newsletters from the US Chapter contain articles and information that is useful for classroom teaching, an international quiz, and lesson plans when provided by the members. The Journal is a blind peer-reviewed journal that publishes articles from ISBE members. The US Chapter also offers scholarships to teachers who have taught for less than 10 years. The scholarships are either $500 or $1,000. A $500 scholarship can be used to help offset the cost to attend a regional or national meeting. The $1,000 scholarship can be used to help offset the cost of attendance at the international conference. The US Chapter of ISBE meets each year during the NBEA Convention. Your current US Chapter president is Judy OlsonSutton. For a complete list of chapter officers, you can visit the US Chapter website at http://www.isbeusa.org. Future SIEC Conferences (future conference locations are subject to change if necessary): 2009—Colchester, England Theme: Putting Learners and Customers First 2010—Aubry, Australia 2011—Basel, Switzerland 2012—USA, city to be determined 2103—Belin, Germany ***** The International Society for Business Education is the international branch of NBEA. If you are not a member, you are missing networking opportunities, international publications, access to the source for up-to-date international information, potential exchange opportunities, international lectures, and friendship with colleagues from around the world. Increase your global perspective by joining ISBE. To join, just select the NBEA/ISBE option on your membership form. If you have renewed your NBEA membership recently, you can add ISBE to your current NBEA membership. Anyone teaching business, regardless of level, can benefit from ISBE membership. If you have questions, please contact me. My e-mail address is Tamra-Davis@ouhsc.edu. 27 www.mpbea.org Notes & Quotes Fall, 2008 SOCIETE INTERNATIONALE POUR L´ENSEIGNEMENT COMMERCIAL INTERNATIONAL SOCIETY FOR BUSINESS EDUCATION PEDAGOGICAL COMMITTEE From SIEC-ISBE members for SIEC-ISBE members Workshops, seminars and presentations are designed to exchange experiences and learn from one another Call for Workshops, Seminars and Presentations For the 2009 SIEC/ISBE International Conference Colchester, England August 2-7, 2009 The international Pedagogical Committee is now accepting proposals for workshops, seminars, and presentations for the 2009 international conference. The theme for this conference will be Putting Learners and Customers First. Subthemes for the conference include: Quality Issues • Service Standards • Reputation Management Pedagogy in a global environment • Championing learning • Enrichment Customers and Learners • Generation Y/Generation X • Technology – e learning, what next? • Cultural Challenges/Cultural Fluency • Diversity • Customer Service Talent Management • Knowledge Worker • Succession Planning Employer Engagement • Customer Relationship Management (CRM) Economic Issues • Surviving the Credit Crunch • Globalisation v. Regionalisation • Competitive Advantage • Minimising Risk/Exposure A Workshop is a 90-minute, interactive session which must follow the conference theme. It consists of a 20-30 minute introduction or overview, followed by discussion and/or activities which involve the participants. A Seminar is a 60-minute session which must follow the conference theme. The session will include a presentation and discussion among participants. Visual aids are expected. A Presentation is a 60-minute session which does not need to follow the conference theme. The session will include a presentation (about 40 minutes) and question-and-answer period for participants. Visual aids are expected. Proposals for workshops, seminars, or presentations should be submitted to your country’s Pedagogical Committee member or to Hans-Peter Schoch, Chair of the Pedagogical Committee (hpschoch@tele2.ch) by January 15, 2009. Use the Workshop/ Seminar/Presentation Submission Form found at www.siec-isbe.org. If you need more information, please contact Lila Waldman, U.S. Pedagogical Committee Member, at waldmanl@uww.edu. Please note, that all presenters must be members of SIEC in order to present at the conference. If the presenter's home country has a SIEC-ISBE chapter, he/ she must join that national chapter. If the presenter is from a country without a national chapter, membership information is available at www.siec-isbe.org. must register for and attend the entire conference. (SIEC-ISBE continued, page 31) Mountain-Plains Business Education 28 Fall, 2008 NBEA 2009 Notes & Quotes April 7 -11 Mark Your Calendars— 2009 NBEA National Convention Mark your calendars for April 7-11, 2009, and start making plans to attend the 2009 NBEA Convention in Chicago, Illinois. Please join us as NBEA returns to the Windy City for the 2009 Annual Convention, which will be held at the Chicago Marriott Downtown along Chicago’s world-renowned Magnificent Mile from April 7-11, 2009. Members of the General Convention Committee and Convention Program Committee have created a program with more than 40 educational sessions that meet the varied and common goals of business educators, over 20 computer workshops to expand specific skills and introduce additional technology, and three general sessions where prominent speakers will be featured. A new feature this year will be a series of roundtable discussions on Friday afternoon that will provide attendees with information and resources on some of today’s most relevant topics. Don’t miss this unique opportunity to learn, network, and sightsee in the Windy City! Serving as a member of the General Convention Committee and Convention Program Committee for the 2009 NBEA Convention from the M-PBEA region is Sheryl Piening Keller of Southeast Community College, Milford, NE, representing the Postsecondary Program Department. The concurrent session topics are varied and pertain to all levels of education. Some of the sessions that will be offered address virtual assistants, project-based learning, wikis and blogs, integration of soft skills, podcasting, ethics, career clusters, business finance, business communications, accounting, technology social networking, online academic integrity, diversity in the classroom, career education at the middle school level, NBEA Business Honor Society, community college forum, technology etiquette, incorporating special needs, accounting forensics, creative teaching strategies, sanity in a technological world, professional development for new teachers, Second Life, Web 2.0, entrepreneurship, active learning strategies, identity theft, and many more! Some of the topics to be discussed at the Friday roundtables include opportunities for retirees, medical/legal technology, e-portfolios, resources for teaching identity theft, resources for teaching economic education, business academies, and many more. Preconvention seminars and computer workshops targeting issues critical to successful business courses and programs at all levels of education will be offered during the NBEA 2009 Annual Convention. Sessions designed specifically for new teachers and students preparing to enter the teaching profession will also be a part of the program. Check out complete details on the NBEA website at www.nbea.org. Registration Fees 29 $200 Professional Member $130 Student Member $155 Retired Member $345 Non-Member $ 75 Spouses (non-teaching, non-student) +$75 After March 18 or on site www.mpbea.org Notes & Quotes Fall, 2008 WISCONSIN BUSINESS EDUCATION JOURNAL CALL FOR MANUSCRIPTS T he Wisconsin Business Education Journal is a refereed journal listed in Cabell’s Directory of Publishing Opportunities in Education. Submitted manuscripts are given a blind review by three external reviewers. Accepted manuscripts are published twice a year, Winter and Spring. The deadline for submission of manuscripts for the Winter issue is June 1 and for the Spring issue is November 1. The purpose of the WBEJ is to provide educators with articles reflecting present and future teaching strategies, researchbased articles, and technology ideas in business and marketing education. Only manuscripts which meet this purpose will be considered for review. Non-research manuscripts, such as teaching tips, will not be reviewed and are forwarded to the General Editor for publication decision on a space-available basis. Publishing Guidelines 1. 2. All manuscripts should use APA style and be between 110 single-spaced pages in length. Leave one blank line between paragraphs and before and after headings. The manuscript should be submitted in camera-ready 3. 4. 5. 6. format, typed in Microsoft Word using Times New Roman, 12-point font. All graphics (tables, graphs, charts, etc.) should be encased in boxes. Manuscripts should have 1-inch top, side, and bottom margins with no page numbers. A title page that includes manuscript title and name, address of institution, email address, and phone number of each author must be attached to the manuscript. No identification information of authors should be included within the manuscript.` Four original hard copies of the manuscript should be mailed and one electronic version, an email attachment or CD, should be submitted to: Lila Waldman, Ph.D. Research Editor, WBEJ University of Wisconsin-Whitewater ITBE Department 4015 Carlson Whitewater, WI 53190 waldmanL@uww.edu Phone: 262-472-5475 Fax: 262-472-4863 BLOGGING PRACTICE Did you read the blogging article beginning on page 6? If not, go back and check it out. G BLO w o N Need practice? A new blog began recently and the first entry says: This is a blog set up for business educators to share their thoughts and ideas. Take the time to share a teaching idea or a helpful web site with your peers. M-PBEA members can also use this blog to communicate suggestions to this organization as a whole or the web site in particular. You may find this blog at www.mpbea.org/blog. Enjoy! Mountain-Plains Business Education 30 Fall, 2008 Notes & Quotes (LEGISLATIVE continued from page 26) If we can feverishly promote our programs to our students, their parents, our community leaders and local, state, and national policymakers, we should gain advocates for business education who will fight along with us. With these relationships, business education will have a stronger voice. With a stronger voice and reliable data, we have a much better chance of obtaining the support needed for our business programs. We urge regions to come up with ways to gather data to support what we already know—that Business Education strengthens the education of all students and better prepares them for work and continued education. I am going to ask you to start this process by soliciting your current and former students to respond to Margaret Spellings request for information about the student’s educational experience. She is asking a relatively simple question. Do you believe that your high school is preparing or did prepare you for college and the workplace? If not, what would you change? Here is the website address to submit information about that request: www.ED.gov. Go to Research and Statistics (right side) and the article 25 years after a Nation at Risk. You can also e-mail me at spiening@southeast.edu. Second, we need to feverishly spread the good word about our business education programs. Years ago when Nebraskans did a video for the Promotion of Business Education, I remember filming a former quarterback for the University of Nebraska. We had tried to pick several well-known people for this video. He was co-owner of his own business at the time. I remember him asking me, though, what is business education. What does it involve? I am asking you if students in your school know that you are a business teacher and do those students know what opportunities that course creates for them. I am also asking you to invite business people and parents into your classroom. Create and maintain a connection. Get those people to write to state government representatives and members of congress. What your students and community members say may have a greater effect on our governing bodies that what you or I say. The Bush Administration cannot take all the blame. I also look around our region and see changes in state funding and reorganization of the schools, which has resulted in the elimination of business education programs. I am excited that we have proof that we do a good job. Our proof is in the successful students who are sitting here today. Our proof is in the countless students who participate in our classrooms and youth organizations and who are better prepared for the world because of that participation. (SIEC-ISBE continued from page 28) Priority will be given to proposals which: Follow the conference theme (presentations exempted) Are of interest to conference participants Have well-qualified presenters Involve conference participants Follow the pro forma guidelines Additional considerations: Priority will be given to individuals who have not presented at a previous conference. Home country of presenter will be considered to encourage geographic diversity. Notification of decision will be made by February 15, 2008. The 2010 conference will be held in Albury, Australia, in July. There will be two calls for proposals for this conference, July 15, 2009, and January 15, 2010. The first round of decisions will be made during the 2009 conference in England. 31 www.mpbea.org