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May 20, 2010 
 
 
In This Issue
Building a Standards-Based Entrepreneurship Program-of-Study
Graduate Credit AND CEU Documentation
MBA Conclave Hotel Block
PBL at Conclave
Social Media in the Marketing Curriculum
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Technical Advisory group orientation sessions

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MBA Research and 
 Curriculum Center Service@MBAResearch.org
topNext Issue: June

Today's Issue: May 26 Hotel Deadline; Project-Based Instruction; Entre Workshop
Building a Standards-Based Entrepreneurship Program-of-Study
Entrepreneurship Forum:  Pre-Conference Curriculum Workshop
Saturday:  November 13, 2010, 8:30 - 3:30, Columbus, Ohio

Career and Technical Education (CTE) programs such as business or marketing education focus on skills and concepts that represent what matters most in the real world.  Participants in this pre-conference workshop will move beyond "be-the-boss dreaming" to an in-depth look at strategies for building an in-depth entrepreneurship curriculum that balances the creative side with the hard facts of starting and growing a business.  Leave this session with hands-on experience and a step-by-step process for creating a high school program-of-study that meets Perkins requirements and that provides high school students a realistic start on start-up.  Details.
Graduate Credit AND CEU Documentation
Academic credit is offered annually by several different colleges and universities.  Specific offerings and requirements are at the discretion of the sponsoring colleges.  Colleges offering credit for the 2010 Conclave include:
  • Ashland University (Ohio)
  • Ball State University (Indiana)
  • University of Wisconsin -- Whitewater
Continuing Education Credits (CEU) are generally issued locally by the school district or in conjunction with a partner registrar.  MBAResearch offers documentation for continuing education credits (CEUs) at no additional cost.  A detailed report of session participation will be available 2 - 3 weeks following the conference.  Details.

Georgia teachers may receive credits through the GA Career & Technical Education Resource Network (www.CTAERN.org).  Registration will be available on site.

 
MBA Conclave Hotel Block
DEADLINE May 26
Sell out is very likely!  The Grand Hyatt Atlanta is a small, upscale hotel.  Our room block guarantee is approximately 80% sold and the guaranteed block of rooms expires on May 26. Don't get caught looking in from the parking lot.  Like most organizations, we guaranteed a smaller-than-usual block for sleeping rooms at this year's Conclave.  Please make your reservations as early as possible.  After May 26, rooms are available to the general public on a first-come, first-served basis.  Although your rate is protected for late registrations, there is no guarantee of availability. Grand Hyatt Atlanta 
 
PBL at Conclave
Thinking Project-based, but not sure how to start?  (Conclave session)
Assigning a classroom project and moving to project-based learning (PBL) are very different things.  Essentially, PBL means coaching students to complete substantive, realistic projects to learn the key content associated with a standard.  The learning occurs as a result of the project, as opposed to using a project to reinforce prior learning.
 
Let's face it: Developing projects for use in a project-based learning (PBL) classroom is not easy. In fact, it can be a time-consuming, arduous process. But, it's worth it. Research shows that PBL helps students to learn more content, understand content better, and retain content longer than traditional pencil-and-paper assignments.
 
Join Lisa and April for a discussion of challenges teachers may encounter when creating projects, solutions and processes that can make project development easier, and MBAResearch's own approach to crafting standards-based, relevant projects. Participants in this session will leave with resources and ideas that they can use to develop effective, successful project-based learning projects.
 
April Miller, Senior Research Associate
Lisa Berkey, Director, MBA High School of Business™
MBA Research and Curriculum Center

Can standards and projects coexist?  (Conclave session)
My students love project-based instruction.  So does my administrator.  But, the bosses also want to be sure my kids are meeting the standards.  It's a tough combination. And, it's a common concern expressed by teachers considering PBL. Leave this session with a better understanding of how to implement a student  project with a standards perspective.  Gather specific tips for ensuring that your students are learning what they need to know for the test, even as they learn in the context of a real-world project.
Julie Beis teaches Business Administration at Washington Sr. High (OH)

Using Events to Position and Fund Your Program (Conclave session)
Tired of selling candy to raise funds?  Need to make a statement that will be heard throughout the school?  Planning and hosting a school event(s) can help raise funds for your student organization and, at the same time, contribute to student recruiting.  Most importantly, planning and organizing a quality event provides a high-end learning experience that students will carry with them for years.  In this session, Justin will share his experiences with conceptualizing and planning school-based events, explain their long-term benefits and effects, share his experiences (good and challenging) with a major sports-based fundraiser, and offer his perspectives on the values of using events to build a strong student organization.
 
Justin Servis has taught a variety of business courses at Anderson HS in Cincinnati, including entrepreneurship, personal finance, principles of business, and marketing.
 
 
Social Media in the Marketing Curriculum
Social Media is changing the marketing strategy message in the real world.  But, how do we integrate it into the business curriculum?  This session features business case studies to begin the discussion.  Participants will leave with a better understanding of the strategic use of Twitter, Facebook, and LinkedIn; of social media trends, and of the increasing role that social media tools play in the overall marketing strategy for business.  Most importantly, the session will serve as a thought-starter on how to include discussions of and use of social media in the teaching of marketing strategy.  Recommended: PS
 
Rob Walker is a Boise, ID-based social media strategist who assists companies in identifying and implementing social media goals. He is a frequent guest speaker on topics relating to social media. He holds an M.B.A. from Duke University in Marketing and serves as the Marketing Management Program Head at the College of Western Idaho and on the marketing faculty at University of Phoenix where he has facilitated over 150 classes since 2001. His Linkedin profile is http://www.linkedin.com/in/robwalkermarketing.
 
 
Save Time and Budget
(all while you help the cause)
We offer products for sale from most vendors other than traditional textbook publishers.  Why?
  1. It generates a small revenue stream to help fund our research.  (On average, we net approximately 10% on each sale.)

  2. We can save you money by consolidating our orders to the vendor and then sharing our wholesale discount with you.  On average, you'll save 5% on each item, plus you're likely to save on shipping/handling since you can consolidate purchases from many different suppliers with one order to MBAResearch.

  3. We help you find resources for specific aspects of your curriculum.  (You can search our site by any topic related to the national MBA Business Administration Standards.)

  4. We tell you how it is.  Since we have no vested interest in any of the original producers, we can give you a straightforward, unbiased perspective on their products.  This is especially important if you're planning to invest in video or software.

  5. We list "BAD" (and in this instance, bad means bad) product on our web site.  For example, we recently received a fancy, full-color brochure featuring some really powerful-sounding video descriptions.  They were reasonably priced and the descriptions made them sound like the perfect fit for high school classes.  When we chased them down, it turns out they were copyright 1990 and 1991.  On our site, you would find the copyright clearly identified and, in this instance, the "rated" score was "0" of "5."

  6. We can save you lots of time reviewing lots of catalogs.  We review them, find items of interest to business and marketing teachers, determine how they relate to the standards, and then publish them in our store.  We review literally hundreds of catalogs each year from companies such as:
    • ACT/RMI
    • C.W. Publications
    • Career Press
    • CEV
    • Cengage/ Thomson
    • Cerebellum/Sunburst
    • D.E. Visuals
    • Discovery
    • Facts on File
    • Films for the Humanities
    • Fitness Information
    • HRD Press
    • Human Relations
    • Impact
    • Jaguar
    • Jist
    • Jones & Bartlett
    • JWA
    • Kantola
    • Learning Seed
    • Learning Zone Xpress
    • Linx
    • McGraw Hill
    • School Company