Laura's Bookshelf

This page is reserved for any and all marketing links/activities.  I am still updating this page, so please check back periodically.

Marketing in General

• Marketing Lesson Plans/Activities:  This is an awesome site for ideas and tools for various marketing lessons:  http://marketingteacher.com/

Price

Product

Promotion

• Coffee Shop online virtual game to relate to pricing strategies
• Lemonade Stand online virtual game to relate to pricing strategies (Coffee Shop is better than this one, though)

Place/Distribution

•  From inside Amazon:  Here is an interesting YouTube video from inside one of Amazon’s distribution centers

Looking on the Slideshare website, I found the presentation “Cloud Computing and your Data Warehouse.”  The presentation was posted by DrLuckySpin from San Diego, California.

This is an interesting, informational presentation about cloud computing.  It does get a little in-depth, but this is good for any business debating whether or not to go with the technology.  The presentation lists the benefits and drawbacks of using the cloud computing technology.

Presentation:  http://www.slideshare.net/drluckyspin/cloud-computing-and-your-data-warehouse

If you want to learn more about cloud computing, watch this YouTube video:  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=txvGNDnKNWw.

Chapter 9 is titled “The Future of the Web–Where to next?”  The original web is called Web 1.0, when the internet allowed people to read published text, photos, charts, etc.  Today, the internet is called Web 2.0 because it allows its user to read information on the page and then comment on that information.  The future is constantly changing…soon we might have Web 3.0.  Web 3.0 is the possibility to do a web walk-through where a person would be able to take a tour of Europe without leaving your desk.

The internet and its available tools greatly help education.  It allows everyone to communicate and collaborate with other people in a completely different region or country.  There are schools and classes that are completely online, too;  the teacher and the students never have to meet in the same boring classroom ever again.

Businesses have greatly benefited from the internet, too.  Some businesses are completely online; they have no physical building.  Any businesses with a website can sell products to customers, communicate with customers, and market to potential customers.

Chapter 8 went over wikis, defined as “web pages that students can use to write, edit, and add elements to create collaborative projects” (pg. 135).  The most well-know wiki used by the public is Wikipedia.  The book lists 14 tips for using wikis:

• Create a culture of trust in the class.
• Establish goals for the project.
• Post clear instructions.
• Establish guidelines for all processes.
• Set deadlines (interim and final).
• Create and display assessment rubrics.
• Make sure project activities are meaningful.
• Define roles for team members and work with teams to assign them.
• Keep instructions simple for both the assignment and for the wiki pages.
• Provide examples and suggestions.
• Decide if the wikis should be open to the public or limited to the class.
• Remind students of copyright and licensing issues.
• Provide encouragement.

The most popular wikis in education are PBworks and Wikispaces.  Teachers can create a free wiki page through the “K-12 Plan” on the Wikispaces homepage.  This way each class can have its own wiki page for students to use to collaborate with other students.

Businesses can certainly use wikis, too.  Wikispaces has wikis available for businesses and groups to use for a small fee.

I looked at the article titled “Students’ Attitudes in a Virtual Environment (Second Life)” by  Amal Alrayes and Alistair Sutcliff.  Since I hear about how teachers should use virtual environments to promote learning, I wanted to know what actual students thought about it.

In this article, the authors interviewed and questioned 2^nd year undergraduate students taking the Business Team Project module.  These students use Second Life for collaboration with other students.  The questionnaires given to the students asked students to rate the Second Life experience compared to a face-to-face experience.  The students also had to rate the effectiveness of using Second Life for learning.  According to the information they received, students enjoyed using Second Life, although there are some problems with it that would make the experiences even better.   Overall, 82% of students thought it was okay for casual discussions and interactions, and 53% thought Second Life was good for presenting work for others to see.  Only 18% of students thought Second Life was good for formal university lessons, although 41% thought that it was good for tutorials.

Teachers can use Second Life for student collaboration.  In my marketing class, my students could use Second Life as a way to communicate and collaborate online rather than having to meet face-to-face.  I know all of my students have jobs and many are involved in sports.  This makes arranging schedules difficult, so the Second Life meetings would be much easier to arrange.

As discussed in my Chapter 7 post, businesses can also use Second Life to get more reactions to certain products and advertise other products.  Businesses could ask random people to answer a questionnaire about products.

The research was very interesting, and I am glad that I looked at this article.  The information is extremely relevant to me, since I would like my students to be able to collaborate online on group assignments and projects rather than having to deal with the hassle of face-to-face meetings.  Plus, I know that my students most likely would not like having any lessons through the virtual environment.

Article:
Alrayes, A., & Sutcliff, A.  (2011, July).  Students’ Attitudes in a Virtual Environment (Second Life).  Journal of Virtual Worlds Research, v. 4.  Retrieved from http://journals.tdl.org/jvwr/article/view/2107/5540.

Chapter 7 is about virtual environments.  One popular virtual environment is Second Life.  In fact, several million people are signed up for Second Life.

Teachers can use virtual environments as an interesting way to teach students.  Students will have more anonymity in the virtual classroom than the real classroom, which might enable them to interact more.

Businesses can use virtual environments just like they use Facebook and Twitter–a way to reach their customers.  They could learn what people think about various products and even advertise the products.

Here are two examples of certain visual tools that can be used in the classroom.  I have embedded the two tools, but if you have a problem watching them, I have provided the links.

Here is the link for the Screenr.com video I made about “Calculating Discretionary Income”
http://www.screenr.com/svLs

 

Here is the Voicethread.com presentation I made about the “Business Cycle”
http://voicethread.com/share/2459491/

Chapter 6 is all about visual learning tools, such as videos and photos.  Teachers can have students learn through digital storytelling, video documentaries, and other photo/video tools.

Instead of having students research a subject and then write a paper about that subject, the students could create their own documentary.  This way the students can learn hands-on through  inquiry, creativity, and higher-order thinking.

Businesses also need to teach its employees certain things–whether it is training for a job or information about another company.  Certain managers could create the informational videos in such a way that will engage the other employees and help them learn, but will also help the manager fully understand the information he/she is relating.

I recently created a video for a session that taught students about communications in the global environment.  While the video served as an interesting method to teach the students, it also helped me memorize and know the information that was in the video.  I highly recommend teachers use these learning tools to help the new generation of hands-on learners.

Chapter 5 talks about the use of social networks in the classroom.  Interestingly enough, the book states that “almost 60% of students who use social networking talk about education topics online” and “more than 50% talk specifically about schoolwork” (p. 85). Ning (www.ning.com) was created in 2005 as an educational social network.  Students can collaborate with others on a project, catch up on work they missed when absent, and to ask questions.

Teachers can use the networks to learn more educational information and ask questions for other teachers to help answer or even situations for others to provide suggestions.

I signed up for a LinkedIn account last year.  If you are not familiar with LinkedIn, it is a professional social network that allows you to reconnect with colleagues and network with other people in the world.  Businesses, especially the sales department, can use this network to connect with buyers and potential buyers.  Businesses can also use LinkedIn to find qualified persons looking for  a job.

BGSU Business Education Podcast

Script for “BGSU Business Education Program” Podcast:

Hello!  You are listening to “BGSU Business Education Program Podcast” for November 4, 2011.

My name is Laura, and I am your host.

Today we will be talking about Bowling Green State University’s Business Education program.  The business ed. Program prepares students for both teaching and business careers.  After graduation from the program, graduates will be licensed to teach:

• accounting,
• personal finance,
• technology applications,
• keyboarding and word processing,
• business law
• business economics
• management, and
• business communications.

The program requires approximately:

• 60 semester hours of business content course credit,
• 50 hours of professional education course credit,
• 6 hours of college requirement credit, and
• 35 hours of university general education requirement credit.

The business education program is an excellent program for anyone who is interested in teaching and enjoys business and technology.

Thank you for listening to today’s podcast.  Have a great day!!

Podcast About Myself

Script for “Podcast About Myself:”

Hello!  You are listening to “Podcast About Myself” for November 4, 2011.

My name is Laura, and I am your host.

While I could begin by telling you that I was born the third daughter to a lovely couple in Springfield, Ohio,  and then droning on about my boring life’s story, I decided that you would either fall asleep or change the channel.

So, instead I will say a few key points about myself.  First of all, I am going to be a Bowling Green State University graduate this upcoming May.  I will be getting my Bachelor of Science degree in Business and Marketing Education.  It is an excellent program at a university that is well-known for producing excellent teachers.

Secondly, I have been an active volunteer Ski Patroller on the Mad River Mountain Ski Patrol for the past six years.  Every winter season, I provide first aid care to patients, both on the ski slopes and in the aid room.  I am forced to make crucial decisions during high pressure situations.  In order to be a patroller, I had to get my Outdoor Emergency Care certification, along with a CPR certification.

During the spring and summer, I am a volunteer 4-H instructor for the Champaign County 4-H Shooting Sports club.  I teach the 4-H members life skills through shooting sports curriculum and activities.  I have been an instructor for three years and am certified in teaching rifle, pistol, archery, and living history.

Finally, I will talk about my skills.  Once more, I could bore you to tears with a long, dramatic rendering of my accomplishments.  To save time, though, I will only say that I am an independent, hard-working person, experienced in the Microsoft office software.  I have had four years of German education in high school, along with one year of Spanish education during college.

Thank you for listening to today’s podcast.  Have a great day!!

There are various sites that have podcasts for teachers.  At one particular site, there are podcasts about information and tools that can be used in the classroom by teachers.  The podcast I listened to is titled “Digital Books Rule, Part 1.” The podcast talked about how an elementary class learned about Afghanistan from a soldier’s blog.  The podcast then went on to saying how teachers can use electronic books and articles  rather than the traditional paper books.  Podcasts like this can help teachers find new resources and get creative ideas to use in the classroom.

Listen to the podcast at http://www.podcastforteachers.org/.

Business education teachers teach a variety of content areas—one area is personal finance.  The Money Girl’s Quick and Dirty Tips for a Richer Life added the podcast, “Three Personal Finance Rules for New Graduates.” This short podcast (less than 10 minutes) talks about credit scores, debt, and investing.  Even though it is more relevant to recent college graduates, the information is still relevant to high school students.  The podcast also lists several resources that teachers can use in their classroom.

You can hear this podcast at:
http://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/237-mg-three-personal-finance/id209859739?i=99855493

P.S.  The host is Laura Adams, not me.

I recently listened to the podcast “Resume Update 2011, Part 1” by Career Tools on iTunes.  Most people have to create a resume in order to get a job, so the podcast is relevant to all those people.  Looking online, there are many different opinions and rules to writing a resume.  This podcast mentions resume myths and current resume trends.  Any person who is aiming to begin the job search process should listen to this podcast to get the correct information.

Here are a couple of the key points mentioned in the podcast:
1.  Include a cover letter.
2.  Do not replace the objective statement with an executive summary.
3.  Use Microsoft Word.

Here is a link to the podcast:
http://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/resume-update-2011-part-1/id299826841?i=96398618

Chapter 4 in the book is about productivity applications.  Productivity tools can be used on both Macs and PCs, and many are free!

I have used Google Docs for surveys and sharing documents, which I have found to be very helpful.  Here are some other productivity tools that I have not used:

• EditGrid
• eFax
• Gliffy
• Instapaper
• iRows
• Mayomi
• Scanr
• SlideShare
• Sproutliner
• ThinkFree Show
• 30 Boxes
• YourDraft

All of these tools help complete tasks and stay organized.  Teachers can use these in the classroom to encourage collaboration amongst students when they are working on projects or assignments.  Some teachers even use it for students to view other student’s work and comment on that work.

Businesses can use the productivity tools the same way as classrooms.  Co-workers can use the tools to collaborate on an important project for work.  The co-workers don’t even have to work in the same building; they can live anywhere around the globe but still be able to use the tools to collaborate!

Chapter 3 discusses podcasts and vodcasts.  A podcast is “a series of digital media files that are released episodically and often downloaded through web syndication.”  A vodcast is a video podcast.

There are many podcasts online that can be used in the classroom or a teacher can create his/her own podcast.  If the teacher uses a podcast made by someone else, students will get some variety in the lecture, since the voice is different.

Businesses can also use podcasts.  Some may use podcasts as a form of advertising or a way to give information to consumers or employees on a website.

You can find many podcasts on iTunes, so check that out when you get a chance!  🙂

Chapter 2 discusses microblogs, and Twitter specifically.

On page 37 and 38, Laura Walker lists “Nine Reasons to Twitter”:

1.  Together we’re better

2.  Global or local:  you choose

3.  Self-awareness and reflective practice

4.  Ideas workshop and sounding board

5.  Newsroom and innovation showcase

6.  Professional development and critical friends

7.  Quality-assured searching

8.  Communicate, communicate, communicate

9.  Getting with the times has never been so easy

Updated 10-28-11
Businesses could use Twitter to communicate company workshops, news, and events.

Chapter 1 describes blogs and how teachers can use them in their classroom.

At the bottom of page 23 and the top of page 24, a teacher says she uses email pseudonyms as log-ins to avoid any of the usual boy/girl social interactions.  I don’t quite understand how this would truly prevent boy/girl social interactions.  Students could just as easily tell the  people what their pseudonym is.

Added 10-28-11
Businesses could also use blogs to post company news and events.  The business blogs could even be used to make announcements, such as:  “Sam Jones had a baby girl yesterday,”  then people could leave comments of “Congratulations.”