• 2020-21 Professional Development Dates
• Preparing for a Unique School Year
• Best Practices for Online Learning
• Best Digital Icebreakers
• Minnesota Marketing, Business, and Information Technology Educators (MBITE)
• Program Approval Reminders and Syllabi
• New Advisory Committee Handbook
• Recruitment – Business Education Careers
• Helpful Links from Educational Partners

2020-21 Professional Development Dates

• September 25 – MBITE Fall Conference (virtual): Participants will have access to numerous 15-minute and 30-minute pre-recorded sessions. (Must be an MBITE member to participate.)
• October and November (two events each month) – MBITE Webinar Series: Twice-monthly live webinars for MBITE members on professional networking, problem-solving, and discussion of statewide business education topics
• October and November (pre-recorded events) – Business Education Topics Webinars: Pre-recorded sessions will be posted on several topics to facilitate consortium-related work later in the year. Topics will include:
  • After Program Approval – Continuous Improvement
  • Aligning Courses to Business Frameworks
  • Programs of Study (POS) Needs and Opportunities
  • Integrating Academic and Technical Content in CTE Courses
  • Effective CTE Advisory Committees
  • Industry-Recognized Credentials (IRC) for Business and Marketing Courses
  • Work-based Learning in Business and Marketing
• January through April – Consortium Live Chats: Bi-weekly live webinars for teachers to work with colleagues from other Business programs in their consortia on issues relating to continuous improvement and program growth. (Schedule will be announced in the next newsletter.)

Preparing for a Unique School Year

I know that the beginning of the 2020-2021 school year is likely not exactly what you imagined. After a spring filled with unprecedented challenges, this fall will require us to apply lessons learned to successfully address both continuing and new challenges. Many will require us to teach, interact, and communicate in ways outside our normal processes. Almost all will require us to utilize our professional and support networks – parents, colleagues, business advisory committee members, family and friends. Visit the 2020-21 School Year Guidance for Business programs.

Where there are challenges, there are also opportunities. Teachers in my professional networks, and students in my personal networks, shared with me this spring successes and "ah-ha's" that might never have happened if the pandemic had not forced changes to our delivery of education. Parents have told me how they have used the uncertainty of the current environment to reinforce in their children personal lessons of developing grit and persistence in the face of adversity.

We have the opportunity to prepare students for the future in business, marketing and information technology career pathways. The future is always impacted by the present–and so it is that the current pandemic will change the nature of career pathway pursuits for your students. Consider the opportunities for entrepreneurs with vision to see new realities and create products and services suited to this new environment. Consider how technology innovations will change the use of physical space in the operation of a business, and what this could mean for preparing students with the knowledge and technical skills needed for success in a remote business environment.

Leverage the knowledge and experience you have developed over the years to provide context for what is happening now...and what it can mean to your students' futures.

~Dean Breuer

Best Practices for Online Learning

The following is a collection of "best practices" for implementing hybrid and distance learning provided to Tech & Learning Journal by professional educators:

• Establish norms – mute/unmute, chat vs. mic, appropriate attire, backgrounds, and do’s and don’ts when classes are recorded
• Create accessible content – consider comprehension levels and students with disabilities, not just “technical accessibility”
• Strengthen relationships – short, personalized videos for each student; have fun with emojis and GIFs; show appreciation for student work and participation; tools like Mentimeter to get real-time reactions from students
• Know Your Core 4 – school’s learning management system (LMS); Google Drive/Dropbox/OneDrive; synchronous tool (Zoom, Google Meets, MS Teams); asynchronous tool (Screencastify, Screencast-O-Matic, or Microsoft Stream)
• Foster lively interaction – music at the beginning of class; start class session early to provide time for students to talk; ask about students’ lives and feelings (not just course content); add some fun/funny content; set aside time for breakout rooms; encourage students to post questions
• Connect with Experts
• Connect with Families – provide parents with tutorials and “cheat sheets"; host a “Parent Academy” to develop relationships, share expectations, and provide technology training on tools their students will be learning
• Teach digital literacy and citizenship (don’t assume they know)

Best Digital Icebreakers

One of the biggest challenges facing teachers as they head back to school in the "new normal" of remote learning environments is trying to get to know their new students. David Kapuler published an article in Tech & Learning Journal with links to digital icebreakers – websites, apps, and online resources – that offer various fun activities for bringing together teachers and their new students.

30hands – Students create a digital story describing themselves or what they did over the summer.

BoomWriter – A teacher can put students into groups and have each one write a page of a story and then share with the class using BoomWriter’s writing/voting process.

Icebreakers.ws – Offers more than 100 ice breakers, team building exercises, and group games, plus family friendly activities, worksheets, and more.

Read Write Think – A popular, easy-to-use site for creating timelines that students can make describing events and what they did over the summer.

Storyboard That – Includes resources for teachers to use as digital icebreakers such as KWL charts, conversation cubes, games, and more.

Super Teacher Worksheets – A vast collection of worksheets and other printables for back to school, including scavenger hunts, "All about me,’"puzzles, and other fun activities.

Voki – Students can create animated and speaking avatars introducing themselves to their classmates.

Wordle – A popular site that students can use to generate word clouds describing themselves.

Minnesota Marketing, Business, and Information Technology Educators (MBITE)

Your professional teacher organization, MBITE, is ready for the start of another school year – with professional development plans to aid in your work in these times of hybrid and distance learning course delivery. Renew your MBITE membership or join as a new member.

MBITE's annual Fall Conference will be held as a virtual conference this year. Sessions will be pre-recorded and available through the MBITE curriculum repository starting on Friday, September 25. This will give you the opportunity to view presentations on many different topics instead of being limited to one session per hour as with a typical in-person conference. There is no registration fee for the conference, but you must be an MBITE member to gain access to the repository and the recorded sessions.

Starting in October, we will also begin hosting a series of virtual discussion groups 1-2 times per month. We will discuss various topics relating to Business Education in Minnesota, including: student recruitment, student engagement, student leadership development, school store operations, and curriculum development for the many different classes you teach! Links to join these sessions will be provided by MBITE President Justin Wittrock – but again, you need to be an MBITE member to participate.

Program Approval Reminders and Syllabi

Our Career and Technical Education team has had a busy summer processing Program Approval submissions from those consortia on this year's five-year renewal cycle:

• Riverland
• Rochester/ZED
• Southeast

Business teachers in one of those consortia who have programs to renew – OR teachers in ANY consortia who have new courses to add to their approved programs or new teachers in your programs this year – should complete and submit your Program Approval materials as soon as possible this Fall. The deadline for submissions is November 1, but it is very helpful for us to receive them much sooner than that so there is time for you to make any revisions required before approval can be given.

Typically, one area that requires some amount of time and revision relates to information we look for in course syllabi. When the following items are not found in course syllabi, these usually become part of the continuous improvement recommendations given for completion over the next 1-2 years:

• Student leadership development
• Career development opportunities
• Course outline of instructional units
• Alignment to Minnesota Business Frameworks, and the indicators being used

I have sample syllabi that can provide guidance on how to report these various items. Send an email to Dean Breuer if there are any courses for which you would like to receive a sample syllabus.

New Advisory Committee Handbook

A new Career Program Advisory Committee Handbook is now available in both hardcopy and electronic format. This collaborative work of Minnesota Department of Education and Minnesota State College system replaces the previous version dated 2016. This will be a good reference for your Advisory Committee leadership to use in planning its work for the year. You will soon be able to download an electronic copy from the Minnesota State website – and we also have plenty of printed hard copies available. Send an email to Dean Breuer noting how many copies you would like and where to have them sent.

Recruitment – Business Education Careers

An important aspect of all CTE programs is providing career development opportunities in the career field/cluster to which the course pertains. Don't forget to include the BUSINESS EDUCATION pathway in the career units you develop for your courses! Today in Minnesota, nearly 20% of our Business teachers have 30 years or more experience – which speaks volumes about the quality of your work, but also speaks to the impending need to have a new cadre of Business Education teachers prepared and ready as these teachers retire. Help maintain the strength of our programs – raise up and recruit students who will be ready to take your place!

Helpful Links from Educational Partners

BestPrep: Each of their career development and financial literacy programs has incorporated virtual and online components to support hybrid and distance learning. You can request virtual presentations, participate in live-streamed presentations to the classroom or students at home, and access recorded sessions personalized for your classes. Online programs such as eMentors, Financial Matters, and The Stock Market Game provide opportunities for in-person and distance learning. Contact BestPrep staff to learn more about their programs.

Junior Achievement of the Upper Midwest: Junior Achievement (JA) has an innovating and engaging on-site facility and programs that can delivered virtually or in your classroom in three pathways: Financial Literacy, Work and Career Readiness, and Entrepreneurship.

FoolProofMe: This free financial literacy curriculum, partnering with the Jump$tart Coalition, includes over 20 hours of online, video-driven, self-grading financial literacy instruction. The curriculum focus is to teach students the power of skepticism and how to identify and neutralize misinformation to make smart financial decisions.

Resources for Teaching Ethical Leadership: MBA Research has expanded their collection of free resources for integrating instruction on ethical leadership into your curriculum. Access is free for Minnesota Business teachers through a statewide membership purchased by MDE.

Minnesota State CAREERwise: The Career Videos section of the CAREERwise site contains short videos on career pathways in each area of the Minnesota Career Wheel – great for sharing with students, or for their independent review during career units.

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Career Technical Education @ MDE

Career and Technical Education (CTE), as part of the Career and College Success Division (CCSD), promotes the vision that "Every learner is prepared for post-high school education, training and careers."

Our mission is to partner with educational stakeholders to provide leadership and assistance to achieve that vision. 

[If you have questions about this newsletter or ideas for future content, please forward your ideas to MDE Business and Marketing Specialist Dean Breuer.]

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