Business, Marketing, and Information Technology Update: April 2021

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Business, Marketing, and Information Technology Update: April 2021


Important Dates

MBITE Facebook and Communications

MBITE Logo

DJ McDonald is the Business, Marketing, and Information Technology instructor at Hermantown High School. Prior to Hermantown, he spent two years teaching at Carlton Middle/High School, one semester teaching in Wisconsin, and student teaching in Duluth. As a member of the Minnesota Marketing, Business, and Information Technology Educators (MBITE) professional teacher association, he serves as the Communications Coordinator with oversight of the MBITE Facebook page. He provided the following information about upcoming MBITE communications plans.

"One of the things that’s really been beneficial to me in my role as a (relatively) new teacher is the ability to make professional connections. As a one-teacher department, it can be very isolating sometimes being “the” business teacher for a high school of almost 700 students. The Minnesota Marketing, Business and Information Technology Educators (MBITE) Professional Association has allowed just that: from professional development conferences and webinars, to recognition of past accomplishments (including a nomination for New Teacher of the Year) I’ve been able to foster connections and build rapport among business teachers through my work with MBITE. In June 2019, I joined MBITE as a Member, and shortly thereafter moved into a leadership position. I started as a North Region Representative and currently serve as the Communications Coordinator for the organization.

One of my responsibilities is to manage the Facebook page for MBITE. (Find us online by searching for "MBITE Facebook.") There are lots of great resources available on Facebook. There are groups of business teachers around the world that collaborate in areas such as business, marketing, technology and personal finance, and pages of resources such as Next Gen Personal Finance, MBA Research, DECA and BPA that share posts out for teaching and curriculum ideas. We’ll also be posting the latest news and happenings relative to MBITE, including news of our upcoming Annual Conference, Teacher of the Year nominations, and leadership opportunities on the MBITE Board for the upcoming school year. This could be a great stepping stone for anyone looking to move up the ladder into administrative roles someday—a path I am not necessarily opposed to taking! (For more information about MBITE Board positions and leadership opportunities, contact President Justin Wittrock.)

If you have any questions about MBITE, social media communications, or if you have ideas for resources to share with other business teachers through social media, please send me an email. I’m excited to be part of the profession, and I’m ecstatic to be serving as MBITE’s Communications Coordinator!"

Summer Frameworks Development

This summer the final phase of our four-year Frameworks development project will be completed. During the first three years, Table C course organization has been redesigned to align to Business and Marketing career clusters, and nearly 60 course Frameworks have been developed. These course Frameworks will be under development this summer:

  • Business Law 1 and 2
  • Intro and Advanced Computer Programming
  • Entrepreneurship
  • Small Business Development
  • Ethics and Leadership (Management 3)
  • Management Information Systems
  • Networking (CISCO)
  • AP Computer Science

These new Frameworks will hopefully be available on the MDE Website by early October 2021 for use in developing new courses or revising existing Business and Marketing courses.

 

Free Summer National Conference

This year, MBA Research is joining with BPA, DECA, and FBLA to offer a special edition of its annual conference, in honor of its 50th birthday. Registration this year is FREE, with dates prior to the start of the upcoming school year (August 3-5) to help improve and energize your program. Read more about the MBA Research Conclave.

Join for all or part of the conference each day. Presenters will include senior-level Fortune 1000 managers, entrepreneurs with a unique story, and leading secondary educators. Special 2021 programming will also be offered by BPA, DECA, and FBLA national staff. Register FREE for the MBA Research Conclave.

Also, for a limited time, MBA Research is making all of their course guides available at no cost. These include their most popular titles such as Business and Marketing Essentials, Entrepreneurship, and Marketing Principles. Access the FREE Business and Marketing course guides.

 

Summer Personal Finance Certification Exams

Due to increased demand following the March 2021 W!SE Personal Finance Certification Exams, we have scheduled FOUR additional testing dates for the upcoming summer months. There is a limit of 20 participants for each session. Using the registration link below, you can select a primary exam date preference and a secondary date preference. The dates and times of the summer exam offerings are:

Tuesday, June 22: 3-4:30 p.m.

Wednesday, June 23: 10-11:30 a.m.

Wednesday, July 14: 3-4:30 p.m.

Thursday, July 15: 10-11:30 a.m.

Register for the W!SE Personal Finance Certification Exam.

 

Next Gen Certification Summer Cohorts

Next Gen Personal Finance offers online Certification courses specializing in specific topics in Personal Finance. Each 10-hour program consists of nine hours of online professional development training and a one-hour certification exam. The exam is FREE, but you must complete all nine hours of training to qualify to take the exam.

Registration will open in late May for any of four summer cohorts that are available:

  • Summer Cohort #12:  June 7-22
  • Summer Cohort #13:  June 28 - July 13
  • Summer Cohort #14:  July 19 - August 3
  • Summer Cohort #15:  August 9-24

Learn more and register for Next Gen Personal Finance Certification courses.

The Next Gen website has a range of FREE personal finance curriculum resources including units, lessons and activities that align to national standards. View the Next Gen Personal Finance lesson resources.

 

BestPrep Summer Program Opportunities

The BestPrep Minnesota Business Venture (MBV) summer business and career development camp has served over 10,000 students in over 40 years of operation. At MBV, students learn about career skills, youth empowerment strategies, networking, and how to present themselves professionally. Throughout the camp, entrepreneurs and heads of business present as keynote and breakout speakers, and students participate in activities such as a business plan simulation, mock interview and photo challenges. Every day, a national or local celebrity will drop in to deliver a motivational message and participate in a question and answer session. Learn more about MBV on the BestPrep website, or contact Janae Olinger for more information.

Registration for MBV sessions is now open (through June 25) for the July 12-15 and July 26-29 camps, which take place daily from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. The registration fee is $50 and financial aid is available. Share this information with your Business and Marketing students and encourage them to participate! Register for the Minnesota Business Venture summer camp.

The BestPrep Technology Integration Workshop (TIW) for teachers will be held July 26-28 through an interactive online platform. TIW is an engaging professional development opportunity for educators of all grade levels and subject areas. Participation includes breakout sessions on existing and emerging technologies, a virtual job shadow experience with a leading Twin Cities business volunteer, and coaching to integrate technology into a unit plan. Learn more about TIW on the BestPrep website, or contact Stephanie Musgrove for more information.

TIW is offered in partnership with the University of St. Thomas School of Education and Opus College of Business. Teachers can earn up to 28 CEUs for attending. Registration fee is $150 for one educator, or $100 each for two or more educators attending from the same school or district. Register for the Technology Integration Workshop.

 

Program Approval Notes and Reminders

Business and Marketing programs in three consortia—Hennepin West, Minneapolis, and Southwest Metro—are due for Program Approval renewal. Minnesota Department of Education (MDE) will begin receiving renewal application documents on June 1...DO NOT submit before June 1! If you were not able to attend one of the Program Approval training sessions held in mid-April, contact Dean Breuer to arrange for an individual meeting to discuss the process and documentation needed.

If your district will be submitting an application for a new Business or Marketing program, you may also begin submitting those materials on June 1.

MDE has developed a new program Amendment Form for submitting any program changes which occur during the years when your program is not due for program approval renewal. The form allows you to note changes in your program teaching staff, CTE courses offered, and/or the person to serve as the contact for program information. Use this form in the fall if any of these changes take place in your program.

 

Helpful Links

Advance CTE Work-Based Learning: Resources on topics including experiential learning, internships, school-based enterprises, and apprenticeships.

Nepris: Career exploration resources

Zippia:  Descriptions of job titles and skills needed for employment positions

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Career Technical Education @ MDE

Career and Technical Education (CTE), as part of the Career and College Success Division, 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.