Update Class Sites and Personal Portfolios

The above image is taken directly from the FBLA competitive events scoring sheet and will be used to assess your work as we create a social media campaign for our WBL class.  

This week, we will use two of the FBLA Competitive Event Topics to guide our work as we demonstrate mastery in communication, thinking & problem-solving, and creativity.  The topics are vague, so I’ve set a daily task checklist to ensure we do our work effectively.  Please see below for our two projects:

Social Media Campaign:

In class, we will create social media accounts for our WBL Class (Northwest High WBL).  We will utilize this platform to promote the course.  This allows us to teach upcoming students what we do in class AND helps everyone in the class create a positive digital footprint.

Website Design:

We’ll also create a Northwest High WBL Weebly page, on which we will highlight our students (feel free to utilize what we included in our Newsletter) and some of the projects we’ve completed.

This week, we’ll simply focus on getting everything launched, adding effective introductory information, and connecting with people who we believe should learn more about what we do (think teachers, underclassmen, friends, and POTENTIAL EMPLOYERS).    Sure, this project is intended to be a learning experience, but if you put together something that will help you stand out among others, why not use it to your advantage?

Our Clear Target for each day this week is as follows:

We can create an effective online presence through effective use of online resources

Monday:

Objective: Create Google, Google+, Twitter, YouTube, and Weebly profiles

I’ll begin class by explaining the goal of this project.  Essentially, we want to raise awareness about our WBL class, so the best way to connect to those who will be interested is through their favorite channel – social media.

As a group, you will determine who will manage each account and begin working on the profiles for each.  For the Weebly page, one or two students can come up with a design and skeleton for the site, including what tabs the site will have, what links to include, and what kind of content (images, videos, writing) to present.  Social media pages will require images, a profile, and a number of groups to connect with.  This allows you to get noticed by the right people.  If/when you finish, use any spare time to take notes on what other quality accounts have on their profiles so that we are on par with the best.

By the end of class, each student will report out about how much has been finished.   

Tuesday:

Objectives: Make first posts online, Establish presence by tagging the right people, Connect all channels

Do you ever notice that most businesses have uniformity within their website, FaceBook, Twitter, Google+, and email?  This is obviously by design.  On Tuesday, you’ll make sure there is uniformity within our channels so that we have a truly connected identity.

Once this is accomplished, we will actually publish our first posts for our accounts.  Coming up with unique content that will attract followers isn’t easy, so this will take some time to think about.

Once we’ve sent out a few posts/tweets, we can start reaching out to people who might want to follow us or people who we feel would benefit from our message.  This also requires some thinking and research, but thankfully, the websites (and Google) will provide us with some assistance.

By the end of class, we will again report out on our progress.  Once we have uniformity across all channels, we can begin to work on our first big step with this project.

Wednesday:

Objectives: Prepare to give WBL Presentation, Practice run for WBL Presentation

Remember that Google Presentation we made about WBL?  Remember how we were supposed to film ourselves giving that presentation but our camera equipment wouldn’t be in for a few weeks?  Well, our equipment still hasn’t arrived, but we can definitely prepare to give our presentation and thanks to our smartphones, we can still film and load the videos!

On Wednesday, you will be given approximately 10 minutes to review your talking points for the presentation and practice them.  After that 10 minutes, you will have another 5 minutes to work together to establish who will be speaking and when (basically you’ll set the order for giving the presentation).  With the remaining 30 minutes, I expect you to practice giving the presentations at least three times.  After each practice presentation, we will discuss things that went well, things that could have been done differently, and how to make the presentation look and sound worthy of loading to our accounts.

This is not going to be easy, so don’t be upset or disappointed if you’re not perfect by the end of class.  Just be ready to film the presentation when you return to class on Thursday.

Thursday:

Objective: Film at least three takes of WBL Presentation, load presentation to YouTube (on your own time)

All the work you put in on Wednesday, both during and after class, will be put on display on Thursday.  During class, we will record at least three takes of our presentation, allowing us to select the best take to load to our YouTube Channel.  Feedback will be provided after each take, and we will have time to view each take to determine which one is best.

Friday:

Objective: Publish video across all platforms, reflect upon work completed this week.

Once the video is loaded to our YouTube, we can share the video via Twitter and Google+, as well as embedding it to our Weebly.  This will put a nice bow on the work we’ve done all week.

When finished with these tasks, you will compose a Blogger post of at least 250 words (try to stay below 400 words, though), with images and the YouTube video embedded to the post.  Use the following questions to guide your writing:

• Which social media platform did you work on?
• What did you notice about other effective accounts and how did you incorporate them into our WBL account?
• How well do you think you performed in the presentation?
• How will our social media platforms help others understand what we do in class?
• Do you think students will be interested in enrolling in WBL as a result of what we’ve posted?  Why or why not?

That’s it for this week.  I’ll see you all tomorrow!

Thanksgiving Week - Option to Go to Placements Monday And Tuesday

Sadly, I’m not going to be in the building on Monday, as I will be with my Virtual Enterprise students at our Trade Fair competition.  Also, since many of you will be at your placements both Monday and Tuesday, the only work I have for you is to email me a brief message about how you are liking your job/internship/volunteer work leading up to the holidays.  I’m not going to bog you down with another written assignment, so make the most of your time at your placements.

For those of you who I do see on Tuesday, we will catch up on missing work (if any), view the final cut of our App Challenge submission, and discuss ways to do more fun videos with the limited time we have in class.

Finally, for anyone still in need of a placement, please make use of class time to apply for jobs, call potential internship hosts (use the list we discussed), and assist Ms. Brown with any work she has for you.  I will see you Tuesday and we will brainstorm a plan to get you in the field.  

That’s it for this week.  I look forward to seeing whoever is around on Tuesday!

Teamwork & Collaboration: Take Two

Last week, you focused on Standard 8, which relates to teamwork.  Since it was only a 3-day week, you really didn’t get a chance to immerse your thoughts in all of the team-oriented tasks you conduct.  That said, you will again focus on collaboration and teamwork at your placements.  To review, Standard 8 states:

8) Collaborate and work productively as a team member: Work effectively as a member of a team and address conflict with sensitivity and respect for diverse points of view. Demonstrate understanding of one’s own impact and build on different perspectives to strengthen joint efforts. Demonstrate leadership where appropriate on collaborative workplace tasks. Effectively employ meeting management strategies, such as use of an agenda, time keeping and meeting facilitation strategies, identifying action items, and scheduling next steps. Work-Place Example: A student works with a diverse team in a warehouse to pull ordered items, package, and ship the items on time. The student alternates between taking the lead and assisting others as the situation demands.

With that said, at your placements, you will again think about the following driving concepts:  

1. Analyze the instances in which you act as a leader and instances in which you follow the lead of others.  
2. Identify how you leverage your strengths with those around you to accomplish your tasks more efficiently.  
3. Finally, make a note of how you deal with minor/major conflicts regarding decision-making and/or distribution of tasks.

Students in the classroom will work on completing your Verizon App Challenge.  There are only a few details to finalize before creating your video, so this week will be a focus on refining and completing the written portion before turning your attention to creating the supporting video. You too will focus on these elements of teamwork:

1. Analyze the instances in which you act as a leader and instances in which you follow the lead of others.  
2. Identify how you leverage your strengths with those around you to accomplish your tasks more efficiently.  
3. Finally, make a note of how you deal with minor/major conflicts regarding decision-making and/or distribution of tasks.

It was pretty tough missing Thursday’s share-out so I’m excited to get back in the classroom with you guys and hear about all the great things that happened during the week.  Keep up the hard work and continue to take pride in everything you do.  I’ll see you tomorrow.

Short Week - Short Blog: Teamwork Focus

Since we only have 3 days of class (and two in which I'll be in the building), your assignments will be straightforward and team-oriented.  That's convenient since we have a standard that focuses on collaboration/teamwork:

8) Collaborate and work productively as a team member: Work effectively as a member of a team and address conflict with sensitivity and respect for diverse points of view. Demonstrate understanding of one’s own impact and build on different perspectives to strengthen joint efforts. Demonstrate leadership where appropriate on collaborative workplace tasks. Effectively employ meeting management strategies, such as use of an agenda, time keeping and meeting facilitation strategies, identifying action items, and scheduling next steps. Work-Place Example: A student works with a diverse team in a warehouse to pull ordered items, package, and ship the items on time. The student alternates between taking the lead and assisting others as the situation demands.

With that said, here's our breakdown for students who have placements:

On Monday and Wednesday, please focus on things you do collaboratively.  

1. Analyze the instances in which you act as a leader and instances in which you follow the lead of others.  
2. Identify how you leverage your strengths with those around you to accomplish your tasks more efficiently.  
3. Finally, make a note of how you deal with minor/major conflicts regarding decision-making and/or distribution of tasks.

Students in the classroom will re-focus their efforts on completing the presentation and newsletter, working as a team to complete this project.  Since we made use of class time to help teacher mentors and observe students in classrooms last week, we did not make much progress on this task.  You too will focus on these elements of teamwork:

1. Analyze the instances in which you act as a leader and instances in which you follow the lead of others.  
2. Identify how you leverage your strengths with those around you to accomplish your tasks more efficiently.  
3. Finally, make a note of how you deal with minor/major conflicts regarding decision-making and/or distribution of tasks.

I won't be in the classroom on Thursday, but you will be responsible for a blog entry that addresses all three of the aforementioned areas of focus for the week.  I look forward to reading your entries.  See you all Monday!

Information Literacy

This week, the focus for students on placements will be on standard 9, which involves demonstrating information literacy.  The specific elements of information literacy I would like you to focus on are synthesizing procedural instructions to apply them properly and ethical use of information. Many of you handle personal records, either at the medical office, in the classroom, or on the job.  Each day on your placement, write a list of procedures you complete and think about the management of sensitive information throughout your shift.  You will report back on these, either in written (blog entry) or verbal form (video or sound file) when you return to the classroom Thursday and/or Friday.

Students who are still in the classroom will revise our newsletter and Google Slides presentation and then practice presenting it to an audience.  On Monday, we’ll put the finishing touches on the Google Slides presentation and written newsletter.  If we have time, we’ll practice presenting the information.  We’ll obviously need to tweak the presentation and practice more on Tuesday, and once you’re comfortable with yourselves, I will video record your work.  On Wednesday, I will be out of the building during 6th and 7th periods, so you’ll be on your own trying to secure your senior experience.  With Wednesday’s class time, you will look for placements, either in the building or outside, and prepare a report on what placements you pursued.  

On Thursday, when some of our students return to class, you’ll present the video we recorded and your classmates will provide constructive feedback to help you improve your skills.  After this, the students who were out Monday through Wednesday will report back to the class about what they did on their placements.  We can discuss procedures and tasks you frequently complete and ethical management of information.

On Friday, everyone will share out how their week went and you will have the option of either blogging or recording (video or sound file) a reflection about this week’s focus - information literacy.  My hope is that some of you choose video or sound files, since that would allow you the opportunity to practice your MovieMaker skills.  When finished, you will share your work with me, and the entire class can view or listen.

You’ll open your blog/video/sound file by talking about how your week went.  Mention a highlight or something that went exceptionally well and then explain that this week, you’re going to address information literacy.  Use the guiding questions below for assistance.

Guiding Questions for Your Blog, Video, or Sound File:

1. What are some of the most frequently completed tasks at your placement?
1. Is there a name for the task?
2. What are the procedures?
3. If you fail to follow the procedures, how does it impact the business?
4. Do you work as a team or independently?
2. What type of sensitive information do you work with at your placement?
1. Do you have access to employee records?
2. Do you view personal information?
3. How are you supposed to handle this sensitive information?
4. What type of training did you receive regarding management of sensitive information?
5. What are the consequences if you mismanage this information?
6. If someone mismanaged your personal information, how would you react?  Is this something that guides you as you handle other sensitive informaion?

After addressing these questions, you can thank the reader/listener/viewer and encourage them to comment about your post and follow/subscribe.

You will be graded on how detailed you are with your work.  Single-word or single-sentence answers are obviously much less detailed than articulate, well-constructed paragraphs.  I look forward to reviewing your work.  Have a great week!

Continued Focus on Communication

When we enter professional life, we immerse ourselves in the jargon and principles of our chosen field and obediently follow precepts laid out by our respective priesthoods.   Yet we rarely put serious effort toward expressing ourselves in a language that can be understood by those outside our tribe.  Then we wonder why our efforts and achievements fail to resonate.

It has become fashionable to say that our present epoch is an information age, but that’s not quite right.  In truth, we live in a communication age and it’s time we start taking it seriously. -Greg Satell

The above quote comes from a Forbes article/blog posted by Greg Satell back in February 2015, and I have to agree with everything in this article.  This week, we will continue our focus on communication by finishing up some written assignments and then working on a presentation in which we take what we have written and lay it out for a specific audience: prospective WBL students.

Below is a breakdown of our weekly tasks:

Monday:

Clear Target: We can analyze and critique a writing sample

Basically, we have to finish up our newsletter creation by combining all our files into one Google Doc.  This file should include a design template, images, a cover page, and a table of contents. The reason why we’re going to make the file a Google Doc is so that multiple users can modify the file at the same time.  When finished, we will discuss our work and our entries so that we can address ways to improve our performance, as well as prepare for the rest of our week (hint: we’re going to make a presentation based on the newsletter).

Tuesday & Wednesday:

Clear Target: We can create an effective oral presentation

On Tuesday and Wednesday, we will work together on creating a presentation about our newsletter.  For the reader, understanding what WBL is and how to become a better entry-level employee is interesting, but if we can focus on verbal communication, along with improving our presentation skills, we will be in a good position to really master Standard 7.

When making a presentation, it is in your best interest to condense all important points into short bullet points.  From there, adding images and planning to let your voice command the audience is the key difference between a poor presentation and a great presentation.  Too often, people just copy/paste their writing onto slides and add no graphics.  That takes the attention away from the presenter and accomplishes little.  This is why I will help you as you collaborate on your presentation.

Thursday & Friday

Clear Target: We can create an effective oral presentation

I realize the Clear Target is the same, but the task will be much different.  On Thursday and Friday, you are going to actually give your presentation on camera.  We will run through the presentation about 5 or 6 times, so that we can get the best footage possible and have something great to add to your websites.

Now, if we finish any of our assignments early (which is totally possible), we will focus on self-evaluation by completing the Student Self-Assessment of Skills and the Student Skills Assessment Rubric.  We will also blog about our experiences this week, either in class on Friday or over the weekend as a homework assignment.

That's it for this week.  I'll see you all tomorrow!

Communication

This week we will focus on the standard that separates a good job candidate from a great job candidate.  For this course, Standard 7 states:

Communicate clearly and effectively, verbally and in writing: Articulate ideas effectively in written communications with supervisors, coworkers, and customers by developing and delivering messages in written deliverables. Verbally articulate ideas effectively in interpersonal communications with supervisors, coworkers, and customers by developing and delivering messages in oral presentations. Demonstrate effective listening skills, attending to the meaning and intention of communications, by accurately paraphrasing what has been heard and by communicating with individuals of diverse backgrounds, perspectives, and cultures.

While our focus this week will be on written communication, there are plenty of opportunities for you to speak with classmates as we complete our tasks this week, especially since you will be working as a team to complete your project between Tuesday and Thursday.  Please see below for what we will do this week to master a portion of our most important standard:

Monday: Professional Email Composition

Clear Target: We can create an effective professional email

Today's class will run a little more like a traditional class, in which I instruct much like a classroom teacher, as opposed to the facilitator you're used to.  We will begin class by opening up our Gmail accounts.  I will explain the importance of coming across as intelligent as possible when communicating with superiors, co-workers, and subordinates.  I will then show you a few emails I have sent to provide you with models of what works best for effective communications.  From there, we will come up with a scenario in which you have to email a supervisor and one in which you need to communicate to team members to organize your project for the rest of the week.

You will then compose two emails as discussed and send them to me for a grade.  This project may seem insignificant and tedious, but if you master effective email composition, you will have a leg up on your contemporaries, and will gain a significant edge in the workplace.

After you complete your emails, we will take a look at the class newsletter my WBL students created last year.  This will serve as our model and the bar which this year’s students must eclipse.  We will then determine who will take the lead on each section of the project, and with the remaining class time, you can conduct some preliminary research.  By the end of class, you’ll share with me your findings.

Tuesday through Thursday: Newsletter Creation

Clear Target: We can create an effective Newsletter

Each week in Virtual Enterprise, my HR and Admin departments create a company newsletter to distribute to the class.  By working each week on this, my students improve their writing and learn a lot about business issues.  Since you aren't business students, the newsletter we make this week will spotlight our Work-Based Learning class and the interests you are pursuing.

Each section of the newsletter is to be written like a brief (200+ word) article.  You will need to do research on your section, using simple online searches.  Each student will be responsible for at least one section of the newsletter (some sections can be completed in pairs) and his/her brief student description (similar to an employee spotlight).  Here are the sections of the newsletter you are to complete this week:

• Cover Page - Be sure to include images and a title for the newsletter
• What is Work-Based Learning?
• The Importance of Safety in the Classroom and Workplace
• How to Apply for an Entry-Level Job (fast food, grocery store, etc.)
• Proper Interview Techniques for an Internship
• What to wear
• What to bring
• When to show up
• The Importance of a Resume
• Why Make a Portfolio for College or Job Applications?
• Digital Footprint
• Social Media
• YouTube Channel
• Blog
• Personal Website
• What's a QR Code and how can you use one?
• Student Description (this should be between 150 and 250 words):
• Who are you?
• What career do you wish to pursue?
• How will you achieve your career goals?
• Which school will you attend?
• What will you study?
• What degree do you need?
• How will you accomplish your goal

For a point of reference on how to write, please check out this rubric my VE class uses for its newsletters.  Please work hard on this project.  When this newsletter is finished, you will have a nice artifact to include in your portfolio and can highlight it on your Weebly page.

Friday: Report Out & Blog Entry:

This week, in addition to our regular reports from students who have placements, you too will share out what you’ve done this week.  You can inform your classmates of their need to complete a student profile for the newsletter as well as let them know the hard work you’ve completed.  When finished, you will blog about what you've done this week and how you think your work has improved your communication skills.  Discuss how your written and spoken communication has improved and what you feel is an important skill(s) you have learned or improved.  

Multitasking

This week’s blog isn’t going to be very long since most of you have found a placement and have been doing a lot of quality work.  I definitely notice a sense of pride when you share out your experiences for the week with the group and also understand you’re learning firsthand about life in the professional world.  Your weekly tasks will again be divided between those with placements and those still looking for placements.  Please see below for a breakdown of your weekly assignments:

Those With Placements

While you’re working or training, think of TWO different portfolio artifacts you could create based on what you learned or did for the week.  When you arrive in class, we will begin working on them.  Suggestions for portfolio artifacts include:

• Instructional/Training video of your own
• Video footage of you working in the office
• An interview with one of the professionals (hint: your workplace mentor is a great candidate for this)
• An audio recording of you discussing some of the things you learned for the week
• Think about creating a 3 to 6 minute podcast with one of your classmates in which you share out what you learned for the week.  This could be almost identical to what we do on Fridays in class

When you return to class on Friday, we’ll work on how you make one of these in your own time outside of class or even on the job (remember to remain HIPAA compliant)

Those without placements

1. In addition to searching for and finding your placement, publish your Weebly page.
2. Create a class Weebly page similar to what my class created last year.  
3. Create a class Twitter page similar to last year’s Twitter page
4. Create a class YouTube page similar to last year’s YouTube page
1. I suggest creating a class email account and Google+ profile as well

Divide these tasks among yourselves and work diligently.  Once the accounts are created, I’ll let you know what to post.  I look forward to seeing your progress.

On Thursday and Friday, we’ll continue to work on the promotional video our administration suggested and write a short blog entry about your week.  Be engaging with the reader when you’re writing so you don’t sound like you’re strictly reporting facts in an interrogation.  This will make the blog easier to read and will make the assignment more fun.  That’s it for this week.  I look forward to seeing you in class!

The Classroom is Emptying...

Since last week went so well and most of you have your placements, our focus this week will be finding placements for anyone still job-hunting.  My focus this week, especially Monday through Wednesday when most of you will be out of the building, will be helping you place calls, practice interviewing, and finding the right fit for your Senior Experience.  On Thursday and Friday, we’re again going to engage in discussions about your work week, what went well, what you struggled with, and how you feel about your placement.  I found last week’s discussions, as well as the Twizzlers we shared during the discussions, to be extremely fun and engaging. We’ll also get around to some more role plays, but I want to also focus on some ideas for videos that can be included on your YouTube channels and websites. 

Below is the breakdown of your focus for the week.  I realize it’s the same as last week, however, you’ll likely do more than simply train and take more safety tests. 

Those With Placements:

1. Focus on the technical skills you learn during training
1. What do you do?
2. What type of tools do you use?
3. Is there software you need to learn about?  How user-friendly is it?  
2. During your observations, pay close attention to the technical skills of your mentor
1. Please use the same questions above 
2. Is there a clear difference between your skill and your workplace mentor's?

Those Without Placements:

1. Reach out to businesses that hire high school-age part-time employees
1. Call/walk in/apply online
2. Log all your contacts to make sure you are organized

**If you have interviews scheduled during class time, please let me know in advance so I can get clearance from the office for you to leave the building**

Monday through Wednesday:

This week, the focus is finding jobs and preparing for interviews.  You will document each of your attempts in the Google Sheet provided above and we will dedicate some class time to preparing for interviews.  I hope that some of you schedule interviews during class time so you can return to class and share out your experiences.  I have some contacts at local dentist offices as well as with the Department of Health due to our Academy’s outstanding work over the past three years.  Hopefully this turns into placements for a few of you.

Thursday

Just as we did last week, those of you who work Monday through Wednesday will return to class to share out your experiences for the week.  I thoroughly enjoyed the time we took to just talk about your experiences, the lessons you learned, things that opened your eyes about responsibility or life in general, and challenges you faced.  The simple 3 to 5-minute conversations each of you lead were extremely meaningful, and the variety of lessons you learned hopefully inspired you to learn more this week.  I expect this week’s discussions to be similar to last week’s. 

After our discussions, we will brainstorm as many ideas as we can for a class video about the course and the great things you’ve experienced in your first two weeks on the job. 

Friday

On Friday, you’ll work on your class video ideas and maybe begin writing some questions that can be answered on camera.  Think of opportunities to shoot B-Roll, royalty-free music that can be included in the video, and other elements of the project that will make it appealing for all viewers.  Work in groups of 3 to 5 and share out your ideas in the last 15 minutes of class.  I’ll pop in on conversations to see if I can be of assistance.

Let's have a great week! Good luck to those of you who start your placements tomorrow!  See you at some point in class.