Jump Start the New Year
We also want to hear from you! Please share with us your "wins" from this past year and current school year. How did you adapt given all the new restrictions? Despite all the challenges, what were you and your students able to accomplish? Share stories, testimonials, pictures, or videos with us so we can highlight them in our January newsletter. Send them to jacqui.garrison@nebraska.gov or mary.janssen@nebraska.gov.
Nebraska Open Educational Resource Hub
Open Educational Resources, or OER, are “teaching and learning materials that you may freely use and reuse, without charge. OER often have a Creative Commons or GNU license that state specifically how the material may be used, reused, adapted, and shared.” OER assist in providing opportunities for systemic change in teaching, learning and assessment, while providing teachers the ability to share knowledge and best practice through openly accessible content. Nebraska’s OER Commons Hub provides an open repository with the purpose of bringing its participants greater equity in learning opportunities.
Teaching Strategies and Resources
Youth Entrepreneurs resources are free and can be used in a variety of business courses. They have resources and curriculum that center around entrepreneurship, economics, marketing, and business finance. They also work with donors to provide funds directly to teachers to use along with their resources.
Youth Entrepreneurs: This site discusses the program, values, history.
YEAcademy: This site has resources, lesson plans, and other curriculum information.
TeachEverywhere: This site focuses on providing resources for remote, distance, or online learning.
This is a blog site run by Dr. Wendy Tietz, an accounting professor at Kent State. It is intended to provide a concise resource for real life news stories to use in teaching introductory accounting. Both financial and managerial accounting stories are provided and can be searched for on the site by topic. This could be used as a bell ringer, discussion starter, or assignment.
Ethics in Accounting from MBA Research
This link will take you to a ready to use in the classroom activity focusing on ethics in Accounting. It includes a short video and discussion questions.
The Portal includes access to information, materials, and content that easily integrates into curriculum planning for executing and measuring digital marketing campaigns.
There are three components to the program:
Educators Portal: comprehensive set of free education resources and instructional materials. Currently offers 28 lessons, 12 quizzes, presentation materials, student activities, case studies, facilitator notes and suggested teaching time,
Online Content: six hours of free online content
Facebook Certified Digital Marketing Associate Certification
Pixar in a Box is a behind-the-scenes look at how Pixar artists do their jobs. You will be able to animate bouncing balls, build a swarm of robots, and make virtual fireworks explode. The subjects you learn in school — math, science, computer science, and humanities — are used every day to create amazing movies at Pixar. This collaboration between Pixar Animation Studios and Khan Academy is sponsored by Disney.
Reach and Teach Interview Series Videos
These (now) recorded interviews connect with industry professionals to learn about the skills and knowledge it takes to succeed in the entertainment industry. Interviews are with producers, tour and artist managers, marketing strategies, and broadcast engineers. These could be used in a variety of different classrooms and also come with accompanied worksheets.
Computer Science Education Week
Computer Science Education Week: December 7-13, 2020
CSTA has a TON of awesome events/resources on their website for CSEd Week. Take a look!
CSTA CSEd Week #CSforSocialJustice
· Computer Science Education Week Preview (22 min video)
· Computer Science Education Week Preview (Slides):
· Teach how CS can be a tool for social justice
· Complete this form to suggest resources to be highlighted:
· December CSTA Engage - CSEd Week - Dec 10, 2020, 5:30 - 7 p.m. CT:
Attached are a few other resources for you: (Most are "hands-off" for teachers)
ILEdTech Coaches - Hour of Code Resource Guide
CSTA Metro Omaha Hour of Code Resources from Meeting
Engage - Computer Science Education Week Preview (Video)
Here is the Omaha Metro CSTA Meeting Agenda from this week's meeting.
Stay tuned for a Virtual Coffee Hour over Winter Break!
To connect with CSTA, join the CSTA Nebraska Email List.
Microsoft IT Initiative Updates
The 2020-2021 Microsoft IT Initiative Licenses have been assigned, along with a 10 seat GMetrix license for secondary schools. There has been some confusion with invoices being sent out to schools, that issue should be cleared up now. If you do receive an invoice do not pay it, unless you ordered additional GMetrix. Your school should also have received full access to the Microsoft Imagine Academy, if you have not received that access information, please contact Mary Ann Caputo at mcaputo@caputoconsulting.net. Certiport is continuing with both in person and remote testing available.
Testing results for the first month of the current Initiative
Total Secondary test administered - 1519 with 564 certifications.
Student test administered were 1489 with 544 certifications.
Teacher test administered were 30 with 20 certifications.
Post Secondary test administered - 159 with 102 certifications.
Student test administered were 94 with 49 certifications.
Teacher test administered were 65 with 53 certifications.
Resources
All of the Certiport, GMetrix and MSIA training videos and resources will continue to be posted on the BMIT website for easy access.
As first semester is wrapping up thank you for all that you are doing for your students. If you find you are in need of assistance or specific training please contact me. Have a safe and healthy winter break.
Contacts:
Mary Ann Caputo Microsoft IT Initiative Project Manager
Sara Cox Certiport Representative sara.cox@pearson.com
Roberta Reischl Microsoft Representative -vreirob@microsoft.com
Thomas Kennedy GMetrix Representative
December Tips from Sara Cox your Certiport Representative
It is that time of year again when we start preparing our classrooms for the holiday break. As we approach the holidays, we want to ensure you know where to access all your reports and how to print certificates for your students.
• Reports – Pull reports to help with end of year grading and show administration how many students have earned certification. You can export reports into Excel to sort and filter for the data you need. https://certiport.pearsonvue.com/Statewide/Deployment/Docs/Reporting.pdf
• Print Certificates – Print certificates to reward your students for their success. https://certiport.pearsonvue.com/Statewide/Deployment/Docs/Printing-Certificates.pdf
As you prepare for the end of 2020, don’t forget to celebrate the success of your students earning a Microsoft certification. Click below to be directed to our statewide website for more details and ideas on how to celebrate success with your students in the classroom.
https://certiport.pearsonvue.com/Statewide/Deployment/Celebrate
Also, don’t forget to share your student’s success stories with us at http://mycertiportstory.com/ .
Thank you for your hard work and remember I am always here to support you. Please reach out to me with any questions you have or visit your state website: https://certiport.pearsonvue.com/Statewide/Deployment/Program-overview
Nebraska Council on Economic Education Challenges
Upcoming Challenges:
Join classrooms across the state as they showcase their academic knowledge of economics and personal finance in our upcoming academic competitions.
Economics Challenge fall competition runs November 30 through December 14.
The challenge is a statewide and online. The competition offers two divisions for high school and one for middle school. The topics cover micro, macro and international economics. For more information go to our Nebraska Economics Challenge site.
Finance Challenge fall 2020 competition starts November 16 and ends December 4.
This personal finance competition tests students’ knowledge of budgeting, saving and investing. The competition is offered online across the state both spring and fall and open to middle and high schools students. The program is easy to access and provides teachers with short instructional videos. For more information go the Nebraska Finance Challenge website
EVERFI Scholarship Opportunity
EVERFI in partnership with MassMutual Foundation is offering students in grades 6th-8th an opportunity to win one of ten $1,000 529 Scholarships! To be eligible to students must complete three lessons within the FutureSmart program and submit a short essay to one of the three prompts given. You can learn more about the FutureSmart program or how your students can compete for the scholarships by clicking the corresponding link. All entries are due by January 29th. Reach out to Heather Miller (hmiller@everfi.com) or Erica Hart (ehart@everfi.com) with any questions.
NBEA Book Club
NBEA is happy to announce a new book club starting at the first of the year. Get a head start over the holidays. The new book club will offer an amazing opportunity for business educators to connect with peers and engage with some of the best education related books. The club will meet periodically to discuss and share takeaways. Watch the NBEA newsletter for more information coming soon.
To join, visit NBEA.org/bookclub, login and click "Join the Group." Membership is free to all NBEA bronze, silver, gold or platinum members.
The book club is designed to be a relaxing and rewarding experience. There are no attendance requirements or other mandatory responsibilities for members. Just enjoy thought provoking material and amazing discussion periodically throughout the year. When you join, it gives NBEA a list of people to contact with more information.
Not an NBEA member and want to attend? Join NBEA or login to renew now.
Mary Janssen is helping to organize this, so if you have any questions you can also direct them to her.
Communication
We will continue to update you with information about the updated website through the listserve.
The BMIT Listserve is used by NDE staff to send out all state wide communication. As a subscriber to the email listserve, you can also use the listserve to send out emails requesting resources or help from Nebraska BMIT Community and to share resources.
Here is a link to the listserve instructions.
Did you miss the previous newsletters? Check them out below.
Jacqui Garrison
Communication and Information Systems Career Field Specialist
State FBLA Adviser
Mary Janssen
Business, Marketing, and Management Career Field Specialist