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In high schools across the country,
business and marketing teachers strive to provide students with relevant business
knowledge and experience. Now, with the publication of Entrepreneurship & Marketing in the 21st Century - From Student to CEO in One Semester,
the AIM Institute can aid teachers in their efforts.
The culmination of
a two-year development process, AIM's innovative curriculum uses eBay
as a platform to teach entrepreneurship and marketing to high school
students.
Leveling the Commerce Playing Field
While the educational outcomes of this course are multi-faceted, the
key principle is to teach students and local merchants that
participation in the global e-commerce market presents financial
opportunities for all ages and locales with nothing more than a desktop
computer, digital camera, and persuasive writing skills.
"In today’s modern-day marketplace, online sales level the playing
field for all who participate, creating opportunities for small, rural
vendors as well as nationally recognized merchandise distributors,"
says Dave Coover, AIM's director of training.
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Activity-Rich Curriculum Helps Students Establish In-School Business
The curriculum is rich in classroom activities that lead students to identify their entrepreneurial traits, develop a business model, write a business plan, sell on eBay, and communicate with customers. After students establish their in-school business, they are next encouraged to develop marketing materials to advertise and promote it.
As an optional classroom extension,
students may choose to seek out a partnership with a local business
owner who runs a traditional brick and mortar business. Students share
their eBay selling expertise to help the local merchant establish an
online presence in return for a negotiated sales percentage or flat
fee.
All listing and eBay account activity
is handled by the teacher sponsor — no one under the age of 18 is
required to login to eBay to participate in this course.
 Teachers trained in December to use the new Entrepreneurship curriculum
The curriculum was piloted in six school districts
during the 2007-2008 school year and earned high marks from students
and teachers alike. After making final revisions based on the pilot
experiences, Coover rolled out the newly published curriculum in
December with a teacher's training session.
Dave Johnson, who piloted the curriculum in his 11th-grade Ag Education class at Wilcox-Hildreth Public Schools, says seeing how they could apply the concepts in the real world really excited his students.
"I would highly recommend this curriculum to other teachers, as the students really apply themselves and, with direction, they can do a great deal of hands-on learning and application of the process," Johnson says.
Students will benefit greatly as they explore entrepreneurship and improve their grammar, writing, photography, technology, and business skills, Coover says. Schools benefit from academic gains in the areas of communication, technology, writing, and accounting skills required when conducting day-to-day sales. For those schools that choose to pursue a linkage with a local business, community relationships are strengthened and internships may emerge.
For more information, contact:
Dave Coover
Director of Training
(402) 345-5025 Ext. 132
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