BizBuzz

Happy New Year from The BizWorld Foundation!

It's the second week of 2008 and everyone in The BizWorld Foundation office is settling down after a great holiday. The holiday decorations have finally been put away until next year, reminding us that it's time to work on those New Year Resolutions! I'd like to make a resolution suggestion to all teachers for 2008; Bring financial education to the classroom! Whether its during April Financial Literacy Month or Entrepreneurship Week (2/23/08-3/1/08), there are plenty of pertinent opportunities to implement the BizWorld and/or BizWiz programs in the classroom. Looking for ideas or suggestions? Please don't hesitate to contact our office. We love hearing from teachers and collaborating on best practices. Our email is info@bizworld.org and our phone number is 415-503-5880. Here's to another great year!

Wrapping up a great conference!

Thank you to everyone who came out to see The BizWorld Foundation at the 2008 California Association for the Gifted conference in Anaheim! We had a fantastic time meeting such wonderful, enthusiastic teachers. Our office is still buzzing from all of the energy! We will be heading to New Orleans on March 14 to attend the Association for Curriculum Developers conference. If you or a colleague is going to be attending, please drop me a line and let me know: kristen.mjoseth@bizworld.org.

Excited for The BizWorld Foundation's 10th Anniversary Education Luncheon!

I am really looking forward to The BizWorld Foundation's 10th Anniversary Education Luncheon on Tuesday, December 4th in San Francisco. Our whole staff has been working really hard to put everything together and I think it's going to be a fabulous event! BizWorld students (or "BizKids" as we say) from North Star Academy in Redwood City, CA will be on hand to perform their company's commercials. I'm so excited to see what creative ideas they have come up with! Also, Chad Hurley, co-founder of YouTube, will be featured as the guest speaker. I'm a big fan of YouTube myself and I'm curious to hear his thoughts on entrepreneurship education. Check the blog in the next couple of weeks to see pictures of the event!

The BizWorld Foundation at NAGC!

One of the aspects of my job that I love the most is being able to attend education conferences all over the U.S. and speak to teachers about The BizWorld Foundation and our programs. Just recently I attended the National Association for Gifted Children Conference in Minneapolis, MN with my co-worker Ashley. I met countless amazing teachers whose dedication to education is very inspiring. I especially love running into teachers at conferences who have used the BizWorld or BizWiz programs...they always have some great stories to tell! I'll be attending the ASCD conference in New Orleans, LA in March 2008 and would love to see all of you! Please don't hesitate to shoot me an email and let me know what conferences you or your colleagues will be attending: kristen.mjoseth@bizworld.org

Pre/Post Assessments: We need your advice!

Here at BizWorld, one of the most exciting times of the day is 2:00 PM. That's when the mail comes, and we all anxiously wait to see if any pre and post assessments have arrived! But lately, there has been a shortage of thick, white BizWorld envelopes coming through the mail slot. Which leads us to wonder: what would make the pre/post assessments more feasible to send in? We’ve heard from some teachers that it’s too long. Others say that in a crunch for time, it’s too difficult to get everything done in one day.

We want to hear from you! Let us know what you think, how we might change the process, update the assessments themselves and any other suggestions.

BizWorld is a dream come true!

BizWorld is a dream come true for me. It's a crowd pleaser for my students, the parents are impressed because of the knowledge gained and I get a very focused group of kids for the week. They didn't just read about running a business, with Bizworld, they've lived it, they've experienced it. They keep begging me to do it with them again. Thank you!!

Laurie Steed

Standardized Testing

Through many of our converstions with teachers about how and when to use the BizWorld programs...a suggestion about inserting the program into the school year that has worked successfully for many is during testing.  Essentially, we have been told that to have one or two conversations about business the week preceeding testing and then in the afternoons, after testing is completed, both BizWorld and BizWiz are the perfect ways to engage students.

Did you teach BizWorld during Entrepreneurship Week 2007?

We have completed the 1st annual EntrepreneurshipWeek initiative.  We will have a drawing for a class pizza party on March 15th, 2007.  So, to be included please send us a note with your name and school information.

EntrepreneurshipWeek Summary

Entrepreneurship Week was extrememly busy and productive. 

We are pleased with the participation nationwide in the first annual EW.  The Trailblazers event at UCBerkely was amazing with Tim Draper speaking and inspiring students who attended. There was a great turnout with Richard Caruso, PhD and Jemome Engel from the Haas Business School participating on the panel.  It was followed by a panel fo NFTE and BizWorld kids who discussed their experiences which ranged from their first exposure to business and its concepts to high schoolers and first year college students discussing their first business attempts.  The students were incredibly savvy! (Check out group photo of student participants)

BizWorld classes were conducted all around the USA and there was a Salt Lake City Chamber of Commerce Meeting in which BizWorld students performed their commercials to rave reviews!

We are holding a drawing for a class pizza party for those who engaged in the BizWorld programs during Entrepreneurship Week, so contact us with your school info if you want to be included. 

Please see the attached photos from a couple of EntrepreneurshipWeek Events. 

#1 High school students participanting in a workshop in Houston, Texas at YES College Preparatory Academy, as part of their financial literacy graduation requeirements. Essentially the students, who are part Youth Engaged in Service (YES), will take the knowledge they acquired through participating in BizWorld and teach the BizWorld Program to 6th and 7th graders in their local schools.

#2 Students performing for the Salt Lake City Chamber of Commerce as part of Entrepreneurship Week.

Entrepreneurship Week

As our point of departure...we would like your help in generating ideas on the following aspects of the BizWorld program...

How could you get kids excited about BizWorld?

Do you have any ideas for field trips either before, during or after BizWorld that pertain to business and entrepreneurship or guest speakers in the classroom?

How can you get the whole school involved in BizWorld?

Please post your questions and comments as they relate to these and other aspects of the BizWorld Foundation's programs.  We invite you to share your ideas and stories with other members of the community.