c.
Selecting ICT Resources
The
teacher in the case study is completely at home with the skills
behind most of the options we have looked at above, including
having first-hand knowledge of sites dedicated to Marketing with
which he could have electronic communication. He has used videos,
already has some word-processed materials, he has seen some good
sites on the World Wide Web, and he knows how to use a CD-ROM.
You
may not be in the same positions as he is, so we shall look at
the options in the context of your school and your experience.
Think about the following points as they apply to you:
Use
discussion only, and not use any ICT (or other technology) at
all.
I have a bit of a problem with this (I would say that, wouldn't
I?) in as much as my own experience of working with this area
of work is that it is both hugely enjoyable - on its own, without
technology - and very challenging for young people. Especially
in terms of the objectives set for this case study, there is such
a wealth of material available from the World Wide Web and CD-ROM,
and so much you can do with the technology to get access to lively
and detailed information, that I really would want to get the
most out of the syllabus, the technology and the pupils by combining
some of the options.
Use
a word processor package to create worksheets on the area of work.
Here the question is one of how much the pupils will learn, retain
and organise if the teacher spends his time on creating learning
and testing resources using a word processor, and how much they
would have done so anyway. My own view is that it need not take
much time to create high quality learning resources that integrate
text, graphics and other stimuli - flow charts, for example, that
illustrate processes. It also seems likely that the time spent
on creating high quality resources of the sort the teacher wants
is likely to be returned in the adaptability and re-usability
of the resources.
Use
some video and print material, for example broadcast television
programmes, contemporary publications, bespoke learning materials
for the area.
This isn't strictly an ICT option, but it would be if it were
done in conjunction with the word-processed worksheets or some
work on the World Wide Web looking at other materials. The best
thing about it is that looking at video and published material
provides a range of stimuli to the learner - especially our younger
learners with high levels of 'teleliteracy' - about real-world
issues in the marketing and communications industries and environments.
Use
a CD-ROM to gain access to background material - either general
material such as can be found on typical encyclopędias, or more
focused resources in CD subject-specific collections.
The kinds of CD-ROM currently, readily and cheaply available to
teachers and the general public really only allow the most general
level of understanding of issues in Marketing. The Encyclopędias
such as Encarta, Compton and Hutchinson, the educational materials
produced by DK and one or two other companies, and the vast range
of other CD-ROM resources, often fall short of real focus on what
we want pupils at GNVQ Advanced level to learn. However, in combination
with other techniques, even the most general CD-ROM product with
its use of a range of media can be of use.
Use
the World Wide Web to gather resources.
Obviously, it will be essential to use the web in order to look
at examples of marketing and to compare them with examples of
advertising and selling activity. It will also be possible to
use the web to gather critical resources on the subject of marketing,
so that pupils can take a more specialist view of the topic. Given
that pupils also come from a diversity of vocational areas within
Business, it would also be worth using the world of diversity
on the web to get the pupils to focus on their area of vocational
interest - say, direct business, tourism or leisure - so that
the advertisements on which they work are also part of their vocational
area.
Below
you will find a variety of sites that you can use for this exercise.
When you come to use the World Wide Web to deal with this area
of work, you should try to restrict yourself (and the pupils)
to the sites listed here. Wandering off into hyperspace can be
a waste of time without the right focus and the right discipline.
Sites where
Advertisers and Advertising Activity features heavily:
http://www.yahoo.com
http://www.amazon.com
http://www.iaaglobal.org
International Advertising Association.
http://www.iab.net
Internet Advertising Bureau.
Sites with
Information about Marketing, Advertising and the Media:
http://www.channel4.com
http://www.itc.org.uk
http://www.bized.ac.uk
http://www.bized.ac.uk/stafsup/options/gnvqunit3.htm
Bized marketing.
http://carmen.artsci.washington.edu/propaganda/contents.htm
Information on Propaganda.
http://www.calvin.edu/academic/cas/gpa
Information on Propaganda.
http://www.freedom-and-law.org
Information on Propaganda.
Marketing
Sites - Companies and Organisations in the Marketing Business:
http://www.mra-net.org
The Market Research Association.
http://www.qrca.org
The Qualitative Research Consultants' Association.
http://www.bmra.org.uk
The British Market Research Association.
Business
Sites:
http://www.alfaromeo.com
http://www.golfweb.com
Leisure
and Tourism-Related Sites:
http://www.lonelyplanet.com
Destination Wales.
http://www.sienaol.it
Sienna online.
Use
the World Wide Web for the resources, and locate an expert or
a peer working on the subject for email communication.
The obvious problem here is the location of an expert. Some web
sites invite exchange of observations by e-mail, and these may
be included in your list on the previous page. You still have
the problem of managing this type of communication, though, and
especially of ensuring that the respondents in cyberspace really
are the experts they claim to be. The same is true when contacting
'peers', or any other interested parties - in the area of this
case study as with any other, the danger of coming across a party
in cyberspace with ideas you would consider appropriate or relevant
is very real.
Present
their findings and views through a PowerPoint classroom presentation,
and/or send this presentation to other schools/organisations for
sharing and discussion.
However pupils formulate ideas, you can have them use a word processor,
email or PowerPoint to express and exchange the ideas. PowerPoint
is particularly good in that it allows pupils (and teachers, come
to that) to formulate bullet-lists that they can expand on in
interesting presentations in the classroom. The more ICT competent
of your pupils might even want to email their PowerPoint presentations
to each other and to their email participants on the web. If pupils
decide to do this, and especially if they decide to incorporate
views of their own on the topics, or images/videos they have gathered
or produced, the process needs to be very carefully managed.
Now
that you've looked at my ideas about the options available, you
need to make your own choices. The teacher in the case study has
decided to use all options including email, and to combine two
or more in particular sessions over a two-week period. You need
to plan to do something of this sort. On the next page, fill out
the summary to help you get focus on what you will do. I've put
in some suggestions - you can use these as you like. Think of
some uses of your own, and make a short note on what you will
have to do to make it work, what you expect the benefit to be
to your pupils, and what difficulties you expect to encounter
when you do it in the classroom.
Resources
Selected for Work on Marketing
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