Trends in Curriculum Development in Business Education free essay sample

Teachers and students both need to be doing their job in the  classroom but restricting curriculum and crunching numbers do not produce a class of  outstanding and free thinkers, and technology  is the way trends for curriculum development should be going. Providing technology in schools has been successful in recent years. Most  schools have computer labs and many have computers in every classroom. More than 90%  of all schools are connected to the Internet, and more than 33% of teachers have Internet  access in their classrooms (Williams, 2005). Yet teachers readily admit that they are not making  as much use of technology as they could. Nearly 30 percent of teachers said their students use  computers only one hour per week; nearly 40 percent said their students do not use computers in  the classroom at all. Although technology is more prevalent in the schools, several factors affect  whether and how it is used. Those factors include placement of computers for equitable access,  technical support, effective goals for technology use, and new roles for teachers, time for ongoing  professional development, appropriate coaching of teachers at different skill levels, teacher  incentives for use, availability of educational software, and sustained funding for technology. Access to technology is an important issue for teachers and students. Although schools  may have computers available, one factor that determines their use is where those computers are  located. If computers are connected to the Internet but are not in a convenient location, the  availability to students and teachers will be limited. To make the best use of limited connections  and equipment, schools can explore various strategies for allocating computers. The standard computer lab is commonly used in schools. If the use of the computer lab is  carefully scheduled, it will rovide high equipment utilization; on the other hand, keeping the  computers in one place may be a barrier to using them on a continual but intermittent basis as a  part of the curriculum. According to Cimarron Memorial High School senior, (Alana Gross), â€Å"It  seems that some classrooms are decently equipped with current technology, such as my  broadcasting class with the most recent Mac compu ters for multi-media usage. However, some classes  where you`d think they`d have more than a white-board and overhead projector do not†. Glenn, 2008. ) According to Phillip Bond, Under Secretary of Commerce for Technology, â€Å"I believe  powerful technologies under development in U. S. labs right now are about to transform learning  in ways we can`t even imagine. Rapid advancements in the years ahead could enable new   learning environments using such things as simulation, visualization tools, virtual worlds,   personal intelligent tutors, vast digital libraries and museums, learning and collaboration   unbounded by geography† (Bond, 2005). The technologies that are coming could help students of all ages reach their potential by  teaching individuals in the way they learn best and at their own pace. We could have knowledge  and training when and where we need them. Students will be able to learn faster and better. They`ll reach much higher levels of achievement, and, in the long run, at a lower cost. At the same time, exciting new jobs and new occupations would be created for education  professionals. Development and deployment of these technologies for learning curriculum could  have profound effects on competitiveness, job opportunities, and our standard of living. With rapid technological change and growing competition around the world, a highly skilled,  constantly learning workforce is more vital to our nation than ever before. INTEGRATING THE INTERNET INTO THE BUSINESS EDUCATION PROGRAM If one invention has influenced business the most over the past five years it would arguably be the World Wide Web. Ever since the ban was lifted to allow businesses on the Internet, the web has grown exponentially. Transitions this formidable are not always so universally welcomed. However, business educators have always accepted that change is a fact of life. From the typewriter to the transistor, business curriculum has continually shaped itself to meet the needs of business. As a result, the success and survival of business education constantly depends on its ability to adapt and keep pace with the needs of its customers. These changes present challenges for both the learner and instructor. Nevertheless, it is the business educator that must be willing to adapt and manage these challenges to ensure successful programs for the future. It is essential that the Internet be a useful and vital component of the business education curriculum if business programs across the country are to continue to meet the needs of its students. The basic goals of business education have not changed. Business education is still about preparing students for the world of business. (NPE, 2004). In fact, it is because of this goal that business education should embrace and use the Internet in order to meet the expectations and needs of the next generation. Just as in past history when significant advances affected businesses, educators again have an opportunity to broaden and improve their programs. It is imperative that business curriculum always be flexible enough to change to meet the needs of business. Consider this quote by an astute business education leader made at the start of this century: â€Å"During the 1990’s, business educators will either manage the decline of their discipline or oversee a fundamental structural change in the discipline. If changes are not made in response to new economic conditions and workplace requirements, business education will witness an exodus of students from its programs. † It is this paper’s goal to show the huge impact the Internet has had on business and to reveal some of the unusual benefits that the Internet can provide for business education. Information technology. It has been a long time since the invention of the typewriter in 1868. Since then, no bigger invention has made such sweeping changes to its curriculum as the invention of the microchip and now the Internet. The emergence of the Information Age has given business educators new tools and progress never before imagined. Society is in the midst of an age when knowledge and information are king over steel, oil, and wheat. To look forward and lead others is the only option for success. The real wealth of the future is in information technology. Colleges, businesses, and other organizations are currently rethinking how to use and learn from the tools of the information age. In the 1950s very few companies used computers. In the 1970s pproximately 50,000 computers existed worldwide. Today, over 50,000 computers are manufactured every day. In the past four years information technology has been responsible for more than a third of the United States’ economic expansion. Consider that by the year 2002 it is predicted that electronic commerce between businesses in the United States alone will exceed $300 billion. Information technology is a major factor for business success today. Already the high-tech industry employs more people today than the auto industry did in its height in the 1950s. It is the correct use of such technology that makes a company profitable. Everyone needs to be computer literate to use the information and services available to them. By using and integrating the Internet into a business education program, students are given the skills and knowledge to succeed in the 21st century. The Internet. The Internet is the newest and fastest growing part of the Age of Information Technology. The inception of the Internet actually began over 25 years ago as a United States Defense Department project. The Internet is now a global computer network that allows millions of computers around the world to communicate through the telephone system and other communication lines. The Internet is also referred to as the web and the Digital Information Superhighway. It was the invention of the World Wide Web by Tim Berners-Lee and the lifting of the ban on commercialization that sparked such incredible growth of the Internet. Two key features of the Internet are: 1. The enormous amount of information it contains and 2. The speed at which this information can be accessed and published. No other single entity has ever been so widely accepted at such a non-stop pace in history. The impact of the Internet is felt everywhere in society and it has become an everyday household term. Currently over 100 million people in 150 countries around the world are using the Internet. In the United States alone the growth is staggering. The number of Americans using the Internet grew from fewer than 5 million in 1993 to over 62 million in 1998. It is predicted that over one billion people may be connected to the Internet by the year 2005. Remember, just five years ago the Internet was barely known. Today there are 1. 5 million new web pages created every day, 100,000 an hour, and 100 million new users will come on this year alone. The web may be the fastest growing segment of the Internet; however, e-mail is the most widely used part. On an average business day there are 30 times as many messages delivered by e-mail than by the Postal Service. The Internet adds a new dimension to the curriculum that provides students the opportunities to engage in more challenging and life-like activities. The potential uses of the Internet in a classroom setting are limited only by the imagination and creativity of the students and their teachers. Many say the Internet has become one of the most valuable tools for education. Secretary of Education Richard Riley states, â€Å"The Internet is the blackboard of the future † and â€Å" the future is here and now. †Ã‚  Ã‚   The Internet has four practical applications within the business education curriculum: * as an independent subject, * as a teaching assistant, * as a means of transforming the process of learning, and * as a research vehicle. Using the Internet requires and improves upon a number of skills including verbal, written, critical thinking, computer, and telecommunications. Additionally the Internet makes learning active, exciting and fun. To avoid being left behind, business educators should take steps now to integrate the Internet into their curriculum. Because the business education curriculum is driven by standards for and about business, teaching and using the Internet fit perfectly into the many areas of the business curriculum. Curricular Areas The following twelve curricular areas were developed by the National Standards for Business Education (NSBE) with the financial support of the National Business Education Association (NBEA):   * Accounting, * Business Law, * Career Development, * Communications, * Computation, * Economics and Personal Finance, * Entrepreneurship, * International Business, * Interrelationships of Business Education Standards, * Information Systems, * Management, and * Marketing. Each of these twelve areas already have a wealth of information on the Internet that can aide both the student and teacher of business education. Business teachers should be able to design, develop, implement, and evaluate Internet activities. Administrative Uses of the Internet Using the Internet to directly impact instruction is both critical and easy for teachers to do. It doesn’t take much effort to find ways to allow the Internet to enrich an already strong curriculum. There are many examples that clearly indicate any teacher can use the Internet to enhance and motivate student learning. The next part of this paper will examine how the Internet can impact teacher instruction and administrative duties.