A cool financial literacy course for all ages!

I was sitting around the house relaxing on this Easter morning and checked out a great online financial literacy course offered by Wells Fargo. The best part about it...it has lessons for all ages, even young adults and adults! The resource is called Hands-On Banking (http://www.handsonbanking.org/).

Another great feature of this program is the pre- and post-tests available for the young adult and adult levels. In addition, you can report the results of these pre- and post-tests through the Hands-On Banking website to help compile results data on your students. I think this is a great feature!

Even better, this resource is completely FREE! There are shareable instructor guides, and much, much more! Check out this resource and let us know how you are using the materials with your students. With resources like this available, I expect to see some good results!

Thoughts on financial literacy as a graduation requirement...

I want to take this opportunity to share my belief in financial literacy as a requirement for graduation from high school.

As one of the most valuable content areas a student can learn in high school (Thanks to Brian Page (@FinEdChat) for this paraphrased statement!), why don't all states require financial literacy content as a graduation requirement? Does every student use history education 20 years after high school? Maybe if they are a contestant on Jeopardy! How about chemistry? A foreign language? While students may (and I emphasize may) use bits and pieces of traditional content areas later in life, EVERY student will use financial literacy concepts over and over again throughout their life.

Make a stand! Join professional associations and private interest groups in getting financial literacy content in front of every student in every state and taught by qualified educators. Contact your state board of education. Write to legislators. What ever it takes, we must do a better job in this country of preparing young people for effective financial decision-making. Without financial literacy education, we have failed as an educational system of preparing students for real life.

Share your thoughts on making financial literacy education a graduation requirement. Tweet me @MCWhiteOH today! I look forward to your thoughts and views on this very timely and important educational issue.

Got iPad?

Would you like to make better use of your iPad while in the classroom? Well, you can! Mobile technology is quickly becoming part of 21st century learning. Plus, there are a multitude of useful apps you can use to engage your students whether teaching business courses or math or English courses, too!

What are the best ways to harness the power of the iPad in the classroom? Well, here are a few tips:

1. Explore! Set aside some time to browse the App Store. There are tons of free apps that can be used for classroom assignments or instruction. For example, I was browsing the other day and found an app called SnapGuide. It's a free app and can be used to create professional how-to guides through an easy-to-use interface. That's just one example!

2. Join a professional organization that emphasizes technology for the classroom. There are a number of such organizations that are specific to content areas. For example, I have been a member of OBTA--An Association for Business Technology Educators (http://www.obta-ohio.org/) for 8 years and have gained much insight into technology in the classroom through my membership.

3. As a last resort, there is always the training class to learn more about apps and how to maximize the use of your iPad. I don't recommend this option unless you truly have no other option at your disposal. Options 1 and 2 are much more economical and also involve you with like-minded educators that are looking for the same thing.

So, that is my short post about using the iPad in the classroom. I would love to hear how you have integrated the iPad into your classroom. Simply respond to this post or tweet your idea(s) to me @MCWhiteOH. Stay tuned for more information on this trending topic!

Are you a technology lover who needs a way in which to organize all your instructional ideas and tools?

If so, you need to check out LiveBinders (Link: http://www.livebinders.com/)!

With all the resources I collect while publishing this blog, in doing research for my doctoral program, and just the day-to-day resources I collect for instructional and professional development purposes, this is an awesome way in which to collect, organize, and share them with colleagues or students.

Creative ways in which to use LiveBinders for personal finance or social media in the classroom:

1. Create a LiveBinder for your students that contains all the resources, lesson materials, and assignment details for your personal finance class
2. Have students gather financial literacy resources and create a class LiveBinder that can be shared with all students and stored for sharing with future students
3. Use LiveBinders to pool social media activities and lessons as a way to develop a social media learning resource for students

As you can see, the possibilities are endless with LiveBinders! Do you have a unique way in which you have used LiveBinders in your classroom? Share them via a comment to this post or tweet your comments to @MCWhiteOH today. I look forward to hearing what you have to say regarding this unique Web 2.0 resource!

Create a lesson on saving while in college - a must as young people head off to college this fall!

Are your high school students financially ready to head off to college? Do they possess the knowledge and skills to save money that will help them through the next few years? Do they know the tricks needed to keep from going broke before they graduate? You can equip your students with a great deal of information that can benefit them for years to come, putting financial literacy first!

I was inspired to write today's post by an article on AOL Daily Finance entitled "Help Your Kids Save While They're Still in School" (Link: http://www.dailyfinance.com/2011/11/02/help-your-kids-save-while-theyre-still-in-school/). In this article, the author gives several helpful hints on how a college student can save incrementally and overcome several financial woes that can be thrown at him or her. I have put a few of these helpful hints together here to help spark some teaching ideas for personal finance educators:

• Students need to open a savings account early and regular make contributions, even if only a few dollars
• Set short-term savings goals (i.e., How much would you like to have saved in six months? In one year?)
• While studying is important, students should take a part-time job where possible to help supplement their income and also allow them to regularly contribute to their savings
• Find other ways to earn a little extra money, like tutoring other students, giving lessons, or even selling all those unneeded items randomly collected on eBay
• Find ways to avoid the common money pitfalls. For example, instead of buying Starbucks every morning before class, buy an inexpensive coffee pot and make coffee in the dorm every morning - a student can save hundreds (if not thousands) of dollars a year just from this one tip!
• Set limits on spending. For examples, avoid overspending on clothes, shoes, or other such items - although it may feel like it, a young person does not need every dress, pair of shoes, sunglasses, or outfit that he or she just "absolutely loves" - impulse buying can drain one's savings very quickly

These are just a few of things college students can do to navigate their college years and come out financially sound. Be sure you are equipping your personal finance students with these necessary tips--although they may not fully understand them now, they will thank you later for helping them become financially savvy!

Do you have additional college savings tips you share with your students? If so, share them here today so everyone can gain new ideas!

Financial literacy and politics - making a meaningful marriage!

Financial literacy education and politics have not always made a productive marriage. Educators and politicians often have differing views of what is and isn't important to our nation's children, especially in areas outside the common core of English language arts (reading and writing), mathematics, social studies, and science. Teachers of elective subjects, including personal finance, have been fighting this battle for several years now as they lobby for their state and for the federal government to recognize personal finance education as a required core learning component.

On Tuesday, September 4, 2012, in conjunction with the Council on Economic Education, politicians, educators, business professionals, and members of the larger community will come together in Charlotte, NC at the Democratic National Convention at a Financial Literacy Policy Luncheon to discuss which states are closing the gap in financial literacy and which states yet have a ways to go (Link: http://www.councilforeconed.org/events/financial-literacy-policy-luncheons/). A similar program took place at the Republican National Convention in Tampa, FL on Monday, August 27, 2012 as well.

Events such as this are critical to the success and future growth of financial literacy initiatives. All educators must lobby their state and U.S. representatives and senators to ensure the voice of financial literacy and personal finance education is heard loud and clear. Organizations such as the Council for Economic Education (http://www.councilforeconed.org/) and the National Business Education Association (http://www.nbea.org/), plus numerous other content area teaching professional organizations are investing tirelessly in ensuring that personal finance education becomes a required educational component for all American children.

I encourage each and every one of you to contact your representatives and urge their support on this national issue. Plus, if you happen to be in the Charlotte area on Tuesday, September 4th, register to attend the Financial Literacy Policy Luncheon. The more of us that push for political support of financial literacy and personal finance education, the greater chance we have to positively affect the lives of children for generations to come!

Ready for a new school year? Get your social media on, because it is a key to future student success!

I hope everyone is ready for a new school year! Summer vacation is over and this weekend marks the official end of summer, even though by the calendar we still have about three more weeks. That bring me to the subject of social media use in the classroom. We've talked about social media in education extensively, yet I still wonder if teachers have truly embraced this advance in technology.

An article by NBC News' Education Nation entitled "Social Media Belongs in the Classroom" (Link: http://www.educationnation.com/index.cfm?objectid=5DE1F0EE-21AE-11E1-A9BF000C296BA163) discusses the ongoing debate about whether social media truly has a place in classroom instruction. As the article discusses, in a time when social media continues to advance its reach and scope across the business world, there are still teachers, schools, and even districts that ban its use in the classroom believing there is too high a risk in allowing it as an instructional tool. However, one important point that educational writers and bloggers alike continue to address is that not allowing its use in the classroom has the potential of discounting a student's education by not preparing them for the real world in the career(s) he or she will choose later in life. Whether we as teachers like it or not, social media is here to stay and we have a responsibility to engage students in a meaningful way through its use.

Common arguments against its use include:

1. Classroom discussion strengthens students' ability to communicate with one another and prepares them for workplace interaction
2. Students still need to be able to handle written communications properly
3. The use of social media can create classroom risks, such as cheating, bullying of other students, or other inappropriate communications

In fact, it is still fairly commonplace for many schools to block access on the Internet to pages such as Facebook, YouTube, and Twitter. In addition, due to acceptable use policies within schools or districts, teachers have a difficult time developing appropriate lesson materials to include social media use because creating a way in which he or she can communicate with students can be difficult as well.

So, my challenge for today's post is to look for ways in which to develop classroom lessons that include social media activities and encourage students to use social media in other ways than just communicating with friends and family. Throughout this school, you will be provided with a multitude of new teaching ideas and tips on social media in the classroom and I want to hear all of your best tips as well. Together, we can help our students reach new heights in learning while also preparing them responsibly for the technology advances they will continue to be bombarded with throughout their lives.

Happy teaching and welcome back to school!