Instructional Project: Budgeting Kathleen Seguin & Marty LaGrow Grade : High School Content Area: Business Lesson Length: One week (5, 50-minute class periods)

Phase 1: Our TPACK Model TK very high PK very high CK middle to low Martin TK high PK high CK high Katie All in all, we believe we have high technical awareness and are comfortable integrating technology. Katie’s the brains in budgeting though!

Phase 2: Relative Advantages The evolution of customizable spreadsheets and programs such as Quicken have become almost necessary in developing and following budgets. The ability to easily represent data graphically makes budgeting concepts more accessible to visual learners. Spreadsheet software enables learners to work smarter, not harder. The use of spreadsheet programs to create a budget will easily allow for individual data input, changes in the budget and a quick analysis of the data through charts. Explaining the budgeting process is time intensive on the part of the teacher and involves many handouts and examples, which can be eliminated with the use of technology.

Phase 3: Objectives and Assessments The easiest way to assess the outcome is to analyze current time tables, paper use and ideas about budgeting and compare it to the technological lesson afterwards. The computer spreadsheet program will also allow for an easy look at budget success or failure. Outcomes expected include: less time needed for direction by the teacher, more student project work time, elimination of paper handouts and an easy analysis of budget success. Continued….

The desired outcome is for the student to understand the importance of spending less than you earn and the importance of saving. A thorough look at an individual's financial situation or desired financial situation as it relates to goal-setting, encourages financial responsibility and teaches the student the advantages to proper preparation in the goal-setting process. In the beginning, a budget is easiest to analyze when done monthly. For a more thorough analysis, a budget can be further analyzed using monthly averages throughout the year. A budget is easy to evaluate - income should be greater than expenses. If there is any variance to this, then something needs to change or debt is unavoidable.

Phase 4: Design Integration Strategies What kinds of instructional methods are needed in light of content objectives and student characteristics? Instruction needs to begin with a student self-analysis of current short and long-term goals and an honest look at one's current financial situation. For a high school student, this can be projected into a realistic, life-after-education project simulation where students can research starting salaries and desired lifestyle costs. In addition, students can serve as financial advisors as it is often easier to make suggestion for someone else as opposed to prescribing correct actions for oneself. Role-playing, scenario-based realistic situations would lend themselves well to budgeting. Students could each have a set amount of money, or a business, to manage and create a realistic budget for. Students could then interact and exchange goods and services to put the budgeting into practice. If the unit is well thought-out, several businesses could be owned and managed by students.

THE TIMETABLE Day 1 - General introduction to budgeting and the goal-setting process. Day 2 - Computer Lab; intro webquest and have students complete Step 1: Choosing a Career Day 3 - Computer Lab; Step 2: Breakdown the budget - begin filling in spreadsheet; complete Step 3: Find a home Day 4 - Computer Lab; complete Step 4: Find a car; continue working on Step 2 Day 5 - Computer Lab; finish project - analyze budget and print all materials; take a life simulation quiz to see if students will be financially successful.

Phase 5: Prepare the Instructional Environment What equipment, software, media and materials will I need to carry out the instructional strategies?  The teacher will need access to some sort of budgeting or spreadsheet software. Budgeting software will set-up the budget for the student, otherwise the teacher or student will need to set-up the budget using spreadsheet software. Depending on time available and student ability, teacher creation of a budget template using a spreadsheet will be easiest and most time-effective.  Individual students will need to have access to a computer with some sort of spreadsheet program and internet accessibility. Continued….

Phase 5 continued How should resources be arranged to support instruction and learning? Teachers will be moderators as students complete an online webquest or while students access a glog during classroom time in a computer lab. Teachers can offer guidance for students to make realistic choices in terms of professions and monetary allocations, as well as assisting with general computer related issues.

Phase 6: Evaluate and Revise Integration Strategies The teacher should complete the activity and compare curriculum goals with what is learned from the activity. Although the inputs for budgets are different for different age groups, the end result and the reasoning behind budgeting does not change. The teacher should be able to assess student learning through a personal analysis as to whether or not the budgeting process would work in their real life.