Montgomery County Business Roundtable for Education (MCBRE)
720 Program: Speaker Presentation Outline
Fall 2008
How to Use this Presentation
• When you see an ―*‖ after a bullet, please refer to the notes, section below, for background info • Italicized text lets you know it‘s time to distribute a handout to each student before proceeding • The amount of time suggested for each section is at the top of each page. • Do not share this presentation with students or project it in front of the classroom, it is only yours to speak from • You are the expert. Don‘t worry about getting the words right. Feel free to improvise as you‘re speaking and share your own stories when they tie into the topic at hand
Introduction (2 min)
• Write your name on the board and briefly introduce yourself including a brief summary of your career path • Explain that you are representing the Montgomery County Business Roundtable for Education (MCBRE), Junior Achievement and your own organization • In just 720 days, YOU as an incoming freshman will become a H.S. graduate* • ―I‘m here to let you know the choices you make – even in 9th grade – really matter‖ • Share a personal anecdote of when you were in H.S. and how it ties into where you are today
Overview of Today‘s Program (1 min)
• ―I‘m not here to give a speech‖ • Feel free to ask questions during our discussion • Rather, today we‘re going to have a discussion about three important topics:
– The importance of your transcript during the next 4 years – Your online identity (what your Facebook and MySpace pages say about you) – Financial literacy and how to budget your money
Setting the Stage (3 min)
• Have students take out a piece of paper and answer these questions:
– What your strengths and interests? – What are you good at? What do you like to do? What‘s important to you? – What would you like to be doing 5 years from now? What will your life be like? – What kind of person do you want to be? What do you want to have in your own life?
• How do you think you‘ll achieve all of this?*
– Try to get specific examples from students
Knowing What Matters (2 min)
• What matters to college admissions officers and employers you want to work for are:
– – – – – – Your attendance You taking the most rigorous courses & completing them Your grades Your test scores Your extracurricular activities Your professionalism
• Why do these things matter? • How could a prospective employer or college find out how you did in H.S.?
Your Transcript (3 min)
• Hand out the 2 versions of the transcripts to every students and ask them to study them • Colleges and businesses are asking for high school transcripts to see if: – You are prepared to do college level work – You would show up on time for work or class and be reliable – You would have the skills you need to succeed – You would be eager to take on challenges – You would represent them well
Your online identity* (1 min)
• Who has a ―My Space‖ or ―Facebook‖ page? • Who has photos with captions posted on a website like ―Flickr?‖ • Who has information that has been written about them by someone else? • What about photos of you that have been posted by your friends? • Would you be able to tell me everything that‘s out there that‘s part of your ‗digital footprint?‘
Your online identity (2 min)
• What you post online is searchable and as such recruiters for colleges and prospective employers are using it to assess candidates‘ professionalism
– Ex: potential employers often ―Google‖ a name if they‘re considering hiring someone to see what turns up – Distribute a copy of the AOL article, “Digital Dirt” to each student. – According to this recent article on AOL, 83% of recruiters admitted to using online search engines to uncover information (or ‗digital dirt‘) about candidates! – College reps also report performing online searches of applicants.
• If they see anything inappropriate it‘s an immediate mark against you
Your online identity = you! (2 min)
• Your online identity represents you and therefore if someone hasn‘t met you, they may consider it a comprehensive view of you and will likely judge you based on it To people you don‘t know (and even those that you do), what is online about you speaks for you without you being able to speak yourself Question…Does your online content represent you and say the same things about you that you would say if you met someone for the first time in a professional setting? Your online identity is an archive. What you have already written or write today will be there years from now. Do you want what you‘re writing to be there forever
• •
•
•
What was cool or funny at age 17 could prove embarrassing or even damaging when you‘re 24 or 42
Tips for Managing Your Online Identity (1 min)
• Do not post profanity • Google yourself, find anything embarrassing and delete it • For content you‘ve added yourself, destroy the evidence – For example, edit your Facebook page, change your IM names, remove risqué photos, delete an inflammatory blog or comment
Tips for Managing Your Online Identity, cont… (1 min)
• For content someone else posted about you…
– If someone posted derogatory comments about you, find out who they are and politely request they retract their statement – If they won‘t retract the information and the comments are true, consider posting a comment about what happened to explain – If there is content that cannot be easily explained, be prepared to talk about it if questioned in an interview
How Can You Turn Your Online Identity into an Opportunity?* (2 min)
• Your web presence can actually help you in your college application or job-hunting process • For example, your online writing samples (articles, blogs, etc…) if well-written (how about writing about industry trends or personal experiences?) can create a trail of expertise for employers/colleges to find and could help you get an interview – On the other hand, if your online pieces contain poor spelling or touch on inappropriate/controversial topics they may hurt your chances
Remember… (1 min)
• When posting anything about anyone else online only mention people in a favorable light if you mention them at all • Use a first name or online pseudonym when blogging or for anything else you don‘t want to become part of your permanent, digital record • Don‘t post your schoolwork unless it has been vetted by a teacher • If you post your school essays and someone finds a piece with misspellings and grammatical errors, it could hurt you more than help you
Financial Literacy (2 min)
• Now let‘s talk about what your life will really be like after H.S.*
– Who wants to own their own place? – Who wants a car? – What do you think it costs to live on your own for a month? – What kinds of things do you think you‘ll have to pay for on a monthly basis when you‘re on your own?
What Is A Budget (5 min)
• A budget is a careful plan for spending or saving money to achieve individual or family goals* • Now we‘re going to talk about how set up and use a budget • Does anyone here have a job or receive allowance?
– Allow students to answer in order to get a sense of their income levels
• Is anyone currently using a budget to manage their money?
• If a student responds negatively, remind them that a budget will help them achieve a future goal, such as attending a concert • If students respond positively, ask what is in their budgets
– Examples: entertainment (movies, dvds, etc.); school supplies, clothes
• Use the board to write out a sample student budget based on responses heard from students (sample on next page)
Sample Weekly Student Budget* (5 min)
Income*
(from allowance or afterschool job) $
Expenses*
Clothes/Shoes -$ Movies/Entertainment -$ DVDs/CDs/iTunes -$ Food (Lunch/Snack Money) -$ School Supplies -$ ________________________________________________________________
Total Amount Remaining
$
•
• • •
Is the ―Total Amount Remaining‖ a positive or negative number? Review with the students the importance of it being a positive number to grow their savings. Also point out that they should account for unforeseen expenses (summer travel, special gift etc.). A negative number in the ―Total Amount Remaining‖ means it will take you longer to achieve your future goals. Bottom line = do not spend more than you make.
Budget Wrap-Up (2 min)
• Now that we‘ve talked about how to create a budget let‘s talk about why we would want to budget.*
– Let‘s go back to the goals we discussed earlier – Ask students how they are planning on reaching that goal – Ask whether they have thought about how long it will take them to reach the goal and whether they have enough time to reach the goal (money for a concert v. money for college)
• Suggest students discuss budgeting with parents/guardians and if they haven‘t already started, begin to create their own budgets and set goals based on their 720 days in high school • Visit www.japersonalfinance.com to learn more
Presentation Wrap Up & Evaluation
• Distribute the student survey and ask students to complete and return it by the end of the period
• Thank them for their participation, wish them luck, and remind them that their high schooldays are limited— make the most of them