F.++ARTIFACTS+FROM+ONLINE+CLASS

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 * //Select artifacts that represent great examples of interaction between teacher-students and students-students from your practicum course. Write reflective statements for each artifact, elaborating on why it was selected and its meaning and value in the portfolio.//

My online class, Marketing and the Internet, is such a great course. The activities in the course foster very nice interaction between the students. The teacher-to-student interaction is very strong in the private threads. The teacher reassures and helps out students quite a bit in these threads where she is a coach and motivator. In the group discussions, the teacher asks “big idea” questions once she sees how a thread is developing. This fosters more interaction and discussion among the students.

ARTIFACT #1: //This week, let's gather some data on the Shakespeare/E-tail or Retail dilemma. This is a family activity, so ask everyone in your family to help. The details are described below. I would like you to watch TV, look at advertisements in the various print media, listen to ads on the radio, and notice how the businesses you see/hear advertised are dealing with the retail vs e-tail// question. //(Tell your parents this is a legitimate assignment! you can't go to the kitchen during the commercials, you have to watch the ads.)// This assignment gives you a sample of how well laid out the lessons are. The students generate quite a bit of discussion among themselves with an assignment like this. The assignments are very interesting and fun to complete and then compare to others. The assignment combines using Excel skills for organization. It also helps students to understand the difference between e-tail and retail in a clear way through investigation and research on their parts. It is more than just reading the definition of each and verbally that back on a quiz.
 * First, use Excel or a similar spreadsheet application to make a table with five columns. The first column will be the biggest and it should be labeled Business/Product . The next three columns will be smaller, and about half an inch wide each. Label one column Retail, the next column E-tail , the next column Both. The last column Type is where you will list what type of advertisement you viewed.
 * Save the blank table. Print a copy of the table for each TV watching, newspaper reading, radio listening, etc., experience. If you need more sheets during the week, you can print them from your Excel master.
 * Next, anytime you are watching TV and a commercial comes on, record the name of the business/product being advertised in the table. Or, if you are reading the paper or a magazine, look for ads and note whether they are. Radio, the same.
 * If the advertisement does "not" list a web site, put a check in the column labeled Retail.
 * If there is a web address listed, and you can order the company's product online, put a check in the column labeled E-tail. If you cannot order products for the company online (the web site is used only for advertising or providing information), the company is "not" considered e-tail.
 * If the company has a traditional storefront and you can also order their products online, put a check in the column labeled Both. If you don't recognize the name of the business or if you don't know anything about it you may have to ask a family member or friends's advice.
 * In the Type column indicate the type of medium for the advertisement - TV, Radio, Newspaper, Magazine, SPAM, billboard, where ever you saw or heard the ad.
 * Now, go back to Excel and type in your entries. (it doesn't have to be fancy) and submit your results as a Work Assignment for this lesson. Then look at your data. At the bottom of the table, tell me two things about the data that surprised you.
 * Pay attention to at least three different mediums of advertising and fill in your chart, listing the product, whether it is retail, e-tail or both and why type of ad you observed. You should have about 30-40 entries so that we can get a good representation.
 * That's it!
 * Here's an example for you
 * **Business** || **Retail** || **E-Tail** || **Both** || **Type** ||
 * Concert ||  ||   || X || TV ||
 * Ford Dealership || X ||  ||   || Radio ||
 * Loan Company ||  || X ||   || Newspaper ||
 * Orville Reddenbacher Popcorn ||  ||   ||   ||   ||
 * Orville Reddenbacher Popcorn ||  ||   ||   ||   ||

ARTIFACT #2: Visit each of the following four web sites - clicking on the underlined words will take you directly to each site. [|**//Coca Cola//**]// VS. //[|**//Pepsi Cola//**] [|**//K-Mart//**] // VS. // [|**//Wal-Mart//**]// **.** 1. Compare the Coca Cola and Pepsi Cola sites. Which site did you like best? Explain why you liked it. 2. Compare the K-Mart and Wal-Mart sites. Which is your favorite and why? 3. Is there anything you specifically did not like on any of the sites? If so, why do you think the retailers have this on their site? 4. What types of information did you find on the sites? Was there any information on any of the sites you did not expect? 5. Did visiting these sites change your opinion about any of these companies? 6. Did you learn anything new about the companies by visiting their web sites? 7. Which of the 4 Ps was stressed on each site? 8. Did you find any advertisements for other products, services, or web sites at their web site? 9. Would you "revisit" any of these sites OR tell others about them? Explain why or why not. After visiting these web sites please go to the Discussions Area and add an initial response to the discussion thread Week 05: Agree to Disagree, answering the above questions based on your web site visits. Be sure to also read your classmates' comments after you've posted yours and then respond to at least two of your classmates' comments if you disagree (or agree) with their findings. // This assignment uses popular, well-known companies to examine and analyze websites. The assignment helps the student to really “look” and see what is contained in the sites. They are using analytical skills, communication skills and learning how to search for websites. Students also must comment to each other so this helps increase student-to-student interaction.

ARTIFACT #3: · // You each have five hundred faux dollars to go on a simulated shopping excursion. Sorry, it is not real money and the items will not arrive at your door but lets explore to see who can find the best prices. // · // Start a document to record your results. Include the following information for each item: item, provider name with address, purchase price, shipping fees, total, comments. All items must be new. // · // Remember, don't go over your limit of $500.00! // · // The shopping list includes: // · // 1. Panasonic 40GB Hybrid Hard Drive Camcorder // · // 2. A book: The 7 Habits of Highly Effective Teens by S. Covey // · // 3. Chocolate: Whitman's Sampler assorted 16 oz // · // 4. Sneakers: Nike Air Max 180 + II (any color) // · // 5. A DVD movie: "Shrek the Third, starring //[|//Mike Myers//]//, //[|//Eddie Murphy//]// , //[|//Cameron Diaz//] · // Also include the grand total for all your "purchases". A dd the shipping and handling costs on each item when a fee is applied. To make things equal, the shipping address for all items is VHS (3 Clock Tower Place, Suite 100A, Maynard, MA 01754 ). // · // Finally, give me a one paragraph summary of your shopping trip; what did you find most helpful or least helpful? Did shipping fees influence your decision of which provider to purchase from? // · · // The person who spends the least amount of money will receive 5 BONUS POINTS! Good luck! // //Alternative Assignment// **Here's what I want you to do. Select a store located in your area that has a web site where you can shop. If you do not have any of the big names in your area, go to any retail store in your area and find a web site which sells similar products. For instance, you could go to a kitchen store near you and go online to Chef's Catalog. Or you could visit a nearby clothing store and visit Coldwater Creek or Eddie Bauer online. Get the idea?** //What to Do// WOW! What a great assignment! What fun, too! Students are learning to navigate the web and make smart economic decisions. The types of products they are prompted to search for popular and relevant to their lives. I like that the assignment included an alternative piece if students did not have access to the Internet or a computer. This assignment generated a great deal of discussion among the students. It also allowed the teacher to interject by asking about how pricing and quality/value fit together. This “big idea” question took the thread on a whole new journey.
 * · **// Many times schools have blockers to prevent shopping. If this is a problem for you, and you don't have a computer at home to complete this assignment then alternative resources will work. //
 * · **// Search for the same items however you'll used traditional sources instead. No, you don't actually get to go to the mall but you can if there is one near by. Perhaps you'll find an item on clearance. Use sales flyers, brochures, newspapers and radio ads to locate the desired items. Develop a chart noting the prices and all fees incurred to secure the items. It's only fair, the online shopper must include shipping. Locate the closest store that matches your flyer, estimate the travel distance from your home and calculate the cost of gas. The car gets reasonable gas mileage of 20 miles per gallon and gas is $2.00 per gallon. Don't forget to add any tolls that might be added. //
 * · **// It could be interesting to observe how competitive retail is to online shopping. Have fun!
 * While you are visiting these sites - either physical or virtual - look around at what they are doing to market their products. **//
 * //** What kinds of products are they selling. Do they sell the same types of products online and in the store. How are these products different? How are the same? **//
 * //** How do they draw your attention to certain areas? What can they do on the web that they can't do in the store.? What can they do in the store that they can't do on the web? **//
 * //** How helpful are they? How do they get you to look at other products? **//
 * //** Do they make buying easy? (You don't have to buy anything, this is shopping, not buying!) **//
 * //** Can you tell who their target market is just by looking around? **//
 * //** What do they do in the store that they cannot do online and how do they accomplish the same goal online? **//
 * //** What about place? Where is the brick and mortar store located? Why do you think they chose this location? How easy were they to find on the web? How did you know where to go on the web, did you search, find their address in an advertisement or in some store literature? **//
 * 1) //**After you have been shopping on the web and in a traditional brick and mortar store, develop an initial response reflecting your findings. Use the scoring rubric as a guideline and be sure to add the references at the bottom.**//
 * 2) //**Locate the discussion topic** Week 03: Web vs. Brick and Mortar**//
 * 3) //Post your initial response//
 * 4) //Return to the discussion topic, read and// respond to at least two of your classmates

ARTIFACT #4: //The “Arcade” area is a place on the class where students can bring up any topic for discussion. It is like our “WATER COOLER” area. There was a post here about what colleges everyone was going to. This generated a great deal of discussion and camaraderie among the students. I am sure the teacher read these comments and they would help to give her more insight to her students’ personalities and interests.//