My Company in an e-Book

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Gain Creators / Outcomes

  • Educators have access to a skills-based learning tool based on the blended learning approach that enable students to develop a variety of skills,
  • Teachers have a lot of flexibility using this tool
  • Teachers themselves become more entrepreneurial and improve their digital skills

  • Educators have access to a skills-based learning tool based on the blended learning approach that enable students to develop a variety of skills,
  • Teachers have a lot of flexibility using this tool
  • Teachers themselves become more entrepreneurial and improve their digital skills

Gains / Needs

Educators need:

  • more skills-based learning tools that involve the students carrying out a complex task, working both individually and in teams,
  • blended educational approaches that involves direct contact with local entrepreneurs, working in a team both online and offline, improving their skills using technologies practicing and decision making.

Educators need:

  • more skills-based learning tools that involve the students carrying out a complex task, working both individually and in teams,
  • blended educational approaches that involves direct contact with local entrepreneurs, working in a team both online and offline, improving their skills using technologies practicing and decision making.

Target Group

Educators (9 graders)

Educators (9 graders)

Implementation Method

The project takes place on an extra-curricular basis but could be partly delivered during timetabled lessons. The students can be involved by the teachers, but the local companies – by students themselves, using personal contacts of teachers or/and in close collaboration with kids’ parents.

The project takes place on an extra-curricular basis but could be partly delivered during timetabled lessons. The students can be involved by the teachers, but the local companies – by students themselves, using personal contacts of teachers or/and in close collaboration with kids’ parents.

My Company in an e-Book

This approach is intended to fully immerse students into the life of entrepreneurship by contacting and meeting the local company, creating an e-book about it, and after – presenting it.

The preparation for the visit and the expected practical result (e-book) give an additional motivation to learn more about entrepreneurship (and building a link between theory and real life).

Company visit, which takes about 2-3 hours, help them to gain an understanding of how the business is organised and managed in reality comparing to the theory as well as to learn company’s history and its future prospects.

While making their e-books, students reproduce the environment of the organisation they have closely observed, learn to work in team (also virtually) and take the decisions. It is a highly target-oriented activity, where students have to decide how to structure the e-book, what contents to include and how to present it.

Assessment processes are fully integrated throughout this project, including self- and peer-reviews, teacher assessment and the evaluation by entrepreneurs of the final e-books which are presented to them and also can be published online. 

This approach is intended to fully immerse students into the life of entrepreneurship by contacting and meeting the local company, creating an e-book about it, and after – presenting it.

The preparation for the visit and the expected practical result (e-book) give an additional motivation to learn more about entrepreneurship (and building a link between theory and real life).

Company visit, which takes about 2-3 hours, help them to gain an understanding of how the business is organised and managed in reality comparing to the theory as well as to learn company’s history and its future prospects.

While making their e-books, students reproduce the environment of the organisation they have closely observed, learn to work in team (also virtually) and take the decisions. It is a highly target-oriented activity, where students have to decide how to structure the e-book, what contents to include and how to present it.

Assessment processes are fully integrated throughout this project, including self- and peer-reviews, teacher assessment and the evaluation by entrepreneurs of the final e-books which are presented to them and also can be published online. 

Activities

  1. Students first acquire some basic knowledge of economics, business administration and law. In groups, they draw up a questionnaire to be used during their company visit and organise the logistical aspects of the visit by involving their parents if needed.
  2. In 2 – 3 hours long visits in local companies the students collect information by interviewing the entrepreneur and by taking photos/recording videos in the offices, the warehouse and in the production premises.
  3. The collected information is elaborated according to an index and translated into an e-book. The groups use suitable applications or the website www.myebook.com. Pupils collaborate online (using Skype, Google Docs, Facebook, email) and to a lesser extent in face-to-face meetings.
  4. The path culminates in a public event where students present their e-books to their peers, teachers, parents and entrepreneurs (the clients) and to the press.
  5. At the end, they do the assessment for themselves, their teammates, entrepreneur and a teacher.  

  1. Students first acquire some basic knowledge of economics, business administration and law. In groups, they draw up a questionnaire to be used during their company visit and organise the logistical aspects of the visit by involving their parents if needed.
  2. In 2 – 3 hours long visits in local companies the students collect information by interviewing the entrepreneur and by taking photos/recording videos in the offices, the warehouse and in the production premises.
  3. The collected information is elaborated according to an index and translated into an e-book. The groups use suitable applications or the website www.myebook.com. Pupils collaborate online (using Skype, Google Docs, Facebook, email) and to a lesser extent in face-to-face meetings.
  4. The path culminates in a public event where students present their e-books to their peers, teachers, parents and entrepreneurs (the clients) and to the press.
  5. At the end, they do the assessment for themselves, their teammates, entrepreneur and a teacher.  

Resources

The local companies, who are willing to host visits, provide extensive information and to attend the final presentation event and offer their feedback to the students. Availability to e-book creation programme and technical, example, www.myebook.com.

The local companies, who are willing to host visits, provide extensive information and to attend the final presentation event and offer their feedback to the students. Availability to e-book creation programme and technical, example, www.myebook.com.

Pain Relievers / Solutions

  • Involvement of the local companies in the learning process by organizing short, but meaningful visits that are part of longer entrepreneurship learning process and with the e-book creation and presentations with feedback.
  • The involvement of parents can be used in order to reach different local companies for the project’s purposes.

  • Involvement of the local companies in the learning process by organizing short, but meaningful visits that are part of longer entrepreneurship learning process and with the e-book creation and presentations with feedback.
  • The involvement of parents can be used in order to reach different local companies for the project’s purposes.

Pains / Challenges

  • Lack of practical and direct interactions between students and local entrepreneurs.
  • Lack of direct collaboration between the educational institutions and the local entrepreneurs, learning about the entrepreneurship without direct contacts and practical experience with them. 
  • Entrepreneurs’ lack of time for longer involvement in entrepreneurship education and lack of structure on how to support entrepreneurship education meaningfully with short inputs.

  • Lack of practical and direct interactions between students and local entrepreneurs.
  • Lack of direct collaboration between the educational institutions and the local entrepreneurs, learning about the entrepreneurship without direct contacts and practical experience with them. 
  • Entrepreneurs’ lack of time for longer involvement in entrepreneurship education and lack of structure on how to support entrepreneurship education meaningfully with short inputs.

Additional information:

“My company in an e-book” has been recognised as a best practice example by the Italian Ministry of Education and is included in the 'Indire GOLD' database. The learning path is documented in a website which shows the experience; this has been visited by several teachers who have in turn used it with their own students.  In addition, it has been selected as a finalist for the Global Junior Challenge 2012 (under 15 category).

More about it in TES database: http://www.tesguide.eu/tool-method/my-e-book.htm and http://lamiaimpresainunebook.jimdo.com/

The project is in line with the advice contained in the 'Guidelines for secondary school reform' (Italy, 2010). Both documents refer to the Recommendation of the European Parliament and the European Council on the 'Key competences for lifelong learning'. It can also effectively contribute to achievement of one of the most significant competences to be acquired in the first 2 years of a business high school: 'Getting to know the essential features of the socio-economic system, in order to be able to understand the local economic context'. It contributes to subjects such as Business, Economics and Career Education.

Benefits for students

Using this method, the students can:

  1. Develop self-organisation and coordination skills, the ability to cope with new situations and solve problems that are not easy to foresee
  2. Gain in-depth knowledge of a local company which is fully operational, by breathing its atmosphere and observing the dedication, the effort and the determination with which the adults who work there carry out their job in dynamic markets where the ability to predict and a proactive attitude are often the key to success
  3. Understand from first-hand experience how companies have to set themselves clear goals, that workers need to take different roles and must be able to achieve their specified responsibilities as well as refer to others regarding the task they have to carry out
  4. Recognise the importance of using safe procedures to file, store and easily retrieve the material they produce
  5. Enhance their presentation skills in the final event when their product is delivered to the client.
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