How could educators use this pathfinder?  Hopefully, there are a lot of different uses for this pathfinder, more than what I can dream up here.  But, these are the ones that I hope teachers, media specialists, principals and guidance counselors will use it for.

  1. The freshman year many schools require their freshmen to take a Careers class.  I would hope that schools would use this pathfinder for that freshman careers class.  If they don't use the pathfinder, then at least use www.learnmoreindiana.org so that students get acquainted with it.  I was really impressed by the information that was on that site.  It is a great tool for students in middle school through high school.
  2. Any teacher who is going to teach SAT prep should use the SAT prep site.  One whole class session could be spent in the computer lab teaching the students how to sign up for the test and how to get the question of the day sent to them.  Then time could be spent with students taking practice tests before you start teaching them test taking strategies. 
  3. An economics teacher could assign a research task where students pick several occupations, research them on the websites and using the Department of Labor Database, compile some statistics of projected earnings, growth potential, etc.  with those professions. Students could present this information to the class.
  4. The guidance counselor can use all areas of this site to help the student through the course of their high school career.  It could start as early as their freshman year.  It is never too early to get them thinking about what they will do down the road.  It would be best to get all seniors in the computer lab at the beginning of the year to specifically have them look at "Getting Accepted,"  "Financial Aid," and "Selecting a College."  It is so important they keep ahead of the application and financial aid process.  There were some great checklists that could be used as early as the end of the junior year.  If the school hosts a financial aid information night, the financial aid page would be a good one to share with parents.
  5. Lastly, many students today are completing senior projects.  If a student used this complete pathfinder, from start to finish, what an impressive project it would be.  Starting with SAT prep which covers reading, writing, and math; completing interest inventories; selecting a vocation and career by searching various databases and websites;conducting college searches; writing college essays; completing application process tasks and checklists; applying for scholarships and, hopefully, earning those scholarships; interviewing for admission; and ultimately, ending with acceptance letters to the colleges of his/her choice,  this would be quite a project.  I really believe that if a student followed all of the steps outlined in this pathfinder, he or she would grow quite a bit as an individual and have a greater understanding of him or herself. 

updated February 18th, 2008