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This Week's App: Linkedln

What is LinkedIn?

This week the first question on our page feels a bit unnecessary since if you work in some fashion usually you know what LinkedIn is. Just to make sure we are all on the same page though here is a real quick definition.

LinkedIn is a professional business and employment-oriented site that allows you to create a digital portfolio/CV/Resume and then also network with other people. Almost all working professionals have a LinkedIn and provide it when applying somewhere.

What can it be used for?

What can LinkedIn be used for in education? We believe the answer is simple, portfolios. Having students create a portfolio of their work is a very popular activity that we talked more about back in Episode 45 | Should we use portfolios? & Milanote. Since that episode, we have suggested several tools, but we do believe Linkedin would be one of the best ones to use. When you are trying to pick a tool for your student to use to create a portfolio you usually are looking for three big things. Can students organize their work in a creative way? Can they share a link to the site or place they organize it? Then finally, will they be able to keep their portfolio after they graduate? Linkedin achieves all those things and more.

With Linkedin, students can post links to projects, upload work they have completed, and even layout the certificates and degrees they get. On top of that then they can also start networking early with other people in the field they are learning. Imagine having your students create a portfolio through Linkedin and then each class in a program you help them connect to other experts in their field and start networking. This is all possible with Linkedin, it is free, and it sets them up well for the future.

How do I get started?

If you don't have one already you of course will want to sign up for an account yourself. From there getting started is simple. We recommend these steps:

1. Identify how you are using portfolios. Are you using them for one course, a set of courses, or a whole program? You need to identify how you are using the idea and we recommend if you are doing a program to layout the life cycle of a student in the program and what specific activities or work they will add to the portfolio.
2. Identify what you want them to do. What do you want your student to build out? Of course, you want them to set up an account, we would also recommend having them follow the Linkedin guidance for building out a profile which is an automatic tutorial. From there though what else should be added and how? Do they add projects and work? You can learn more about what is possible at the Linkedin Help Center.
3. Layout clear scaffolded path with instructions. When you are ready to build your activities make sure it is clear where they go and what steps they take to complete their portfolio. For example, in week 1 we might have them set up an account, upload a picture and set a description. Then in week 3 add a small project they did, which leads up to the final thing they upload in the course.