Linking up with LinkedIn - ATPE

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Signing up for Linkedin is easy—simply visit www.linkedin.com and follow the in- ... e-Learning 2.0, a group that focu
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by Mandy Curtis, senior copy editor/writer

Linking up with LinkedIn Joining the professional social network In March 2012, LinkedIn was the fourth largest social network (based on the number of users) behind Facebook, Twitter and Google+. Although the network might not be the biggest, it is one of the most influential when it comes to job hunting and professional networking. And with nearly 1 million educators currently on the site, LinkedIn is a great place for educators to connect with peers from all over the world.

Getting started Signing up for LinkedIn is easy—simply visit www.linkedin.com and follow the instructions on the front page; you’ll need to provide your first and last name and email address, as well as create a new password. Once you’ve created an account, you can log in and set up your profile. You’ll be asked to input information regarding your employment history, job skills, volunteer experience and more. It’s important to take the time to fill this out carefully and thoroughly—the more information you enter about your professional self, the better you’ll be able to use the site. Once you’ve completed your profile, you can then perform searches for colleagues and friends whom you can add as “connections” on your LinkedIn network. These individuals will be able to view your profile, see mutual connections, send you messages and even “endorse” (see Tech Term, below) your listed skills.

Why join? LinkedIn, unlike other social media sites such as Facebook and Twitter, is dedicated

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to professional networking. This means that there are no games to play on the site and no photo albums to peruse. The network’s potential lies in its ability to create connections between individuals with similar interests or employers looking for potential employees. In a May 2012 article, education technology website EdNews Daily (www. ednewsdaily.com) published a list of reasons why educators must have a completed LinkedIn profile. The reasons include: • Being noticed by a potential employer (even if currently employed). • Being found when recruiters are typing in “keywords” while looking for talent. • Staying current, up-to-date and active in the education field. • Reaching out to professionals all over the world. • Mentoring others or finding a mentor. • Joining or starting various groups of interest. (More on LinkedIn groups can be found below.) (Read the entire list at www. ednewsdaily.com/teachers-why-youmust-have-an-active-linkedin-profile.)

Educator groups Another great part of the LinkedIn experience is the ability to join groups. These groups are created by LinkedIn users to bring together people with similar jobs or interests. A variety of educator

Endorsements:

groups already exist on the site; a quick search for the term “education” brings up more than 30,000 results. Education blog EmergingEdTech (www.emergingedtech.com) posted a list of its top eight groups for educators in February 2012 at www.emergingedtech. com/2012/02/8-great-linkedin-groups-foreducators. The list included: • Teacher’s Lounge, a group for K–12 teachers looking to network and share ideas with educators from around the world. • Technology Integration in Education, a group for educators and business people wishing to connect and discuss ways to integrate technology into the classroom. • E-Learning 2.0, a group that focuses on the latest news in e-learning techniques. ATPE even has a group you can join to receive updates on ATPE events as well as connect with fellow ATPE members and ATPE staff members. Find us at http://linkd.in/T0N73E.A

LinkedIn gives users the ability to endorse their connections’ skills; essentially, this shows that connections know and approve of a user’s skills from personal experience.

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