Digital Learning

What is it? 

Microsoft Innovative Educator is a free service Microsoft offer which offers educators, or even those interested in using technology, certifications to prove they have bettered their learning. 

The Microsoft Educator Center offers access to many courses that let you earn professional development credit in the comfort of your home and your own time. Whether you are an educator or anyone looking to enrich your skills to offer your students the best possible learning experience or a student yourself, the Microsoft Educator Center will have activities that will help you improve your use of Office 365, Flipgrid, Microsoft Teams and many more.  

Microsoft Educator Center has a variety of different courses and just like LinkedIn Learning, have learning paths you can complete which aims to improve your skills at a particular topic such as the learning path we completed ‘Getting started with Office 365 and Windows for leadership’. This learning path shows how to efficiently organise and communicate frameworks by using the tools the software’s offer. Many of the beginner and intermediate learning paths will also offer recommendations of other learning paths which will help with furthering your knowledge on a particular subject. 

What does it offer? 

The Microsoft Educator Center also offers badges which will be given once you have completed courses, and these can also be shared with peers or other students to show your achievements. To earn learning path badges, you will need to complete earn all badges within that learning path by completing all the quizzes each course will provide. When 2 hours of courses have been completed, you will also earn the Microsoft Innovative Educator badge which is the first step in becoming a Microsoft Innovative Educator Expert. The Microsoft Innovative Educator Programs will be further explained below. 

Excluding courses and learning paths, the Microsoft Educator Center also offers learning through its resources. Unlike courses and learning paths a resource doesn’t offer badges, what it does offer is resources you can use to further educate yourself on different topics. One resource I found interesting was the ‘Introduction to Excel’ resources, as this offered helpful tips which will increase my efficiency when using Excel in the future.  

Microsoft Educator Center also links and post your qualifications onto your LinkedIn profile, where you can show your certifications to potential employers. This is also great as during your interviewing process you can provide certifications of being competent in the required Microsoft office programmes.  

What is the Microsoft Innovative Educator Programs and what to do?  

The Microsoft Innovative Educator Programs are great and are not necessary for just educators, I am hoping when I go to gain employment after university that these accreditations will stand as I do have the knowledge regarding Microsoft and it’s products that I have stated on my CV. 

I found theses course to be educational and engaging. The Microsoft innovate educator courses are online and therefore were easy to fit around my busy schedule. 

 These courses are mostly videos with an interactive quiz built into the video itself. Therefore, as the video plays along you must follow along within a new document within the website page. 

I chose to complete a course pathway first which included “Getting started with OneNote” and “Getting started with Office 365 and Windows” I found these to be simple and faster than the 1 hour time Microsoft had said they would take to complete. I find these useful and there was many hints and tips I did not know about this software.   

To gain your Microsoft Innovative Educator badge you need to complete 2 hours training and therefore by passing these courses I had done this. I found some of the learning pathways to be interesting and therefore chose to continue on with these. Below is some of the certifications I have gained through this programme.  

By Katie McCarthy and Daniel Bresnahan (Student Interns)

In the world of finding a job, there are many candidates competing against each other for a small pool of jobs. But there is a way that candidates can stand out amongst the crowd…. it’s a handy social media platform called LinkedIn.  

LinkedIn is a social networking site where you can show off your abilities and network with top professionals from all over the world. It might assist you in landing direct internships and career possibilities by referring you to your network. 

To take use of LinkedIn’s power as a student, you’ll need a great LinkedIn profile that can attract the attention of professionals on the platform. 

So here’s some steps to create the best LinkedIn profile. 

Step 1: Add a profile picture  

Did you know that profiles with a picture are 11 times more likely to be clicked on? So first impressions, even online, make a real impact. Don’t forget to make sure the background is clear, and your face is in the centre with nothing obstructing your face.  

Here’s an example of the most beautiful profile you’ll ever set your eyes on  

Step 2: Create an eye-catching header  

A great headline showcases your current position and also your interests, this is the best way to highlight your current area of study and also what you may want to do in the future. So be yourself and show off who you are! 

Step 3: Show off how professional you are with a summary  

Your summary should include an introduction to yourself as well as an overview of your academic and extracurricular accomplishments. 

Here’s an example: 

When you’re just starting out in the professional world, it’s a good idea to add industry-specific keywords to your profile summary. Recruiters and hiring managers will be able to locate you more easily in search results as a result of this.  

Don’t be afraid to sell yourself and show your best self, you never know when a recruiter comes across your profile and would like to interview you, so having a great summary to present yourself will attract the right people to you.  

Step 4: Show off your brilliant mind with your education 

Create a list of all of the schools and colleges you’ve attended, along with their descriptions. 

It is always useful to add your university to your LinkedIn profile as it makes it easier to locate uni alumni, faculty and friends. You’ll be able to communicate with each other and keep track of what they’re up to this way. There could also be a chance that a person that attended the same uni is also in the company you want to work for, so you can now network with those people to ask questions and build a relationship.  

Step 5: Showcase your volunteering and experiences 

Let your volunteering and experiences do all the talking when it comes to how much you have worked hard to gain valuable transferable skills. If you don’t have volunteering experience or a job yet, it is a good idea to start building up experiences as all industries want people to have experience. 

Step 6: What skills do you have?  

Keeping track of important skills on your profile can help you locate better internships and career connections. Here’s an idea, get your friends that have worked on group projects with you to endorse your skills, or even a previous employer. The skills you emphasise will make you stand out amongst other people. 

Step 7: Add languages you are fluent in 

To add a language to your profile, first click on ‘Add a section’, then ‘Accomplishment’ and ‘Languages’ can be found under this section.  

Knowing languages other than your native tongue is incredibly advantageous in today’s world since being able to converse in different languages allows you to build genuine communication with others. 

So, if you’re multilingual, list those languages in the accomplishments area. Select your language proficiency level as well. 

Step 8: Don’t forget your certificates and award  

If you’ve earned any certificates or LinkedIn Learning courses, this is a great way to show off your extra-curricular activities, and your dedication to other activities other than school. It shows that you are interesting and that you have a life outside of just school or work.  

Step 9: Join LinkedIn Groups  

Put your self out there and start joining groups so that you can build a community on LinkedIn this will only further your profile as a student and gain you more connections. Join groups that you are interested in and start conversations and build relationships.  

Step 10: Start connecting with professionals and friends  

It’s so important to connect with classmates, teachers, and alumni, they should definitely be at the top of your priorities list when connecting with others. There are so many opportunities that will be open to you career wise when you are contacting people that have also attended your university or college – they can provide some advice and tips on how they got into the industry they are in. Later on, you might want to seek out more industry professionals and build contact with them. It’s always nice to respond to your contacts’ postings and professionally ask relevant questions. 

If you need any career help, Edge Hill provides a lot of help for students that want to prepare for the working world whether it’s interviews to gaining more experience or even discussing career options.  

If you want some support from Careers, click here for the careers page. You can also book an appointment.

By Gifty Reji (Student Intern)

It feels like so much has happened since I last wrote telling you all about my fifth week in the Internship, but here we are on Week 8. You can read my previous blog here – https://blogs.edgehill.ac.uk/learningedge/2021/07/16/week-5-a-week-in-the-life-of-a-student-intern/

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