Essential Question:
- How do we effectively prepare to present our technical projects to industry professionals at the STEAM showcase?
Learning Objectives:
- Construct a LinkedIn profile that highlights technical skills, education, and projects
- Design a professional business card in Canva that meets the showcase deliverable checklist
- Create and record an elevator pitch that communicates project work without excessive jargon
Standards:
- New York State Learning Standards CDOS 3b — Students who choose a career major will acquire the career specific technical knowledge/skills necessary to progress toward gainful employment, career advancement, and success in postsecondary programs.
- IT Career Cluster Framework ITC02.01.02 — Demonstrate ability to assist customers in a professional manner.
- IT Career Cluster Framework ITC09 — Employability and career development:know and understand the importance of employability skills. Explore, plan, and effectively manage careers. Know and understand the importance of entrepreneurship skills.
- NYS Next Generation Learning Standards SL.6.11-12 — Adapt speech to a variety of contexts and tasks, demonstrating a command of formal English when indicated or appropriate.
Skills:
- Oral/Written Communication (OWC)
- Time Management (TM)
Materials:
- LinkedIn Profile Best Practices: Article + Video
- Business Card Design: Canva Business Cards + Video Tips + Written Tips
- Elevator Pitch: Article + Video + Elevator Pitch Templates
Scaffolds:
Bridging Learning Gaps:
- Sentence starters provided for the LinkedIn headline, summary, and elevator pitch
- Step-by-step checklists embedded directly in each deliverable section
Differentiation:
- Multiple resource formats (articles, videos, templates) provided for each deliverable
- Inline checklists embedded in every section so scholars can self-evaluate before submitting
Extensions:
- Design a second business card variant in Canva with a different visual style
- Record an additional 30-second version of the elevator pitch for short-form contexts
- Once all three deliverables are submitted, continue working on your personal website
Today’s Work (5 Minutes)
You will complete three deliverables today, in order, at your own pace:
- LinkedIn Profile (~40 minutes) — Schoology Assignment 1
- Business Card (~40 minutes) — submitted through Canva (link inside Schoology Assignment 2)
- Elevator Pitch (~45 minutes) — Schoology Assignment 3
Open Schoology now and locate today’s three assignments. Read the entire instructions for each deliverable below before starting it. Each section includes a checklist — use it to self-check your work before you submit.
If you finish a deliverable before the suggested time is up, move on to the next one. Once all three are submitted, continue working on your personal website for any remaining time in the block.
Deliverable 1 — LinkedIn Profile (40 Minutes)
Submission: Paste your public LinkedIn profile URL into Schoology Assignment 1.
Steps
- Sign in to LinkedIn (or create an account if you do not have one).
- Open the LinkedIn Profile Best Practices resources from the materials list. Skim the article or watch the video for guidance.
- Work through every item on the checklist below. Update each section of your profile as you go.
- Before submitting, view your profile as the public sees it and confirm every item is visible.
- Copy your public profile URL and paste it into Schoology Assignment 1.
Sentence Starters
Use these if you are not sure how to begin:
- Headline: “Aspiring [pathway] focused on [technical area] | STEAM Scholar | [skill or interest]”
- Summary: “I am a high school scholar in the STEAM full-stack development pathway. I am building skills in [list 2–3 technologies]. My most recent project, [project name], focused on [problem]. I am interested in [career goal] and looking to connect with professionals in [industry].”
Self-Check Checklist
- Professional profile photo
- Headline that states your technical focus
- Summary that highlights your skills and career goals (3–5 sentences)
- Education section with both STEAM and your home school listed
- At least 5 relevant skills
- Work experience or volunteer activities listed
- Certifications listed (if applicable)
- No spelling or grammatical mistakes
- Profile URL submitted to Schoology Assignment 1
Deliverable 2 — Business Card (40 Minutes)
Submission: This deliverable is submitted inside Canva. You do NOT need to upload anything to Schoology. Click the link inside Schoology Assignment 2 — it will open the Canva business card workspace.
Steps
- Open Schoology Assignment 2 and click the Canva link to open the workspace.
- Choose to start from a Canva template or design from scratch.
- Open the Video Tips and Written Tips resources from the materials list for design guidance.
- Build your card to meet every item on the checklist below.
- Use Canva’s submit/turn-in flow to finalize your design. Submission happens entirely within Canva.
Self-Check Checklist
- Full name prominently displayed
- Professional email address
- LinkedIn URL or personal website URL (a QR code is acceptable)
- Lists your technical focus area or job title
- Clean, professional design with appropriate colors
- Text is easily readable
- No spelling or grammatical mistakes
- Final design submitted through Canva (not Schoology)
Break (10 Minutes)
Deliverable 3 — Elevator Pitch (45 Minutes)
Submission: Record a 60–90 second video of yourself delivering your pitch and upload it to Schoology Assignment 3.
Steps
- Open the Elevator Pitch Templates document from the materials list and make a copy.
- Read the Elevator Pitch article or watch the video for examples and structure.
- Draft your pitch using the template and the sentence starters below.
- Read your pitch aloud at least twice. Time yourself — aim for 60–90 seconds.
- Use your phone or laptop to record yourself delivering the pitch on camera. Speak clearly and look at the camera.
- Watch your recording once and review against the checklist below.
- Upload your final video to Schoology Assignment 3.
Sentence Starters
- “Hi, my name is [name] and I am in the [pathway] pathway at STEAM.”
- “I recently built [project name], which solves [problem] by [solution].”
- “I used [technologies / skills] to build it.”
- “I would love to connect about [internship / career interest / specific topic].”
Self-Check Checklist
- Your name and pathway stated clearly
- Explains your project and the problem it addresses
- Specific technologies or skills mentioned
- Limits technical jargon (a non-technical guest could follow it)
- Ends with a clear next step or call to action
- Video length is 60–90 seconds
- Audio is clear and you are visible on camera
- No filler words dominate the pitch (“um,” “like,” “uh”)
- Video uploaded to Schoology Assignment 3
Submission Check & Reflection / Website Work (10 Minutes)
Before doing anything else, confirm:
- LinkedIn profile URL submitted to Schoology Assignment 1
- Business card submitted through Canva (Schoology Assignment 2 directs you there — no Schoology upload needed)
- Elevator pitch video uploaded to Schoology Assignment 3
Then submit a short reflection in the Schoology Assignment 3 comment box (or in your coding journal):
- On a 1–5 scale, how confident are you in presenting at the showcase?
- Which one of your three deliverables still needs the most refinement before showcase day?
Once your reflection is submitted, continue working on your personal website for any remaining time in the block.
Showcase Materials Rubric
| Criteria | Exemplary (3) | Proficient (2) | Developing (1) | Not Yet (0) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Completeness | All three deliverables submitted; every checklist item met | All three submitted; minor checklist items missed | Two deliverables submitted or several checklist items missed | One or zero deliverables submitted |
| Professionalism | Tone, design, and presentation are consistently professional across all three artifacts | Mostly professional with minor lapses | Noticeable lapses in tone, design, or presentation | Unprofessional tone, design, or presentation |
| Clarity | Pitch, profile, and card communicate technical focus clearly to a non-technical audience | Communication is mostly clear; some jargon or vague phrasing | Communication is unclear or overly technical in places | Audience cannot determine focus or skills |
| Mechanics | No spelling or grammatical errors across any artifact; pitch video has clear audio and visible speaker | One or two minor errors; video is generally clear | Multiple errors; video has audio or framing issues | Errors interfere with understanding |