Review by Melissa Powers, Common Sense Education | Updated July 2018
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Cirkled In

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Basic e-profile for college-bound students

Subjects & skills
Subjects
N/A
Skills
  • Character & SEL
  • College & Career Prep
Grades This grade range is based on learning appropriateness and doesn't take into account privacy. It's determined by Common Sense Education, not the product's publisher.
8–12
Great for:
Common Sense says (See details)
Teachers say (0)
Not yet reviewed
Price:  Free
Platforms:  Website

Take a look inside

5 images
A student profile includes a place for students to write about themselves, upload profile images, and list achievements.
In each profile section, students can write about particular achievements and upload supporting files.
The student dashboard's personal and potentially confidential info doesn't appear on the public profile.
When logged in, students can search the college database and save searches and results.
The activities tab shows progress a student has made toward completing the profile. Students earn points for activities, but the points don't translate to anything tangible.

Pros: A simple way to create a positive digital profile.

Cons: Poorly supported features and out-of-date info detract from the site's main purpose.

Bottom Line: Bare-bones platform lets your resume speak for itself.

How Can I Teach with This Tool?

Cirkled In provides a place for students to build a positive digital presence. It's similar to a social media profile without the social networking part. Teachers can help students create an online profile to highlight their strengths and achievements that employers and college admissions officers would like to know. Think of it as a resume for the modern age: text supplemented with images, videos, and links to student work or news articles. Encourage students to include information about their hobbies and volunteer experiences to create a more well-rounded image than is usually possible in a job or college application. College counselors and mentors are most likely to recommend this tool to students, but creating a Cirkled In profile could also be a good activity during a digital citizenship lesson with the librarian or digital skills teacher.

One note of caution: When creating a profile, students are asked to share personal information including ethnicity, religious affiliation, citizenship status, family income, and phone number. These aren't required fields. This information isn't displayed on the public profile, but Cirkled In doesn't explain what it does with this data.

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Cirkled In is an online resume platform where students can create a positive digital profile to share with colleges and potential employers. Students share details about their academic successes in addition to their hobbies, sports, and work experiences. Students can upload links, documents, images, and videos to demonstrate their talents and achievements. Profile content can be marked as private or public, and profiles can be shared with others via a link. Profiles are not searchable. Students can request recommendations from teachers, coaches, or mentors that appear in the profile. There's also a college search function, so students can start exploring college options.

Cirkled In has the potential to be a useful digital tool for students. More tech-savvy students may already have their own websites or online resumes, but Cirkled In offers a simple template that works for almost anyone. It isn't beautiful, but it's functional and mobile-friendly. While the online profile function is useful, other parts of the tool seem pointless. Users can earn points for completing the profile and soliciting other users, but the points don't translate into anything tangible. Then there's the college search feature, which would be cool if you could submit your profile directly to a college admissions department through Cirkled In, or even chat with an admissions officer. But you can't. It's just a database of colleges with inaccurate and out-of-date information. Finally, there's the half-constructed feeling of the website itself. The support pages are empty, there are broken links throughout the website, and the whole experience just doesn't meet expectations.

Overall Rating
Engagement Is the product stimulating, entertaining, and engrossing? Will kids want to return?

Lacking the customization of a website and the social connections of a networking site, Cirkled In is functional, not fun.

Pedagogy Is learning content seamlessly baked-in, and do kids build conceptual understanding? Is the product adaptable and empowering? Will skills transfer?

Cirkled In encourages students to create comprehensive portfolios by dividing the profile into categories and supporting attachments.

Support Does the product take into account learners of varying abilities, skill levels, and learning styles? Does it address both struggling and advanced students?

Support is limited to a FAQ page and an email address.

Common Sense Reviewer
Melissa Powers Educator
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