Say Hello to Xello World!

Xello is a career exploration and planning website that houses a student’s individual career preferences, resumes, and test scores for college and university entry. Students can create their own profile page like LinkedIn and explore hundreds of college and career programs that match their career interest, personality, and skills. Students can also take learning style assessments to receive tips on successful study strategies for the classroom and beyond. Now more than ever student engagement is critical to student success. We've long believe that, to really engage students, programs need to personalizing their learning experience. When it comes to college and career readiness, there isn't a one-size-fits-all approach – every student is unique (PR Newswire, 2020).

Curiosity

With Xello, students can explore at their own pace careers, colleges, majors, and pathways. Students can also personalize their own profiles, create an online portfolio of resumes, experiences and skill sets showcasing who they are and what they can do. Xello can also be used on multiple devices. Students can explore an array of careers with images and videos about multiple careers, videos with interviews from industry workers and receive information on working conditions, job outlook, earnings by location and colleges that would match their chosen pathways. Students can like and dislike careers based on interest. The liked careers would be added to their profile, which would generate lessons and activities based on those interests.

Motivation toward Goals

Xello career assessments pinpoints careers and colleges that would best suit a student’s interest and personality. The program even lists why a career would be suited to them by how they answered questions. The program also encourages students to reflect on their career exploration experiences which builds self-knowledge and confidence in all students. Under the About me page, students create a digital portfolio with work, volunteer, education, and life experiences added. Students can also tell their story by creating storyboards using personal photos and videos. They can also share their profiles with guardians, potential employers and others belonging to their network (Karlin, 2020). Lessons on time management, self-advocacy, study skills and habits to name a few are modules built into the program. To add, lessons on workplace attitude, balancing life and work, and changing careers are also incorporated modules that make students aware of staying healthy and enjoying life and that changes in career may occur in life, how to cope and tips to create a plan.

Completing learning Task Successfully

Xello program helps make student success a community affair. Teachers, counselors, administration, and school officials connect to Xello to see a student’s progress and track interests starting in elementary school. In high school ACT and SAT scores can be added. Recently, Xello has incorporated the Common App, a non-profit dedicated to access, equity, and integrity in the college admission process (PRNewswire, 2020) to help students with the college application process for over 900 colleges and universities. Teachers and career counselors do not only have access to data, they can also customize and add their own assignments to Xello. Students can also create their course plan for each year of high school to keep track of their own progress and review lessons that were completed priorly. The takeaway is that Xello engages students by giving them the opportunity to take ownership in their own learning and investment in their future. Students become more engaged in classroom learning after attaining knowledge of the requirement and need of skills gained toward future endeavors. Xello is a one-stop shop to start the investment process of a student’s lifestyle and career choice.

References

Central Valley High School Counseling Center (2018). Xello Introduction Video. Youtube.com. Retrieved from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fR5-gB-gVDs.

Karlin, Mike (2020). Xello: Prepare K-12 Students for a Successful Future. The EdTech Round Up. Retrieved from http://www.edtechroundup.org/reviews/xello-prepare-k-12-students-for-a-successful-future.

PR Newswire. (2020). Osceola County School District Selects Xello for K-12 College and Career Readiness. PR Newswire US.

PR Newswire. (2020). Xello Partners with Common App to Streamline College Applications. PR Newswire US.

Xello.com. Xello for Middle and High School: Prepare Students for a Successful Future. Xello.com. Retrieved from https://xello.world/en/middle-and-high-school/.