Why badges?
Badges are a way to recognize learned skills, thus allowing students to demonstrate their learning path based on outcomes. Badges validate both formal and informal achievement, and employers are beginning to use badges to recognize the acquisition of “soft-skills,” such as problem-solving persistence, etc. Some school districts have adopted badges to “emphasize and support college readiness among learners” (NMC Horizon Report: 2015 K-12 Edition, p.44), while badges are also being used to innovate, digitize and personalize teacher professional development. Classroom teachers, schools and districts are using badges to recognize a variety of milestones, socially, emotionally and academically. Although debate exists regarding the efficacy of badges, badges are gaining in popularity.
Below are two roundtable chats that I viewed in 2014 on using Badges or Micro-credentialing as a strategy to personalize learning.
Badges are a way to recognize learned skills, thus allowing students to demonstrate their learning path based on outcomes. Badges validate both formal and informal achievement, and employers are beginning to use badges to recognize the acquisition of “soft-skills,” such as problem-solving persistence, etc. Some school districts have adopted badges to “emphasize and support college readiness among learners” (NMC Horizon Report: 2015 K-12 Edition, p.44), while badges are also being used to innovate, digitize and personalize teacher professional development. Classroom teachers, schools and districts are using badges to recognize a variety of milestones, socially, emotionally and academically. Although debate exists regarding the efficacy of badges, badges are gaining in popularity.
Below are two roundtable chats that I viewed in 2014 on using Badges or Micro-credentialing as a strategy to personalize learning.
The “Should we use Badges and Micro-credentials for learning?” Roundtable (link to planning document for the video)
February 7, 2014
February 7, 2014
The "How Do We Shift Teacher and Leader Practice With Outcome-Based Badges and Self-Reflection?" Roundtable (link to roundtable document for the video)
March 5, 2014
Learning About Badging: My first experience
My first real experience with badges occurred when I took a CEET Meets course in 2013 on the Moodle Learning Management System (professional development on my own time). My first badge was the Moodle Commander Badge seen below. For me, the badge was a motivator and it spurred me on to learn throughout the course; however, the experience differed from participant to participant.
My first real experience with badges occurred when I took a CEET Meets course in 2013 on the Moodle Learning Management System (professional development on my own time). My first badge was the Moodle Commander Badge seen below. For me, the badge was a motivator and it spurred me on to learn throughout the course; however, the experience differed from participant to participant.
A course on the process of badging
In December 2013 I took another CEET Meets course, this time a 4 day course on badging. The course, run by Sue Hellman and David LeBlanc (David LeBlanc also ran the Moodle course noted above), encouraged me to think carefully about the planning process for the implementation of badges. We used templates and https://www.openbadges.me/ to practice with graphic design. Of course, there are a variety of free badges and online programs/apps one can use to create your own badges. Sue Hellman then ran another workshop on badging over the three days of the DL Conference in 2014 (see the slide presentation below). Both courses provided a wealth of information!
In December 2013 I took another CEET Meets course, this time a 4 day course on badging. The course, run by Sue Hellman and David LeBlanc (David LeBlanc also ran the Moodle course noted above), encouraged me to think carefully about the planning process for the implementation of badges. We used templates and https://www.openbadges.me/ to practice with graphic design. Of course, there are a variety of free badges and online programs/apps one can use to create your own badges. Sue Hellman then ran another workshop on badging over the three days of the DL Conference in 2014 (see the slide presentation below). Both courses provided a wealth of information!
Digital/Open Badges CEET Meet Apr 2014 vs2 compr
More presentations from Sue Hellman
The Badge Planning Pack below demonstrates a part of the badge planning process (and my learning through the CEET Meets)
The resultant badge:
Online Navigator Badge Rubric |
Badges I earned through the learning process
moodlemeets badge requirements.pdf |
OLTD 509 Reference Article:
NMC (2015). NMC Horizon Report: 2015 K-12 Edition. Austin, Texas: The New Media Consortium. p. 44-46. Retrieved from http://www.nmc.org/nmc-horizon/
NMC (2015). NMC Horizon Report: 2015 K-12 Edition. Austin, Texas: The New Media Consortium. p. 44-46. Retrieved from http://www.nmc.org/nmc-horizon/