Digital Badges!!!

What are badges and why are they important? The second reading this week discussed digital badges.  Tech Learning define a badge as, “a digital recognition for accomplishing a skill or acquiring knowledge after completing an activity.”  How can digital badges be used in the educational field?

Badges can be used in many different forms in the educational field.  Most noticeable, the digital badge is similar to a “badge of honor” in the technological world.  It can showcase your skills through a visual resume.

Not only can digital badges be used as a display to showcase your accomplishments but it can also provide feedback during professional development days.  For example, what if the teachers were given a choice when it comes to professional development opportunities.  Teachers would be given an array of programs to choose from and they would be required to earn a badge to showcase their accomplishment of completing the course.  The teachers can then be held accountable for their learning and provide an opportunity for teachers to be involved in their professional development days.  Let’s face it, our teaching professional development days consist of sitting in an oversized room listening to a person for hours at a time talking about information we may or may not be interested in.  Two years ago, our school required all of our teachers to take part in a professional development day consisting of “speed reading”.  The majority of the faculty was became uninterested when the presenter said you need to skip words.  “As long as you get the general concept of what they are saying.” 

Badges can help involve teachers in their education. So how can we start looking at bringing badges into our school systems?  The Tech Learning article discussed a couple points to keep in mind when looking for an opportunity to implement a badge

• ·       Explore existing badges
• ·       Find an objective
• ·       How will you earn the badge? 
• ·       Specific steps
• ·       Assessments
• ·       Further badge opportunities (series of badges)

Both article discussed various systems that already have badge systems.  Not only are these systems already credible, but they are running and allowing people opportunities to earn badges.  Some of these systems include:

• ·       OpenBadges
• ·       Achievery
• ·       P2PU
• ·       Credly
• ·       Mozilla

The articles touched upon a lack of motivation as a potential hardship for implementing badges to not only teachers but also students.  A lack of credibility as well as incentive is a concern.

My first experience with digital badges is through the course I took during the #itdml coursework. Not only did we curate during that course but we also created various tool and shared them with our peers.  I am very proud of the badges I earned but do not know where to take them from there.  I have heard of some school district using digital badges as a way to perform professional development opportunities for their teachers.  I believe teachers will be able to use digital badges more as technology is pushed into the school systems.  Currently, an interview consist of providing the prospective school with a paper resume, recommendations and other elements.  As schools move more towards the digital wave I feel more schools will find badges to be more credible and even expected.  Unfortunately, my school just isn’t there yet.