Learning by Design with Digital Badges ISTE 2015 Angela Elkordy Assistant Professor, Learning Sciences National College of Education National Louis University, Chicago, IL

Eric Whitacre’s Virtual Choir: Paradise

Today’s session Wednesday, July 1 st Room 115B Turn your class into an innovation space or iSpace using digital badging. Leverage learning for students by encouraging digital literacy skills acquired in self-motivated, interest learning. If you have been looking for ways to create learning pathways with varying ideas for performance assessments, this session is for you! Follow along:

Fast Track: Overview What do you know already about digital badges? Why do we need new ways to recognize learning? What are “digital badges”? What are iSpaces? So…. How’s it done?! Where to find additional resources

Focal points…. Design and Develop Digital-Age Learning Experiences and Assessments The badge design promotes the integration of students' learning in informal contexts, much of which are digital media and learning skills. The badge design functions as a bridge between learning contexts and encourages teacher reflection on the learning outcomes and processes. Facilitate and Inspire Student Learning and Creativity What’s the point?

Collaborate -- backchannel:

Where to find more info… #badgechatk12 (next page) Twitter chat, Mondays at 6:00 p.m. EST Archives, resources, awesome people! Angela’s Pearltrees curated resources Connect with Angela on LinkedIn (Angela Elkordy) 7

K12 resources, outstanding PLN! Love this group! Sharing and supportive. Shout out to Noah Founder

Resources: Digital Badges Pearltrees (

10 Resources: Digital Badges Pearltrees (

Learn more about badges: Also, a new book, “Foundations of Digital Badges” is coming out within the next few months!

Earn a badge! 12 1.Design a standards- aligned digital badge (for students) or 2.Design a badge to recognize professional competencies 3.Include 3 badge criteria 4.Include 3 possible kinds of “evidence” of meeting the criteria (e.g. video, document, presentation, digital artifact etc.

What are the characteristics of powerful learning environments? 13 Turn and Talk.

So, thinking about learning…. why do we need new ways to recognize learning?

Digital age learners…. Evolving socio- cultural contexts …

Educator roles…… have been changing with digital age learners… Learning is continuous, in and out of school

Learning is Life-Long & Life-Wide Who knew so many adults are “Makers” at heart??

What are your learners…. (students, teachers, professionals) learning? 18

How do traditional qualifications “work”? Paper basedNot specific Knowledge & basic skills Not transparent Ineffectively communicate What do you know? Teen smile… ;-)

Why recognize informal learning? 20

Digital badges can bridge… 21 Formal Learning (classrooms) Informal Learning (everywhere else) Skills Recognition

What are Digital Badges (Microcredentials)?

Badge Basics: What’s in a Digital Badge? Data …..about data (metadata)CriteriaEvidenceImageBadging Platform 23

Where are badges stored and displayed? In dedicated digital badging platforms (private and public) Integrated into learning management systems (Edmodo, Makewaves, Blackboard) On web pages and other web publishing spaces Mozilla Backpack -- Open Badge Infrastructure (OBI) compliant digital On windows! 24

What makes badges “work”? Value Design (criteria) Communication Purpose/Use 25 Precious…..!

What do you value? 26 Skill sets? Specialized content knowledge? Competencies? Data Review Protocols? Intrapersonal skills? Snazzy Technology Skills? Classroom management and organization Pedagogical knowledge? ESL/ Poverty? Snazzy Technology Skills?

For whom would digital badges “work”? Why?

Establish credentials and skills in learning community for: Students Elementary Teachers Middle School Teachers High School Teachers Professional Student Supports Paraprofessionals Staff Administrators Parents Learning community members: Image credit: Carlosae: Fractal-Kaleidoscope

Digital badges are Competency-based What can you *do*? Evidence based Performance tasks Visible learning 29

Competency-based Learning measures learning and skills acquisition versus seat-time 30

Teacher Story: Visible Learning, Competencies, Skills -- What do you value? Teacher B: “I wish there was some way… I wish that you could quantify students’ feelings in a classroom.” Teacher A: “Even us, with our evaluations…‘builds positive relationships with students is a little checkbox. It's yes, you do, or you don't.” [ Teacher B: That's a crazy thing to say yes or no to.] “So you know to have badges, or have other things that kind of quantify more what actually goes into that. And what having good relationships with your students gets you as a teacher. And for them, in terms of fewer referrals, better grades, and things like that.” 31

Student Story #1 Bilal

Innovating… Bilal and others like him….innovators and catalysts

Ok, so how do we actually do this?

Let’s make a badge! (We Do) 35 We Do

Make a badge image… 36

Credly.com (I do) 37

Design (or lack thereof…) makes the difference 38

Design the badge: Source: Bing Images, (CC) Creator: Benjamin Simon criteria, image, learning products and the learning context

Sample badge design

Understanding by Design What are the learning targets? What kind of products will evidence learning? What kinds of activities and experiences will support mastery learning? Bonus: instantly reflective! How can I *teach* these concepts to ensure learning? Digital badge assessments can align well with the idea of critically looking at learning and mastery of concepts can be evidenced Digital badges can guide or scaffold learning, leading to greater understanding Through performance activities, learning is made “visible” Design for Understanding

Design Tools

Create the badge: digital badging systems Up and running suggestions: Classbadges.com (not OBI compliant) Credly.com K-12 learning management systems: Edmodo, Makewaves ForAllRubrics.com

Resource: Web-based badge software: 44

Digital Badging Systems: Classbadges.com

Digital Badging Systems: Makewav.es

Assess: did the learner meet the badge criteria? Ask me about “Teacherception” & metacognition!

Feedback: guide (and maybe inspire!) the learner or…. Tip: Great for Formative Assessment!

Award the badge: using digital badging platform

Claim: badge earners “collect” badges