Designed for Success: Professional Development & Digital Badges ICE 2015 Angela Elkordy Assistant Professor, Learning Sciences National College of Education, National Louis University 2/27/2015 1

Eric Whitacre’s Virtual Choir: Paradise

Follow along:

Quick Check: Audience (who’s here?) What do you know (if anything) about digital badges? What do you want to know? 4 Already Know Want to Know Learned?

Collaborate -- backchannel:

Big Picture Overview What are digital badges? What are Competency-based models of professional development Why digital badges for professional learning? View examples of badges and badging systems How can I leverage digital badges to add value and transparency in learning environments Where to find additional resources 6

Why do we need new ways to measure and communicate learning? 7

Digital age learners…. Socio-cultural contexts …

Educator roles & digital age learners… when learning is continuous, in and out of school Life-long and life-wide learners What is valued as “Learning?”

What are digital badges?

They are images… with “metadata” (data about data) attached Come in two main flavors: Open & Proprietary 11

evidence-based; acknowledge and communicate skills; flexible; granular; “common assessments.” Digital badges “of” learning

Robust digital badge assessments : are transparent; scaffold learning; motivate learners; communicate expectations widely; reinforce and strengthen important metacognitive skills can be used to recognize, assess and communicate a wide variety of skills; differentiate. Digital badges “for” learning

Why do we need digital badges and micro-credentialing? 14 What are micro- credentials anyway?

Source: Building Badges for Informal Learning Environments: Track learning over time

Establish credentials and skills in learning community for: Elementary Teachers Middle School Teachers High School Teachers Specialists Professional Student Supports Paraprofessionals Administrators Why do we need digital badges? Image credit: Carlosae: Fractal-Kaleidoscope

Audiences: Administrators Parents Students Community members Potential employers Colleagues Family & friends Image credit: Carlosae: Fractal-Kaleidoscope Why do we need digital badges?

Competency-based Learning measures learning and skills acquisition versus seat-time 18

Badges & Competency Learning Report by Pearson / Acclaim: “some significant limitations” to traditional diplomas: 1. Diplomas lack transparency and granularity. 2. College grades are subjective – and can be a low quality indicator of real competence. 3. Competency-based criteria that map learning to job requirements effectively complement the grades on a college transcript and provide better information for employers evaluating candidates. 4. For diplomas, institutional reputation drives value, not job relevance. 19

Badges & Competency Learning Report by Pearson / Acclaim: 5. New learning providers challenge the status quo. Today’s students have more learning options than ever before. 6. The traditional accreditation processes must evolve. 7. Learners are not in control of their own qualifications. 8. Learners need to make informed college investment choices. 9. Connecting learning and career pathways. 20

Digital badges are Competency-based What can you *do*? Evidence based Performance tasks Visible learning 21

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.” 22

What do you value? 23 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?

What do you value? 24

Creating “Professional Presence” 25 What can I do with my digital badges? Link to professional presences Blogs Linked In Portfolios Section on Resume / CV Keep in Digital Backpack and share links Wikis Print out Share on social media Create digital transcript

Digital Badges and Professional Credentials 26

What types of badges are available for educators? 27 Aren’t we at the beginning of all this badge business…?

Achievement (specific criteria) Affiliation (belonging) Aptitudes or traits Demonstration of specific skills (products) Incremental (toward a goal) Participation (events, classes, meetings) Social capital (mentoring, collaborating, team building) Kinds of badges

Creating Digital Badge Frameworks 29

Top Ten Reasons to Use Digital Badges for Educator P.D. (A. Elkordy Fontichiaro, 1.Track educators learning over time. 2. Show educators professional growth over time (“constellations”) 3. Create a framework for comprehensive staff development 4. Create a platform for dialogue about knowledge and skills development 5. Targeted skills development 30

6. Create and share digital skills portfolios 7. Establish a culture of accountability with flexibility 8. Motivate adult learners 9. Re-energize attitudes toward professional development 10. Create an eportfolio for exploring career opportunities 11. Foster positive culture and shared vision. 31 Top Ten Reasons to Use Digital Badges for Educator P.D. (A. Elkordy Fontichiaro,

Turn and Talk. What do you think? 32

Examples ….. possibilities 33 Life long and life wide learning aren’t going away! Neither are alternative credentials!

Mblem: U of M Digital Badges 34

Pearson’s Acclaim: 35

Earn Angela’s Action Research badge 36

Earn Angela’s Teacher Researcher 1 badge: Proposal 37

Great Lakes Science Teacher Badging 38

Reconnect Learning 39 t/

Competency-based Teacher (Digital Promise) 40

Digital Badges: 41

Pilot: Digital Promise 42

Teaching Matters: Teacher Leadership Micro-credentials 43

Badges for Educators

Earn a badge! 45 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.

A digital badge template 46

Design Tools

Resources: Digital Badges Pearltrees (

Thank you! For more information, visit Or contact Angela Elkordy call (734) (Google voice) Questions?