OURSE TITLE:
DIGITAL BADGES IN YOUR CLASSROOM
NO OF CREDITS:
3 QUARTER CREDITS
[Semester equivalent = 2.00 credits]
WA CLOCK HRS:
OREGON PDUs:
INSTRUCTOR:
Michael Boll, M.A.
Michael@innovativepd.com
(541) 255-2410
30
30
LEARNING ENVIRONMENT:
All assignments modules can be viewed by heading to our website: http://smarturl.it/badgesoverview
Please note that this course requires assignment responses to be posted in a password-secured ONLINE
website hosted by The Heritage Institute.
COURSE DESCRIPTION:
Badges have been around for many thousands of years. They serve as a way to recognize various
behaviors, grant recognition, increase status, and more. However, the traditional badge will be replaced
by a digital badge.
While the rapid changes in the delivery of education are not yet fully realized, we do know that there are
multiple ways to deliver content. We don’t know how it will all look 10 or more years from now but
we do know that learners (young and old) will need a way to be recognized for their skills. While the
traditional diploma has done this job for centuries, there is a newer, more powerful way before us now:
Digital Badges!
Digital Badges, or micro-credentials as they are sometimes called, will one day (maybe soon) replace the
traditional diploma for a variety of reasons including:
• Ease of verification
• Ease of display on social media profiles and websites
• Ease of scalability
This course will help you understand how badges work, how to use them in your classroom or school,
how to design them and how to deliver and display them.
LEARNING OUTCOMES:
Upon completion of this course, participants will:
1. Understand what digital badges and micro-credentialing are and their role in the future of
education
2. The “why” for using digital badges in the classroom
3. How to setup a digital backpack
4. How and where to create (artwork) digital badges
5. Methods to gamify and create currency for your badges and badge program
6. How to issue digital badges to a variety of learners and platforms
7. Design a best use case for a classroom or school wide digital badge program
COURSE REQUIREMENTS:
Participants will complete assignments and post responses to specific questions for each assignment
online. Completion of all specified assignments is required for issuance of hours or credit. The Heritage
Institute does not award partial credit.
HOURS EARNED:
Completing the basic assignments (Section A. Information Acquisition) for this course automatically earns
participants their choice of 30 Washington State Clock Hours or 30 Oregon PDUs. The Heritage Institute
is an approved provider of Washington State Clock Hours and Oregon PDUs.
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UNIVERSITY QUARTER CREDIT INFORMATION
REQUIREMENTS FOR UNIVERSITY QUARTER CREDIT
Continuing Education Quarter credits are awarded by Antioch University Seattle (AUS). AUS requires
75% or better for credit at the 400 level (Upper Division) and 85% or better to issue credit at the 500 level
(Post-Baccalaureate). These criteria refer both to the amount and quality of work submitted.
1. Completion of Information Acquisition assignments
30%
2. Completion of Learning Application assignments
40%
3. Completion of Integration Paper assignment
30%
CREDIT/NO CREDIT (No Letter Grades or Numeric Equivalents on Transcripts)
Antioch University Seattle (AUS) Continuing Education (CE) Quarter credit is offered on a Credit/No
Credit basis; neither letter grades nor numeric equivalents are on a transcript. 400 level credit is equal to
a “C” or better, 500 level credit is equal to a “B” or better. This information is on the back of the transcript.
AUS CE quarter credits may or may not be accepted into degree programs. Prior to registering determine
with your district personnel, department head or state education office the acceptability of these credits for
your purpose
ADDITIONAL COURSE INFORMATION
COURSE MATERIAL and/or TECHNICAL REQUIREMENTS:
You will need high-speed (DSL) Internet access in order to easily view online resources. Some of the
reading materials may be provided in the online course environment as PDF documents, a format
readable by computers with Adobe Acrobat Reader. You may download a free copy of Acrobat Reader
from our website, www.hol.edu, if it is not already on your computer.
REQUIRED TEXTBOOK
None
GETTING STARTED
● After registering for the course, you will be sent an email with the website address, password and
course key you need to access your online course, along with log in instructions.
● Access each assignment listed here in the online course environment and enter your responses.
● Write your responses in a WORD document and then ‘copy/paste’ them into the Responses box.
● When all assignments are completed, CLICK the 'ALL ASSIGNMENTS COMPLETED'. The instructor
will be notified that you have completed all assignments.
● After the instructor reviews your work and enters his responses you will be notified by email. You will
be instructed to log in and view those responses. SAVE a copy of assignments and responses.
NOTES TO ALL PARTICIPANTS
● You are not required to be present (i.e. online) specific days or times. You will work at your own pace.
● All responses will be posted online. Large documents, files, photographs or PowerPoint presentations
may be attached as part of your response by using the “Share A File” option.
● You may work collaboratively and submit similar responses on all assignments except the Integration
Paper, which must be individually authored.
● To maintain privacy, please do not refer to students in your papers by their actual names, but rather
use an alias or designation such as “Student A.”
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ASSIGNMENTS REQUIRED FOR HOURS OR UNIVERSITY QUARTER CREDIT
A.
INFORMATION ACQUISITION
Assignment #1: What Are Digital Badges?
At first I thought the concept of digital badging was rather simple. The military has been issuing badges
for thousands of years, how much different can digital badges be? Um, well they are different. Not so
much in why we award them, but the process of awarding and accepting them has changed.
Old Way
It went something like this:
• Individual (student, teacher, parent) accomplishes a goal, meets a requirement, wins a race, etc.
• Badge is handed to the individual to keep, sew on his/her jacket, hang on the wall, etc.
So easy!
New Way
• Individual (student, teacher, parent) accomplishes a goal, meets a requirement, wins a race, etc.
• Teacher, mentor, supervisor grants the badge to an individual via email or a claim code.
• Individual accepts badge.
• Individual displays the badge on his/her website and/or social media sites.
Link to assignments, resources and more: Read the assignment instructions, online articles referred
to and view the videos and complete the writing/posting. http://smarturl.it/badges1
Assignment #2: Setting Up Your Badge Backpack
The digital backpack is where badges are stored. This service is offered by Mozilla for free and is, really,
the heart of the entire program. In the old days, badges were awarded as physical objects. Today they
can be awarded as digital objects. However, if you have multiple digital awards from multiple awarding
agencies, it is a pain to tie them all together. The digital backpack changes all that! The Mozilla
OpenBadges Backpack stores your badges in one easy to use location. From there, individuals choose
where they would like to display the badges. They can also decide to display some, none or all of their
badges. This is really handy and helpful to all of us. For example, a grade five student likely wants to
display every badge he/she earns, but a high school student applying for university may want to be more
selective.
Link to assignments, resources and more: Read the assignment instructions, online articles referred
to and view the videos and complete the writing/posting. http://smarturl.it/badges2
Assignment #3: Earn Your First Badge Away From Mozilla
I am happy to give you a badge for the work you have done so far. I am that nice. Really, this is just
another chance to test the badge earning process using another site. It’s called Credly.com I want you to
interact with that site and see if it meets your own badging needs. Credly.com is a free site and is
currently maintained by Mozilla. It also integrates with Persona, the login system used in the last lesson.
Link to assignments, resources and more: Read the assignment instructions, online articles referred
to and view the videos and complete the writing/posting. http://smarturl.it/badges3
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Assignment #4: Digital Badge Ideas: Start With The Why
Now that you you have a better understanding of what digital badges are, it is time to come up with some
ideas for generating them.
To get this process going, we will start with the "why." Why are you building the badges in the first place?
This is an important question to answer as you will often hear people say "oh, you want to do what the
Boy Scouts do." Badging, as you know now, is much bigger than that.
Link to assignments, resources and more: Read the assignment instructions, online articles referred
to and view the videos and complete the writing/posting. http://smarturl.it/badges4
Assignment #5: Creating Digital Badges (Artwork)
So now you have your badge idea and you want to create your own badge to use in your classroom. At
my school one of the teachers graciously volunteered to make badges for everybody. If you can find that
person at your school, super! However, you may need to make them on your own. If you have a digital
art background, then this will be an easy project for you. If not, then you might want to consider using one
of the badge design resources available on the web.
Link to assignments, resources and more: Read the assignment instructions, online articles referred
to and view the videos and complete the writing/posting. http://smarturl.it/badges5
Assignment #6: Gamify Your Digital Badge Program To Create Currency
The sad reality is that the act of creating a badge does not mean anybody wants it. However, don’t give
up hope! It is totally possible, maybe easy, to ensure your badge program is popular among your
constituents.
You just need to build in currency!
Currency is “the fact or quality of being generally accepted or in use.” Example: “the term gained currency
during the second half of the 20th century”
For a badge to be popular, it must be seen as having worth. The same goes for real money. That is just
paper right? But we all believe it has value, so therefore it does. An easy, quick and fast way to create
badge currency in your class or organization is to add a gaming element such as leveling up. This usually
means the first couple of badges are attainable by everybody, but the last couple of badges are very
difficult to get. If you can earn it, people are impressed!
Link to assignments, resources and more: Read the assignment instructions, online articles referred
to and view the videos and complete the writing/posting. http://smarturl.it/badges6
Assignment #7 How To Issue a Digital Badge
Now that you have your badge ideas and have created a badge, time to put that badge someplace and
award it to people. This section requires a little bit of technical effort. Nothing too horrible, but you might
have to navigate a small learning curve. Basically we are going upload your badge to a website, where it
will live, and then award it to someone. I always send the first badge to myself first to make sure it is
working well before awarding it to a group of students, etc.
Link to assignments, resources and more: Read the assignment instructions, online articles referred
to and view the videos and complete the writing/posting. http://smarturl.it/badges7
This completes the assignments required for Hours.
Continue to the next section for additional assignments required for University Quarter Credit.
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ADDITIONAL ASSIGNMENTS REQUIRED FOR UNIVERSITY QUARTER CREDIT
B.
LEARNING APPLICATION
(Required for 400 and 500 Level)
In this section you will apply your learning to your professional situation. This course assumes that most
participants are classroom teachers who have access to students. If you are not teaching in a classroom,
please contact the instructor for course modifications. If you are a classroom teacher and start or need to
complete this course during the summer, please try to apply your ideas when possible with youth from
your neighborhood, at a local public library or parks department facility, (these will often be glad to
sponsor community-based learning), or with students in another teacher’s summer classroom in session.
Assignment #8: Badge Program Readings
Catching up with the rapid changes in the badge and micro-credentialing movement is an ongoing battle
right now. How this whole movement shakes out and eventually becomes standardized is unclear; this is
typical of any new product or idea as it comes into the mainstream. As an early adopter, you can get a
head start on shaping the discussion. Keeping up with the latest information on badges is one way to
have a clearer view of the future.
Link to assignments, resources and more: Read the assignment instructions, online articles referred
to and view the videos and complete the writing/posting. http://smarturl.it/badges8
Assignment #9: Architect Your Digital Badge Program
At this point you have a badge idea, design, location to host your badge, badge backpack, etc. Let’s take
all those skills together and architect (map out) a digital badge program for your classroom, school or
organization. This will give you a plan and will help you move forward from idea phase to execution
phase. Design your plan and work your plan, and write a 1-2 page summary of what you did (including
URL’s) for your results.
Link to assignments, resources and more: Read the assignment instructions, online articles referred
to and view the videos and complete the writing/posting. http://smarturl.it/badges9
Assignment #10: Create a Badge Program You Can Use
There are a variety of badge hosting options out there and more are added on a regular basis. We don’t
really know which ones work the best or the various needs out there. Let’s fix that.
Option A
1. Take a look at all the badge hosting options on this list and write an evaluation for each of the
sites. Please complete that outline using this online form. Please fill out a separate evaluation for
each hosting service.
2. In the comments section below, Provide a link to your favorite service and a quick explanation as
to why you picked it. This will help other people as they look for badge hosting services.
OR
Option B
1. Create a 30 minute or longer presentation for your school, building, district, etc., about digital badges.
Be sure to include many of the things found in the first seven lessons of this course. Feel free to use
my presentations as examples. You can find them here and here.
2. Upload your presentation to SlideShare.com In your HOL response box, paste in the link to your
presentation on SlideShare.
OR
Option C
Another assignment of your own choosing with the instructor’s prior approval.
Link to assignments, resources and more: Read the assignment instructions and complete the
writing/posting. http://smarturl.it/badges10
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ADDITIONAL ASSIGNMENTS REQUIRED FOR UNIVERSITY QUARTER CREDIT
500 LEVEL ASSIGNMENT
Assignment #11:
(500 Level Only)
In addition to the 400 level assignments, complete one of the following:
Option A
Research Assignment
Write a 2-3 page paper that discusses the pedagogical benefits of using a badging system in the
classroom. Specifically discuss how a rewards system can become an extrinsic motivator of student
behavior.
OR
Option B
Badges and the Common Core
If you teach in a location that follows the Common Core, then designing a badge system that integrates
with Common Core standards may be very helpful.
1. Read the articles about badge systems and the Common Core
a. Girl Scout Badges Aligned to Common Core
b. Badges and the Common Core
2. Take a look at the Common Core standards and locate which ones apply to you. (Mastery Connect
has a great iPad app for this.)
3. Pick a standard from the list and build a sample digital badge program. Take a look at this sample to
help you.
Upload your work to your THI online response box Assignment #11.
C.
INTEGRATION PAPER
(Required for 400 and 500 Level)
Assignment #12:
Complete the requirements for university quarter credit by submitting a 2-3 page Integration Paper.
A heading is required. Please use the following format:
Your Name:
Date:
Course Name:
Course Number:
Number of Credits:
Level (400 or 500):
Advisor’s Name:
Respond online to each of the 5 questions below. (First list the question and then write your answer)
1. What did you learn vs. what you expected to learn from this course?
2. What aspects of the course were most helpful and why?
3. What further knowledge and skills in this general area do you feel you need?
4. How, when and where will you use what you have learned?
5. How and with what other school or community members might you share what you learned?
Upload your work to your THI online response box Assignment #12
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INSTRUCTOR COMMENTS ON YOUR WORK:
Be sure to mark the “All Assignments Completed” section in the online course environment to
notify the instructor that you have completed the course.
Upon receiving notification of your completion of all course assignments, your instructor will provide final
written comments in the HOL online environment.
QUALIFICATIONS FOR TEACHING THIS COURSE:
Michael Boll, M.A. is an Apple Distinguished Educator, Podcaster and Technology Coach at Concordia
International School Shanghai.
Michael enjoys helping educators, parents and students harness the transformative powers of technology
and is an enthusiastic instructional designer and presenter. He works to make his courses and
presentations information packed, slightly provocative and fun.
Michael has a teenage son with profound autism and is keenly interested in the special needs community
and its population of diverse learners. This interest led Michael and his wife, Lori Boll, to open an
innovative school in Shanghai (ShineAcademy.asia) for their son.
For more information about Michael, check out his website.
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DIGITAL BADGES IN YOUR CLASSROOM
BIBLIOGRAPHY
As a new relatively new idea, new articles are coming out all the time. See my FlipBoard for the most
recent articles.
Boll, Michael. "Interview 07 | Emily Goligoski, Open Badges and The Mozilla Foundation." Concordia Ed
Tech Podcast. Concordia International School Shanghai, 7 Feb. 2013. Web. 10 Mar. 2014.
<http://podcast.concordiashanghai.org/blog/2013/02/07/interview-07-emily-goligoski-open-badges-andthe-mozilla-foundation/>.
Boll, Michael. "Tech Talk Roundtable 17 | Bringing Badges to Your Organization.” Concordia. Shanghai,
23 May 2013. 23 May 2013. Web. 11 Mar. 2014.
Bull, Bernard. "Etale – Life in the Digital World." Etale Life in the Digital World. N.p., 27 Jan. 2014. Web.
10 Mar. 2014. <http://etale.org/main/2014/01/27/how-will-badges-and-micro-credentialing-challengeformal-education/>.
Crotty, James Marshall. "Why Get a Pricey Diploma When a Bleepin' Badge Will Do?" Forbes. Forbes
Magazine, 26 Jan. 2012. Web. 10 Mar. 2014.
<http://www.forbes.com/sites/jamesmarshallcrotty/2012/01/26/the-end-of-the-diploma-as-we-know-it/>.
"Digital Badges for Learning." U.S. Department of Education. U.S. Department of Education, n.d. Web.
10 Mar. 2014. <http://www.ed.gov/news/speeches/digital-badges-learning>.
Mozilla Foundation. "Open Badges for Lifelong Learning." (2012): n. pag. Web. 11 Mar. 2014.
<http://www.innovativepd.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/02/OpenBadges-Working-Paper_012312.pdf>.
Vanderkam, Laura. "Micro-credentials | Laura Vanderkam." Laura Vanderkam Microcredentials
Comments. N.p., 1 Dec. 2012. Web. 10 Mar. 2014. <http://lauravanderkam.com/2012/12/microcredentials/>.
Weller, Dave. "Open Badges: Portable Rewards for Learner Achievements A MyKnowle." (2014): n. pag.
Web. 3 Mar. 2014. <www.myknoledgemap.com>.
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