#BadgeChat was founded in December, 2014 by a group of educators who are passionate about credentialing learning and achieving. While there are thousands of us around the globe issuing badges to learners, there was not yet a regular twitter chat for those of us in the K-12 space to gather for learning and sharing about badging. After reaching out to leaders in the field (like the good folks at Mozilla and The Badge Alliance) for their thoughts, #BadgeChat was born.
Welcome to #BadgeChat! We use the standard Q1, Q2, etc for questions. Please use corresponding A1, A1, etc in your replies and remember to include #BadgeChat in your tweets.
I'm Noah in Denver and I'm a champion of Digital Badge Credentials. Also lead organizer of #BadgeSummit on June 23rd in Chicago, where I hope to learn with many of you face-to-face! #badgechat
I'm Kyle. Interested in how badges can be used to link people to new opportunities. Currently creating an #OpenBadge employee training program. #BadgeChat
Q1: What are your fears (or actual lessons learned) that speak to risk factors surrounding this topic? Why is Sustainability such an important consideration? #badgechat
Randy Macdonald, Program Manager for Innovation Academy, after school CS & STEM program for MS & HS students in Oregon & program manager for @OregonCSTA PD program for K-12 CS Ed in OR. Just beginning to use digital badges for @OregonCSTA PD. Just lurking today ;-) #badgechat
A1: It's super easy to find ourselves in unsustainable practices. This can lead to bad experiences for users we serve and ourselves...which can lead to a promising program ending up in the Flavor of the Week Graveyard instead #badgechat
A1: my fear is getting buy in from all divisions so that it is consistent. It shouldn’t be something one department does, it should be a way of work across the system to demonstrate skills/competencies #badgechat
Q1: What are your fears (or actual lessons learned) that speak to risk factors surrounding this topic? Why is Sustainability such an important consideration? #badgechat
A1: The process/plan for assessing learners' accomplishments had a significant impact on the sustainability of every #OpenBadge project I have been a part of. #badgechat
A1 Fears, threats, weaknesses, whatever: lack of top level support, an overall strategy, bench depth, community engagement (sorry, it is the Stanley Cup), ... and a renewable budget line #BadgeChat
So true! Even "buy-in" is a finite resource and even tho we have it today, could lose it tomorrow. Never thought of it as sustainability issue but you've sold me! #badgechat
A1: The process/plan for assessing learners' accomplishments had a significant impact on the sustainability of every #OpenBadge project I have been a part of. #badgechat
Yessssssss! Just like when teachers find ourselves with an impossible 2 foot stack of essays. The assessment/validation piece is a huge trap for sustainability #badgechat
A1 Fears, threats, weaknesses, whatever: lack of top level support, an overall strategy, bench depth, community engagement (sorry, it is the Stanley Cup), ... and a renewable budget line #BadgeChat
Hi #badgechat friends! Jumping right in today with A1: My fears are that badge earners do nothing with them due to lack of consumers and market for badges; resulting in low value props
A2: Some ideas... 1) Pay for an assistant to help evaluate and/or issue badges. 2) Pay for a premium account if a certain badging platform will give you the functionality you need to save time. 3) Hire a developer to create the functionality you need. #badgechat
A2: unique experiences to reward different levels of badges earned. Like a field trip to a manufacturing facility to see how things are built. #BadgeChat
Great ideas here from Kyle! Don't just assume vendor is handling development needs; determine functionality requirements and ensure you've got in-house talent! #badgechat
A2: Some ideas... 1) Pay for an assistant to help evaluate and/or issue badges. 2) Pay for a premium account if a certain badging platform will give you the functionality you need to save time. 3) Hire a developer to create the functionality you need. #badgechat
A2 I'd look for funding inspiration in the needs of youth at risk, high profile education->work initiatives, and up here in Canada, immigrant employability... once we finish our snow fence 8-> #BadgeChat
Absolutely. Think of digital credentials that can tell verifiably tell our stories of learning and achievement. Check out https://t.co/9gAmChNMtE for lots of resources #badgechat
Great point Michelle! @AuroraK12 has partnered with 5 dozen area businesses to unlock opportunities and coordinating these opportunities (along with sustaining relationships) only happens if it's a funding priority #badgechat
Q3: For individuals and organizations alike, what Best Practices can help us avoid getting unsustainably buried in the Badge issuing process? #badgechat
Great point Michelle! @AuroraK12 has partnered with 5 dozen area businesses to unlock opportunities and coordinating these opportunities (along with sustaining relationships) only happens if it's a funding priority #badgechat
Hoping that badges become commodities for recognizing skills and achievements. Badges should connect people to each other based on common interests/needs; they should not become something just to collect. #BadgeChat
A3 Best practices for reducing workload might include meaningful automated assessment, self-assessment & peer assessment. These can be really powerful, more than gimmes and can also work in combination, perhaps with other things like peer endorsement (coming soon) #BadgeChat
A3: Kyle will beat me to this but I'll say it anyway: Start SMALL! Getting a sense of the work load before there's a lot of work than trying to do a stress test from the get go #badgechat
A2: Work with a vendor - the needed services you will need vs. the staff needed, etc. Funding to review and analyze programs - not just keep adding #badgechat
Q3: For individuals and organizations alike, what Best Practices can help us avoid getting unsustainably buried in the Badge issuing process? #badgechat
2 very important ideas to dig into here: *Meaningful* Automation and expanding notion of peer endorsement/review/validation. Guessing @badgelist might also have some thoughts on this... #badgechat
A3 Best practices for reducing workload might include meaningful automated assessment, self-assessment & peer assessment. These can be really powerful, more than gimmes and can also work in combination, perhaps with other things like peer endorsement (coming soon) #BadgeChat
I love the idea that Badges connect - connect me with like-minded people to collaborate and connect me with people who can help me grow by learning new skills. #BadgeChat
Hoping that badges become commodities for recognizing skills and achievements. Badges should connect people to each other based on common interests/needs; they should not become something just to collect. #BadgeChat
Q1: I think a risk factor in the badging process is understanding what exactly you want to badge. How do you recognize what is "badge-able"? #badgechat
A2: Work with a vendor - the needed services you will need vs. the staff needed, etc. Funding to review and analyze programs - not just keep adding #badgechat
A2: New features for badges! Different programs have different needs and not all platforms provide the same thing. $ helps create those badging opportunities #BadgeChat
Similar to teachers having standards they have to teach, create district wide competencies that every ___ grade student should achieve. Have school ILTs create the “look fors” for that badge at their site. #badgechat
Q3: For individuals and organizations alike, what Best Practices can help us avoid getting unsustainably buried in the Badge issuing process? #badgechat
A2: New features for badges! Different programs have different needs and not all platforms provide the same thing. $ helps create those badging opportunities #BadgeChat
A4: What are some next steps we can take to turn our small badge pilot into something adopted at an organizational level (classroom -> school -> district -> etc.)? #badgechat
A4: What are some next steps we can take to turn our small badge pilot into something adopted at an organizational level (classroom -> school -> district -> etc.)? #badgechat
A4: who owns badging? Where should it fall in a large district? How can we create systems of support that builds responsibility across divisions? #badgechat#askingforafriend 😏
Huge thanks to regular chatters, the new folks (including pre-service teacher @arielcrump1) and to the lurkers, we love and value you for your own active form of engagement! #badgechat
A4: who owns badging? Where should it fall in a large district? How can we create systems of support that builds responsibility across divisions? #badgechat#askingforafriend 😏
YESYESYES! Totally stealing this idea of Badges having "social lives"...especially if I can live vicariously through my Badges if I have no life:) #badgechat
Appropriate: If you've been listening along to playlist I sent out at start of chat, you're now hearing lyric "You picked a bad time to listen to me" #adviceworthwhatyoupaid#badgechat
#BadgeChat Yes on "quality over quantity" except to the extent that it would stop you from badging at all because you're not ready to be up to quality standards. Represent the things you care about with badges, even if you don't have a rigorous assessment around them!
Q3: For individuals and organizations alike, what Best Practices can help us avoid getting unsustainably buried in the Badge issuing process? #badgechat
