I have started to create a digital badge credentialing process for the media products included in the digital literacy framework, “Mapping Media to the Common Core.” Digital badging is a way to provide credit and recognition for skills learners demonstrate in different contexts. In this case, I’m wanting to use a variety of digital badges to both recognize and encourage teachers to create digital media products both individually and with their students. The first six media products for which I created entry-level (bronze) digital badges today are Interactive Writing, Narrated Art, Radio Show, 5 Photo Story, Visual Notetaking and Narrated Slideshow / Screencast. Eventually I’m going to create “silver” and “gold” level badges for these media products, along with the other six products in the framework. I’m creating these badges so they can also be awarded by others, so if you’re a teacher, instructor or professor wanting to use them to encourage your own students to develop digital literacy skills you can.
At this point I’m thinking the “badge levels” will be:
- BRONZE: Individually creating and sharing a media project
- SILVER: Facilitating and sharing a STUDENT media project
- GOLD: Helping / coaching a colleague to successfully create a media project (earn a bronze badge)
There are certainly many other possibilities, but that’s what I’m thinking about for the initial phase of this. I’d love to hear your feedback and ideas. This is something I’ve been thinking about and planning for many months.
To receive one of these badges, a badge-issuing organization/authority must certify via evidence (a hyperlink in these cases) that the prospective awardee has successfully met the badge award criteria. Check out my personal profile on Credly to see some examples.
I created these digital badges using the free web tools available on Credly.com and the graphics I’d previously drawn (and remixed in one case) for Mapping Media to the Common Core. I’m thrilled Credly also offers BadgeOS, which is a free WordPress plugin. I’ve been waiting for that release since October last year at EduCause when I met Jonathan Finkelstein. Jonathan is a VERY smart guy and the founder of Credly. See my post for iThemes Education, “EDUCAUSE/ELI Badging Focus Group,” for more about what I learned then about digital badging. Also check out Class Badges, which is a different tool available (not from Jonathan/Credly) for digital badging with students.
By late June / ISTE 2013 I hope to have a Credly-powered digital badging process integrated into the “Mapping Media to the Common Core” digital literacy framework, most likely hosted on the media project sharing site I setup in 2011 for “Playing with Media: simple ideas for powerful sharing.” I also hope to integrate digital badging into the student Storychasers club website we’re using at Lakeview Elementary in Yukon Public Schools using BadgeOS.
Through this work I hope to help redefine digital literacy in practical ways in classrooms and communities around the world. I think digital badging holds great promise for initiatives like “Mapping Media to the Common Core,” which seeks to make the question “What Do You Want to CREATE Today?” a common refrain for learners across the K-20 spectrum.
