Digital Badges get a "lukewarm" mention in 2015 Ed Tech prediction article

[Carey Hamburg]

Technolgy Horizons in Education (THE Journal)

What's Hot and What's Not in Ed Tech for 2015

you can view the full article at:

thejournal.com/articles/2015/01/05/whats-hot-and-whats-not-in-ed-tech-for-2015.aspx

Comments on Digital Badges by panelists Karen Billings, Wendy Derxler, & Thomas Murray quoted from the article:

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Digital Badges ⇔

Billings: District administrators have not caught up to the advantages digital badges offer, nor have they developed the course policies to incorporate them. They are popular in the informal learning environments: clubs, museums and some online course providers where there's more flexibility given lack of graduation requirements.

Drexler: The digital badge movement overall is still emerging and defining itself, particularly when it comes to ensuring the validity and credibility of an earned badge. As a way to earn and display learning credentials, it has great potential for education, and I am excited to see how it grows and adapts to the K-12 environment. It has the potential to be hot.

Murray: Although the concept has been around for a number of years, few districts have taken the plunge into digital badging as it requires a change in philosophy, mindset and practice. Many districts maintain an “hours-based” accountability system — which is about as effective as putting out a forest fire with water balloons. Badging requires a shift to an outcome-based accountability model, where sit-and-get professional learning goes by the wayside and what a person knows and can do is what matters most. The onus to show proficiency falls on the learner, who must be empowered to make decisions in a professional learning system that is differentiated and personalized. Unfortunately, this model will continue to hit resistance on a variety of fronts in most districts.

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Have a great day! 
& Happy 2015 all!

Carey

[Mike Stuart]

In South Africa we experienced a lot of resistance to a national credentialing system (called the National Qualifications Framework) from the traditional, formal educational institutions.

The biggest uptake was from education and training providers closest to workplaces and employers where the drive for innovation and efficiency makes people more open to new ideas.

I think this idea could take off very well in South Africa, where we have already been through the outcomes based process Murray talks about, but have now reached a place where government credentialing is so slow and inefficient that industry is ripe for an approach they can drive closer to home.

[Bryan Mathers]

I’d say its quite similar to the adoption of e-portfolios for vocational qualifications in the UK. (I ran an e-portfolio company for a few years)

There was much more engagement from efficiency minded institutions (private sector, but increasingly public sector) where the solution would bring efficiencies to their current practice - or indeed allow them to do things differently.

However, what really helped me was the day I realised that I wasn’t selling a product, but I was actually selling change. And change = pain. Those that were incentivised and had the power to drive change made very good customers (they were often early adopters). Those that didn’t or couldn’t, really struggled.

I think this may be true of much software, and it may well be true of openbadges.

Hope this helps.

Bryan 

Consultant for City & Guilds 

Bryan Mathers / Head Honcho
07450 258268 / bryan....@wapisasa.com

wapisasa C.I.C. 
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[Don Presant]

Hi Bryan:

That last is an incredibly valuable insight - thanks.

A burning platform can be helpful in driving change...it's not just that
it's a good thing to do, it's that "we *have* to do something", and Open
Badges may be it.


Don


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Don Presant, President, Learning Agents

W: 204-219-5933 M: 204-793-4045 TF: 888-229-2889
Web: learningagents.ca
ePortfolio: donpresant.ca
Skype: dpresant Twitter: donpresant

Savvyfolio.net
ePortfolios for learning, work and life

[Carey Hamburg]

Yes, change can be a tough sell, until the alternative becomes undeniably worse by comparison. In the world of Higher ed. where I work, we are approaching that, if not already there.

My research model is based on Everett Rogers' "Diffusion of Innovations" which is a great read about why ideas get adopted - or not. I'm looking at the selling points and inhibitors for HR professionals as they consider using Open Badges in their recruitment and hiring practices. Preliminary stages there, but awareness is growing.

Thanks all for your participation in the group. You have been, and continue to be a great source of information and encouragement. Looking forward to 2015 and all that develops.

Have a great day!

Carey

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[Carla Casilli, Director of Design + Practice]

Hey Carey,

Thanks for jumping into the world of open badges! Excited to hear about your investigation into badges and your dissertation work. I see that you're already familiar with Brett Bixler from Penn State University; not sure if you know that he has also looked at badges from an Everett Rogers's Diffusions of Innovation perspective. You can read his thoughts on his blog here.

Looking forward to hearing more about your work!

regards,

Carla

On Thursday, January 8, 2015 at 12:29:34 PM UTC-8, careyxh wrote:

Yes, change can be a tough sell, until the alternative becomes undeniably worse by comparison. In the world of Higher ed. where I work, we are approaching that, if not already there.

My research model is based on Everett Rogers' "Diffusion of Innovations" which is a great read about why ideas get adopted - or not. I'm looking at the selling points and inhibitors for HR professionals as they consider using Open Badges in their recruitment and hiring practices. Preliminary stages there, but awareness is growing.

Thanks all for your participation in the group. You have been, and continue to be a great source of information and encouragement. Looking forward to 2015 and all that develops.

Have a great day!

Carey

On Jan 08, 2015, at 02:10 PM, Don Presant <d...@learningagents.ca> wrote:

Hi Bryan:

That last is an incredibly valuable insight - thanks.

A burning platform can be helpful in driving change...it's not just that
it's a good thing to do, it's that "we *have* to do something", and Open
Badges may be it.


Don


--
Don Presant, President, Learning Agents

W: 204-219-5933 M: 204-793-4045 TF: 888-229-2889
Web: learningagents.ca
ePortfolio: donpresant.ca
Skype: dpresant Twitter: donpresant

Savvyfolio.net
ePortfolios for learning, work and life

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