What’s all the fuss about micro-credentials and digital badging? What are they and how do I earn them? What do they have to do with professional development? Is anyone using them in education?

Session Summary:

• Micro-credentials are the serious and professional version of Digital Badging
• Micro-credentials allow educators (and professionals) to show the skills they have in a verified way
• Micro-credentials are best when they have proficiency-based requirements (you have to show you can do the skill)
• Micro-credentials work a lot like Scouting Merit Badges
• Digital Promise has led the way with Educator Micro-credentials, but others are following
• There is a technical standard for Micro-credentials (Open Badges) to ensure an earner can collect them from anywhere and share them with who they wish (LinkedIn is Open Badges Compliant)
• Educators should ask vendors who say their programs use Micro-credentials if (a) they are Open Badges compliant, and (b) award the credentials for competency, not simply putting time in

Resources

Micro-credentials as a Learning System

• Scouting Merit Badges
• All About Micro-credentials
• Nellie Mae White Paper – Digital Badging and Micro-Credentialing
• iLearnMaine Project Home
• Open Badges Standard Technical Guide

Micro-credentials and Proficiency-based Grading

• Problems with Grades Based on Averages
• Don’t Play Blind Golf: Formative Feedback
• The Bugling Merit Badge

Educator Micro-credentials

• Digital Promise Educator Micro-credentials
• iLearnMaine Educator Micro-credentials page
• Proficiency-based Professional Learning
• 12 Professional Learning Buckets for Learning Through Technology (the teacher practices we’d like to promote)
• Digital Promise Home
• 7 Lessons Learned From Implementing Micro-credentials

Student Micro-credentials

• iLearnMaine Student Micro-credentials page
• Chicago Summer of Learning/City of Learning
• Cities of Learning
• Maine State of Learning
• AOS 94 PBE