A quick explanation for AEPro on how badges work.

1. By Kevin Campbell-Wright
Project Officer for Digital Projects, NIACE

2. For over a hundred years,
scouts have used badges.
Photo: Wikipedia.Org

3. You get badges for things you
achieve like camping, helping in the
community or being able to read a
map or demonstrating other skills.
Photo: Girl Guides of Canada via Flickr

4. You wear badges on
your shirt, sleeve or
a sash so that other
scouts can see who
you are and what
your skills are easily
and quickly.
Photo: Wikipedia.Org

5. But for the rest of the world it isn’t
that easy. Take applying for jobs.
Letters, CVs, LinkedIn Profiles.
How do you stand out digitally?

6. What about those small skills you have
that you wouldn’t put on your CV?
How do you record small life experiences?

7. This is where these come in.

8. 
Here’s how they work
You complete an online
activity. It could be
anything.
Maybe you evaluate
something you did in real
life.
Maybe you write a
programme.
Maybe you submit a file.

9. 
Here’s how they work
You complete an online
activity. It could be
anything.
Maybe you evaluate
something you did in real
life.
Maybe you write a
programme.
Maybe you submit a file.
You get awarded a badge.
It looks just like a picture file.
You can share it like a picture
file on email or social media.
It contains hidden data that
says what you go it for, who
you got it from and how long
its valid for. This data only
works with your email
address.

10. 
Here’s how they work
You complete an online
activity. It could be
anything.
Maybe you evaluate
something you did in real
life.
Maybe you write a
programme.
Maybe you submit a file.
You get awarded a badge.
It looks just like a picture file.
You can share it like a picture
file on email or social media.
It contains hidden data that
says what you go it for, who
you got it from and how long
it’s valid for. This data only
works with your email
address.
You upload your bade to
your “Mozilla Backpack”
Now you can share it directly
with employers, colleges,
whoever you want.
You can have private or
public collections.
Any badge associated with
your email stays there as
long as it is valid.

11. As more courses and activities are done
online, more places will award badges.
Badges are your digital skills portfolio.

12. For example...

13. Awarding bodies (the people who award
qualifications like GCSEs and A-Levels)
were asked to look at OpenBadges in a
2014 government report.

14. Computer giant IBM uses OpenBadges
as part of their Authorised Training
programme....

15. ...and we’re issuing them to adult
learning professionals across Europe as
part of our AE-Pro Training.

16. This pretty much sums up how they could
work, straight from Chris at Mozilla

17. Find Out More....
Sign Up:
https://backpack.openbadges.org/
Follow:
@OpenBadges
@AEPRO_2014
@KevAtNIACE
@NIACEhq
Read:
https://www.jisc.ac.uk/blog/so-what-are-open-badges-28-aug-2013
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mozilla_Open_Badges
Produced 2015
by Kevin Campbell-Wright, NIACE
as part of the AEPro Project
Some rights reserved.
Shared Under Creative Commons 4.0
BY- NC - SA