Open Badges�Open Doors
Online Northwest Conference
Snowstorm Edition�March 2014
Digital workshop session
Open Badges Open Doors
Nate Otto�Project Coordinator�Design Principles Documentation Project�Indiana University
Meggie Wright�Reference Librarian�Oregon State University
“Less Yack, More Hack”
Mozilla Foundation’s MozFest Slogan
The goal for this session:
Design Principles Documentation Project
Here’s what Nate’s working on
Design Principles Documentation Project
Rebecca Itow
Andi�Rehak
Katerina Schenke
Cathy�Tran
Nate�Otto
Christine Chow
Daniel Hickey��Principal Investigator
Design Principles Documentation Project
Out Now: January Interim Report
Goal: To find out how organizations are using digital badges in learning programs.
Design Principles Documentation Project
Four functions of digital badge systems
The DPD Project is studying how 30 badge initiatives designed and implemented practices to fulfill these functions in their badge systems.
WHAT ARE OPEN BADGES?
WHAT ARE OPEN BADGES?
This is hard to explain sometimes…
Steve Cody - @scody311
“A badge is an image…�with stuff in it.”
Sheryl Grant, HASTAC
Web Navigator Badge��- Hackasaurus
“Credentials of learning or accomplishment."
Prof. Dan Hickey, Design Principles Documentation Project
“Stuff” =
Open Badges can contain:
How does this…
Web Navigator Badge��- Hackasaurus
Mean this…?
“Meggie Wright can operate a Web browser with celerity.”
Metadata!
CC-BY-SA Kyle Bowen
Badges have metadata that contains all this information:
Here’s an example.
Badge earners can show their badges to interested parties (parents, friends, potential employers).
Interested parties can verify that the badges are real.
Interested parties can view relevant evidence and artifacts through links in a badge’s metadata.
“A digital badge is an online representation of a skill you’ve earned… [that] allows you to verify your skills, interests and achievements through credible organizations.”
Mozilla Foundation - About Open Badges
Here’s another definition
Credible organizations:
Once you’ve earned a badge, how do you show it off?
The Open Badges Backpack
The “backpack” is a web application that helps earners organize and share their badges.
Collect, Organize and Share
Collect, Organize and Share
The backpack knows that there is metadata embedded in the badges…
Let’s look at this badge for aquaponics “water basics”
Collect, Organize and Share
It helps show viewers what the badges mean.
Okay, let’s get backpacks!
CC-BY neural squirrel
Okay, let’s get backpacks!
To participate, sign up for a backpack at http://backpack.openbadges.org
How are badges being used in the library discipline?
A case study Nate is working on with the DPD Project
YALSA
Badges to recognize librarians’ skills
2012-present
Forthcoming Case Study…
YALSA issues badges to recognize professional competencies
Communication, Outreach and Marketing badge
The badge system will enable librarians and library workers to “gain recognition for the new competencies, capacities and skills they are developing in a nontraditional setting”
YALSA grant proposal to the DML Competition
YALSA Competencies for Librarians Serving Youth
YALSA had previously defined 7 competencies they think are necessary for serving youth.
“The competencies outline the skills and knowledge teen services librarians need to have in order to provide excellent service to this unique age group.”
YALSA grant proposal to the DML Competition
YALSA Competencies for Librarians Serving Youth
They plan to create a badge for each competency.
YALSA Competencies for Librarians Serving Youth
…starting with these three
Communicator Badge Outcomes
This is the badge for “Communication, outreach & Marketing”
And the outcomes it represents.
Who fills each role at YALSA?
Who fills each role at YALSA?
Youth librarians & library workers
YALSA, national organization
????
What will YALSA badge earners do with their badges?
Who will they show?
“Badge earners can be innovative in how they use the badges:"
Sarah Flowers, YALSA President 2011-12
"...in virtual resumes or portfolios..."
Sarah Flowers, YALSA President 2011-12
"...in their yearly employee evaluation or goal-setting process..."
Sarah Flowers, YALSA President 2011-12
"...on web pages or blogs..."
Sarah Flowers, YALSA President 2011-12
"...or in some other way that showcases the work they’ve done.”
Sarah Flowers, YALSA President 2011-12
What are some benefits of using badges? �
How do they relate to libraries?
Badges let you recognize skills learned outside of your formal schooling.
At YALSA, librarians earn badges for competencies through informal continuing education and on-the-job experience.
Badges let you recognize micro-level skills and achievements.
With badges, skill and achievement recognition can be more in-depth, complex, and nuanced than traditional methods like degrees and transcripts.
Badges let learners show off each achievement in the right context.
Earners can pick and choose which badges to display to tell the story that they want to tell, just as one might tailor a resume to different job positions.
“Enough Yack, Let’s Hack!”
Meggie and Nate
Time to earn a badge!
http://bit.ly/hackasaurus
Let’s get that in the backpack!
“You can operate a Web browser with celerity.”
Where and how could badges fit in libraries?
emdot (cc-by-nc-sa)
Badges let you recognize skills learned outside of your formal schooling.
Badges let you recognize micro-level skills and achievements.
Badges let learners show off each achievement in the right context.
What skills do library workers learn on the job at your institution?
Knowledge of Materials
What could you claim about the librarian who put together this display?
Newton Free Library (cc-by-nc-nd)
What skills or accomplishments do users gain at the library?
What badges could�you imagine here?
ACPL (cc-by-nc-nd)
Is your library doing work that goes unrecognized?
Could issuing badges help?
Jessamyn West (cc-by-nc-sa)
A librarian helping teach computer skills
Who might earn a badge here?
RESOURCES
Hungry for more? Want to get involved?
Weekly conference calls
http://bit.ly/OpenBadgesCommunityCalls
Active discussion community
http://bit.ly/badgesgroup
Technical Documentation
Visual design tools
Badge Studio
Lightweight issuing platforms
Someone to ask questions
Someone to ask questions
Someone to ask questions
Design Principles Documentation Project
Out Now: January Interim Report
Design Principles Documentation Project
Out Now: Design Principles Card Deck
Thank you for viewing�Open Badges Open Doors!
What do you think? Let us know!
Thomas Hawk (cc-by-nc)
Nate Otto�Project Coordinator�Design Principles Documentation Project�Indiana University
Meggie Wright�Reference Librarian�Oregon State University
@ottonomy
@MeggieWright