Slides on "Let's Predict the Future: Open Badges" for a workshop session on "Predicting the Future" held on 3 June 2014 at the SAOIM 2014 conference in Pretoria, South Africa and facilitated by Brian Kelly, Cetis. See https://ukwebfocus.wordpress.com/events/saoim-2014-lets-predict-the-future-workshop/

1. G: Emerging Technological Trends
Let’s Predict the Future!
A half-day workshop
at the SAOIM 2014
conference held on
Tuesday 3 June
2014 facilitated by
Brian Kelly, Cetis
Slides available
under a Creative
Commons licence
(CC-BY)
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G2: Let’s Predict the Future:
Digital Badges

2. What Are (Digital) Badges?
Digital badges:
• A validated indicator of accomplishment, skill, quality or
interest that can be earned in various learning
environments.
They aim to provide:
• Motivation to Participate: they offer a new pathway of
lifelong learning separate from traditional, formalised
academic pathways.
• Motivation to Collaborate: they promote active, engaged
involvement.
• Recognition and Assessment: badges can recognize
quality or demonstrate community approval
• Alternative Credentials: may be a potential challenger to
the dominant paradigm of diplomas in higher education
2 See http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Digital_badges

3. Evidence of their Significance
We are now seeing:
• Events on badges e.g. Online Conference
2013 on MOOCs, badges and OER
• MOOCS on badges e.g. Badges as New
Currency for Credentials
• Global organisations overseeing
developments of badges infrastructure
i.e. Openbadges.org
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4. A Sceptical Perspective
After initial participation in the Hyperlinked Library
MOOC I had received badges for:
• Asking someone to be a friend
• Accepting a friendship request
• Deleting a private message
• Writing 5 blog posts
• Comments on 5 blog posts
(“I agree”)
• Receiving 5 badges
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Some concerns:
• Are badges trivial
• Are they just for kids?
• Will kids care?
My GetGlue badge – a
social sharing TV app
(motivates watching TV!)
See “Initial Reflections on The Hyperlinked Library MOOC & the Badges I Have Acquired”

5. Thoughts
If you wish to convince others of the
importance of new technologies:
• Be prepared to hear criticisms and concerns
(both legitimate and unlikely concerns)
• Try to address the concerns
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For example see post on “Assignment 2: Emerging
Technology Planning” on Hyperlinked Library MOOC
blog which illustrates how I intend to evaluate the
potential of badges whilst addressing concerns I’ve
raised through use of a risk assessment approach.

6. Questions
Any questions?
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