Edtech Badges – A dream come true.

#edtech #edchat

With my edtech badges program passing the six month mark, I am amazed at how successful it is.

“Mr. Flick, is it okay if I come in a recess today to finish my Online Research Badge?” I am pestered by badge questions like this all the time, my students are hooked on earning badge for tech skills. Crud! I wish I would have thought of this years ago. Each week I write in my teaching journal on how things are going with this program, here are a few entries from the past six months…

September 12, 2012
“I need to make sure that the recognition for earning badges is based on the badges and not the individual. For example the public badge chart should show all the students that have earned the podcasting badge, and not a chart of students with stars for each badge they have earned. The later could publicly show a student as lacking skills, however with the former, it would be impossible to find the student that is lacking skills (this type of tracking will be in my grade book).”

September 22, 2012
“Badges are great, the students are finally getting used to them and some have started to earn them. I told fourth grade that they cannot have the Email Skills badge until the Word Processing badge is done. That was the kick in the pants they needed. Making the badges is a pain, I need to get kids to make them. Now I have time to just work the room. They still are reluctant to use the videos. They seem to still be addicted to being hand-fed education. Breaking old habits seems to be harder than I first thought.”

October 5, 2012
“Badges are working! Kids are finally figuring them out. I have begun to make and hand out badges. I think this might work. I have a list on the website of the kids that have earned badges (grouped by badges).”

October 13, 2012
“Making badges and checking kids work has been taking a lot of time, plus I am having kids turn in crap work, and want me to help them make one change at a time – the pain of gamification. I need to figure out a better way. Plus, what do I do about special needs kids like XXXX, how do they “earn” badges. I think I need to start each class with 15 minutes of keyboarding for those who have not earned their keyboarding badge. Get kids that are ahead in badges to make more badges.”

October 22, 2012
“I modified each badge for special needs children, it turns out I have more time now to work with these students more one-on-one now that the other students are busy on their own pacing. Students have now been taught that they can only turn in work when it is down, no more bit-by-bit help. I tell then to go back and watch video such and such. Students are finally figuring it out, the independent learner thing. I now have kids make badges, they love to do it. Things were much better this week.”

November 3, 2012
“What to do about kids that are waiting for feedback from teacher – grading, email, etc? They need to be able to work on other badges and not in order or you get “bottle-neckers” and “waiters.” I’ve got to figure this out.”

November 10, 2012
This past week I broke the badges into levels, now they can work on any badge they want from the same level, no more waiting on me. If they are waiting for me to grade something, they simply move on to a different badge for that level.”

January 9, 2013
“The badges are working great! I had a sub this past week and she did great. She said she had never seen kids so busy. All she had to do was work the room and answer a few questions. Should I be worried that the badge might replace me???”

January 30, 2013
“The badge program is cruising on auto pilot. I love being able to have time to truly help students that need it. My “high-flyers” are cruising through the badges and are happy (non-disruptive) because they don’t have wait for anyone. A few students have finished all of the beginner level badges and are now working on their advanced badges like photography and video game design.”