Badges Aren't Just for Adults

Badges Aren't Just for Adults

 One day I was scrolling through Twitter and Lisa Scumpieru (@LScupieru) posted a badge that she had created for her students.  I was intrigued and asked her how she made it. She told me that she had used Google Draw and a couple of hours later I had 5 badges made.  I shared them with Lisa and she instantly told me that I should post them to Twitter.  That is what I love about my Professional Learning Network.  The community of educators is so supportive and so willing to share ideas.  That positive energy is contagious and spreads to my daily teaching.  I find myself being so much more positive with both students and colleagues.  

My first exposure to badges was in the Microsoft Educator Community.  The presenter asked us to sign up and I was fascinated by the fact that I received a badge just for signing up.  I think I was hooked right there and then.  Soon after, I took courses on Microsoft Windows, Sway, OneNote, Skype and many other programs.  Each time I completed a course I received badges and points.  Quickly the badges added up.  I have complete learning pathways, participate in hack the classroom, and done numerous activities associated with Skype. Sixty six badges later and I'm still going strong.  Soon I felt comfortable enough to apply to the MIEExpert program and I'm proud to say that I was accepted.

I truly feel that the simple act of receiving badges motivated me to try new courses and therefore learn new technologies that I am now using in my classes.  I am finding that the same thing is true for my students. The students who weren't so excited about doing their first Flipgrid videos this year quickly changed their minds once they saw their classmates getting their first badge. Now they often ask me how many videos they have completed and when will they get the next badge.   

I compare the badges to the stickers that my teachers would hand out on our tests and papers.  We high school students would act like we didn't care about the stickers and made comments like "Stickers are for little kids" but we secretly wanted to get one and we were disappointed when we didn't.  Badges are the digital version of stickers and will motivate our students and adults. Give them a try.