This will require school districts, policy officials and unions to work together to establish a new structure for the way that educators are recognized and compensated.īuilding micro-credentials that have rigor and market worth could be the first step toward updating our current paradigm of how we credential learning. Teachers must be empowered to pursue new skills and knowledge in a more personalized way.
#Do lynda courses award digital badges professional#
Research shows that teachers who earn a master's degree don't necessarily see an increase in student achievement, and yet current salary structures and professional development models are often tied directly to those macro-credentials. For badges to have market worth, we need to develop an ecosystem that recognizes and supports teachers on a more granular level. However, building digital badges with high integrity won't be enough. We can only achieve this integrity by working together to identify and promote quality principles and guidelines.
#Do lynda courses award digital badges update#
For years, the open badges movement has been pushing to update the way we recognize learning pursued through non-traditional pathways. One way to achieve this is with a credentialing system that more accurately represents a teacher's specific skills and knowledge.ĭigital badges are one way to update the credentialing system.
If we want to support personalized learning for our students, we should model those practices with our teachers. Yet, when it came time to report continuing education credits, teachers still only reported professional development "hours" that involved seat time and structured in-service days. I’ve seen many teachers expand their knowledge of teaching strategies via Twitter chats or at edcamps. We still primarily credential learners based on seat time and credit hours, and often only recognize learning pursued through traditional pathways. Anyone has the ability to self-construct curriculum and gain the skills once exclusive to those able to pay for a traditional education.ĭespite the vast shift in how we pursue knowledge, little has changed with how we credential those who acquire knowledge. Within our own profession, teachers are engaging in continued learning through personal learning networks, websites like Edutopia and MOOCs. Now, anyone with an Internet connection (like my father!) can gain entry to the greatest public library system ever constructed. The way we find, access, and share information has exploded in the last 20 years, and the pursuit and acquisition of knowledge is no longer reserved for the elite few.
What he's missing, however, is the piece of paper that recognizes that knowledge - his highest level of educational attainment is a high school diploma.
In many circles, my father is respected for the vast array of skills and content knowledge he has gained through years of research and deliberate practice. I've watched him create both a successful photography business and construct a two-story cabin from blueprints.