{"id":308,"date":"2016-07-21T08:00:20","date_gmt":"2016-07-21T12:00:20","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/teachersfirst.com\/blog\/?p=308"},"modified":"2019-04-05T10:11:01","modified_gmt":"2019-04-05T14:11:01","slug":"whats-the-buzz-micro-credentials-for-educators","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/teachersfirst.org\/blog\/2016\/07\/whats-the-buzz-micro-credentials-for-educators\/","title":{"rendered":"What’s the Buzz: Micro-credentials for Educators"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"What's<\/a>As the ideas of professional development, professional learning, and training for teachers are evolving, so are the ways in which we recognize the accomplishment of learning something new. \u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Traditionally, teachers would take a course or workshop and at the conclusion be given a certificate of attendance which could then be submitted to your school as evidence that you had learned something new. \u00a0Unfortunately, as most teachers know, just physically sitting in a workshop doesn\u2019t mean that you learned something. \u00a0For one reason or another, \u00a0you could sit in the session and come out with no new knowledge. <\/span><\/p>\n

Teachers have begun to reach out on their own to find and participate in professional learning experiences that meet their individual needs. Many of these experiences are informal, grass roots type of efforts. \u00a0If it is a twitter chat or an EdCamp, you might learn something that fundamentally changes how you view learning and instruction but never get a certificate to hand in to your school. <\/span><\/p>\n

In an effort to make these two different approaches equitable, educators have begun to question how we recognize the effort that one puts into acquiring new instructional skills. \u00a0Should teachers be recognized for \u201cseat time\u201d – the amount of time they spend in an \u201cofficial\u201d learning activity? \u00a0Can teachers demonstrate a new skill and be acknowledged for the work that they did to acquire that skill? \u00a0Is one method better than the other or do they both have merit? \u00a0These are some of the questions that are being answered by the surge of activity behind teacher micro-credentialing. <\/span><\/p>\n

The concept of badges is not new. \u00a0If you were a scout at some point, you received badges to demonstrate a skill that you had developed. \u00a0Micro-credentials (or digital badges) work pretty much the same way. \u00a0You work on a skill and then demonstrate mastery by submitting evidence to the organization that is offering the badge. \u00a0Once awarded, you can add the badge to your social media profiles or to your email signature.<\/span><\/p>\n

As is the case with most things in education, there are multiple paths for educators to get micro-credentials. \u00a0Here are a few resources to help you find out more:<\/span><\/p>\n