Feature Article Educational Technology
For the future, efforts are already underway to realize a professional practitioner badge with which the organization can formally acknowledge those who model professional practices as an EFL educator. Another badge in development is a Perspectives badge to recognize the acceptance of a research-based article for publication in TESOL Arabia Perspectives.
are recognized by both his current employer and prospective employers; thus, the incentive to engage in PD work is much greater.
School principal Mohamed Mohamed has discovered that many of the CVs from new EFL instructor candidates now sport digital badges. He has seen how useful these are in examining how extensive a candidate’s expertise really is in using IT in the classroom. He also recognizes how digital badges are awarded based upon both TESOL Arabia’s criteria and ISTE standards. As a result, he has much greater confidence in choosing such candidates for interviews.
Selected Bibliography https://credly.com/recipients/19897 Figure 2. The proposed Perspectives badge Another equally important EDTECH SIG project is the arrival of online, self-directed PD tutorials. Participants who successfully complete any one of these online tutorials will be awarded a corresponding digital badge. Because the concept is still relatively new to most people, marketing is also important, so you should expect to learn more about digital badges and how to earn your first badge in either an upcoming TESOL Arabia Chapter event or our next Perspectives article. Now let’s go back to our opening PD scenarios, with possible outcomes for each as a result of TESOL Arabia’s open digital badges…
EFL instructor Laura Laura is pleasantly surprised to learn that she can earn and evidence her PD efforts through TESOL Arabia open digital badges, especially when she knows such badges are grounded on international standards. Thus, she sees her efforts standing a much greater chance of being professionally recognized both far and wide.
EFL instructor Mahmoud Mahmoud has learned that because of his participation in TESOL Arabia sponsored PD events and successful completion of corresponding follow up activities, he can now evidence his PD work. He has learned that the TESOL Arabia open digital badges awarded to him for such efforts Volume 22
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Badges for Educators & Professional Development. http://www.badgealliance.org/badges-educatorsprofessional-development/ Badge Initiative: Benefits of Badges for Professional Development. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v =NWW6oajyv8k&feature=youtube_gdata_player BadgeMOOC: Badges: New Currency for Professional Credentials. https://www.coursesites. com/s/_BadgeMOOC Bixler, B., & Layng, K. (n.d.). Digital Badges in Higher Education: An Overview. https:// docs.google.com/document/d/1UqNeLzIu 0i0EkiqdJEivIJrqVJ5Afikl7OSKKOzQgI8/ edit#heading=h.ds3no9oqcnze Buckingham, J. (2014). Open Digital Badges for the Uninitiated. TESL-EJ, 18(1). http://www.tesl-ej. org/wordpress/issues/volume18/ej69/ej69int/ Diaz,V. (2013, July 1). Digital Badges for Professional Development. http://www.educause.edu/ero/ article/digital-badges-professional-development Foursquare badges. http://www.4squarebadges.com/ foursquare-badge-list/ Edmodo. (2013, December 28). Support / Badges. https://support.edmodo.com/ home#forums/20805855-badges Khan Academy. https://www.khanacademy.org/badges MacArthur Foundation. Digital Badges. http://www. macfound.org/programs/digital-badges/ Mozilla Foundation, & Peer 2 Peer University. (2012, January 23). Open badges for lifelong Learning. https://wiki.mozilla.org/images/b/b1/ OpenBadges-Working-Paper_092011.pdf What Is A Badge? http://www.youtube.com/ watch?v=_051cGs6n8w TESOL Arabia Perspectives
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