~Out with Fabric and In with Digital
By 2030, collecting digital badges could become trendy, like my fabric Brownie badges were back in the day. After reading Weller’s 25 Years of Ed Tech chapter on Digital Badges, listening to the podcast Between the Chapters, and discussing badges during our cohort book club, I had set aside the likelihood of badges ever being in my life again until recently.
When Weller’s book was published in 2020, a global pandemic was underway, which has changed the educational landscape for many learners. For example, the 2021 EDUCAUSE Horizon Report highlights that microcredentials are becoming increasingly important in higher education and digital badges are essential to credentialing. To further elaborate on microcredentials, this report indicates an “infinite number of possibilities for professional development pathways, particularly adult learners already in the workforce” (Pelletier et al., 2021, p. 22). This pathway consideration applies to current and prospective adult learners at my college.
As I read the articles by Selwyn et al. (2019) and Macgilchrist et al. (2020), I got caught up in the speculative scenarios they presented and realized that 2030 is not as far away as it may seem. My college should consider priorities like technology and funding, as outlined by Macgilchrist et al. (2020, p. 87). At this point, my speculative concern involves the possibility of my college being left behind globally if investment in micros and badges is to be dismissed.
For assignment three, I would like to speculate on the future 2030 of microcredentials and badges as an adult learner in higher education.
References
Macgilchrist, F., Allert, H., & Bruch, A. (2020). Students and society in the 2020s. Three future ‘histories’ of education and technology. Learning, Media and Technology, 45(1), 76–89. https://doi.org/10.1080/17439884.2019.1656235
Pasquini, L. (Host). (2021, April). Between the Chapters #22, open credentials & digital badges with @catspyjamasnz (No. 22) [Audio podcast episode]. In 25 Years of Ed Tech. https://25years.opened.ca/2021/04/08/between-the-chapters-digital-badges/
Pelletier, K., Brown, M., Brooks, D. C., McCormack, M., Reeves, J., Arbino, N., Bozkurt, A., Crawford, S., Czerniewicz, L., Gibson, R., Linder, K., Manson, J., & Mondeli, V. (2021). (rep). 2021 EDUCAUSE Horizon Report | Teaching and Learning Edition. EDUCAUSE Publications. Retrieved October 15, 2023, from https://library.educause.edu/resources/2021/4/2021-educause-horizon-report-teaching-and-learning-edition
Selwyn, N., Pangrazio, L., Nemorin, S., & Perrotta, C. (2020). What might the school of 2030 be like? An exercise in social science fiction. Learning, Media and Technology, 45(1), 90–106. https://doi.org/10.1080/17439884.2020.1694944
Weller, M. (2020, February). 25 Years of Ed Tech. AU Press—Digital Publications. https://read.aupress.ca/projects/25-years-of-ed-tech