Recap: Summit to Reconnect Learning
This was originally posted on the Summit to Reconnect Learning website.
=====================================================
The 2014 Open Badges Summit to Reconnect Learning brought together nearly 300 participants from around the world to work together on setting the course for the next evolution of Open Badges, a new approach to assessing learning and recognizing skills and competencies wherever they are learned—in school, on the job, in the community, or online.
Since emerging through a series of pilot projects like the Chicago Summer of Learning and supported by research initiatives like HASTAC, Open Badges have demonstrated the potential for disruptive innovation in the way we learn in today’s connected, digital world. Held February 12-13, 2014 in Silicon Valley, the Summit to Reconnect Learning was the first event to focus on moving Open Badges from the edges of innovation to the mainstream.
For K-12 schools, out-of-school programs, colleges and universities, as well as businesses and professional organizations, open digital badges are an increasingly popular way to verify and document skills and achievements that are not adequately measured by standardized tests and traditional resumes or diplomas.
“We have incredible learning resources, but they are highly fragmented and disconnected. What we desperately need is to connect the learning resources we have to the most important parts of kids’ world. That’s why badges are important,” said Connie Yowell, Director of Education at the John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation, speaking during the opening session of the Summit to Reconnect Learning.
In addition to Yowell, speakers at the Summit to Reconnect Learning included David Theo Goldberg of HASTAC, Nichole Pinkard of the Digital Youth Network, Michael Strautmanis of the Walt Disney Company, Jonathan Williams of Intel Corporation, Miguel Salinas of the Adobe Foundation, Cathy Lewis Long of The Sprout Fund, and more.
Commitments
Throughout the two-day summit, a wave of new business and education partners made public pledges committing to help accelerate the spread and scale of digital badges for learning.
Leading the pack of commitment pledges was the announcement of the formation of the Badge Alliance, a network of organizations and individuals building and enhancing an open badging ecosystem. This new entity will take lead responsibility for stewarding the Open Badges movement as it continues to evolve. Erin Knight, Director of Learning at Mozilla, will lead the Badge Alliance.
Among the other major announcements made at the Summit to Reconnect Learning, several major global education companies including Pearson, Blackboard, edX, workforce.io and others committed to integrating the Open Badges platform into their digital credentialing systems.
For a full list of organizations and initiatives announced at the summit, visit reconnectlearning.org/pledge.
Next Steps
The next evolution of the Open Badges for learning movement commenced immediately following the Summit to Reconnect Learning with the newly formed Badge Alliance recruiting working group members to dig into key issues, unanswered questions and important use cases. Individuals and organizations interested in joining the movement and contributing to the work of the Badge Alliance can become a member by visiting badgealliance.org.
On the ground, extensive badging systems will be deployed in cities throughout the US through the Cities of Learning initiative, an evolution of the successful 2013 Chicago Summer of Learning that used Open Badges to recognize participation and learning achievements in summer learning programs throughout the city.
About the Summit
The Open Badges Summit to Reconnect Learning was hosted by The Sprout Fund, supported by the John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation, and sponsored by the Information Technology Industry Council (ITI). Additional event partners include Mozilla, HASTAC, Digital Promise, and NestGSV.
