There are many badges available for many reasons. You might have picked up a badge when you were in the Cub Scouts or Brownies, or achieved Bronze, Silver or Gold in the Duke of Edinburgh scheme.
If you are older, you might have been awarded the Order of the Rising Sun (a Japanese decoration for distinguished contributions to society), or the British Empire Medal (a British award for meritorious service worthy of recognition).
Your school probably has a logo on their website, or the logo might be at the bottom of letter-headed stationery, and perhaps at the entrance to the school. You might be accredited by the New England Association of Schools and Colleges (NEASC) or the Council of International Schools (CIS), or be a member of the Federation of British International Schools in Asia (FOBISIA), or East Asia Regional Council of Schools (EARCOS).
“They encourage confidence that the school is able to provide a service to a recognised standard.”
Badge, accreditation, honour, award – however they might be obtained, they encourage confidence that the school or educator is able to provide a level of service to an independently recognised standard. Some are easier to obtain than others, but the message is the same: a stamp of approval and tangible evidence of interest in this subject.
EdTech badges for educators
There are many badges available for educators, which include Common Sense, Seesaw and Kahoot, in addition to the “big players” of Microsoft, Apple and Google. Let’s delve into some detail:
Common Sense offers a free citizenship curriculum to help students take ownership of their digital lives, and a digital badge can be earned for your résumé by learning about the curriculum, teaching lessons, engaging families and reflecting on your practice. All of this can be achieved in a few hours, and will start to set you apart from your competitor educators. Also, if you are looking to lead training sessions and write expert articles, you might be invited to become an ambassador. By the way, it is free.
Google offers a range of options which start with mastery and integration of tools in the classroom (Educator levels 1 and 2), through to programmes that are intended to make a much bigger impact in your school with Certified Trainer, Coach and Innovator options. Training is free, but there is a small fee for the examinations. Yes – examinations. The exams are not that difficult, and the training materials prepare you well.
Microsoft offers a sliding scale of badges to choose from. They start with the Microsoft Innovative Educator, which can be completed in two hours, through to Trainer and Expert levels which require a much higher personal and professional commitment. Just like Google, the top-level Expert badge is aimed at fervent and creative educators who thrive on change and pursue excellence.
“If you really want to embed technology, then take a breath and dive into organisational change.”
Apple also offers a range of free professional development options. Apple Teacher is the entry level badge and focuses on iPad and Mac skills that directly apply to activities with your students. The newly-introduced Apple Teacher Portfolio is the next step, and asks you to design or re-design your lessons around three central ideas: activate (start using technology), explore (use Apple tools more frequently) and apply (show mastery). You then submit a portfolio of evidence.
However, the pinnacle badge of honour is the Apple Distinguished Educator award, where you must explain how you have transformed learning in your school. Applications open at different times for different geographical areas, so you should register your interest if you would like to be part of the next cohort.
EdTech badges for schools
You might be passionate about using technology in teaching and learning, and you might have filled your résumé with badges for yourself, but what about your school?
If you really want to transform teaching and learning, and embed technology into your classrooms, then take a breath and dive into organisational level change. Be warned though: to make changes on this level you will need buy-in and endorsement from the leaders of your school. School level EdTech badges of approval will require significant investment in infrastructure and/or teacher skills development.
“You might have filled your résumé with badges for yourself, but what about your school?”
Software licences and iPads cost money, and teacher professional development time is often at a premium and competing with other demands such as professional goals, involvement in professional learning communities, or quite simply keeping up to date with safeguarding and other important compliance measures.
Common Sense, Google and Microsoft all offer school-wide badges. Each organisation sets its own criteria, but the common theme is school-wide implementation with a dedication and commitment to using their products in a manner that transforms education, is measurable, and has a positive impact on student growth.
Here at ACS Cobham International School, we started the journey to become an Apple Distinguished School, with the goal of achieving that lofty status by June 2022. We have had 1:1 iPads deployed across our school from Pre-K to Grade 8 for a few years now, and we have been working on improving faculty proficiency using iPads for the last couple of years.
We need to ensure that 75 per cent of teachers and administrators have Apple Teacher status, and that is no small feat as we have a large and diverse faculty with wide-ranging technology skills. This is still a work in progress for us, but we are optimistic we will get there.
We also need to show that we have integrated and used apps in our daily practice. Teachers and students across the school are broadly familiar with Apple’s productivity and other creativity tools such as Clips, Keynote, GarageBand and Book Creator. Our students have also been using innovative augmented reality tools recently; most notably, testing their knowledge of ancient Mesopotamia in a virtual escape room. The final part of the process is perhaps the easiest: we simply document our success and forward details to Apple.
Time to get started.
So, what are you waiting for? Set aside an hour (or two) to start with and give it a go. Show your interest in technology. Earn the badge. Earn the recognition. From there, aim to learn more and share your success. Promote skills, growth, and technology. Lead positive change in your school.
This article first appeared in the Autumn 2022 print edition of International School magazine.