1. Developing Networked
Badging Systems
HASTAC Badges Competition
Webinar
October 24, 2012
Daria Ng, Senior Program Associate
Joliz Cedeño, Program Associate
Global Kids Online Leadership Program

2. GK Badging At-a-Glance
Digital Expressions: Supported youth to recognize, talk
about, and demonstrate a range of digital media skills.
K-8 Schools: Supporting schools to implement badging
systems that align with their learning goals.
Global Kids: Developing organization-wide badges for
youth on Global Citizenship and Civic Engagement.
Hive NYC & Chicago: Supporting two learning
networks to develop both network-wide and
organization-specific badges.

3. GK supports the Epstein School in Atlanta to GK supports the American Museum of Natural
develop badges. Youth can recognize, talk History to develop badges on scientific
about, and demonstrate different skills. literacies for their Urban Biodiversity Network.

4. Hive Learning Network
hivelearningnetwork.org
explorecreateshare.org
Mission: A community of civic & cultural
institutions dedicated to transforming the
learning landscape & creating opportunities for
youth to explore their interests.
- Currently two sites in NYC & Chicago
- Funded by MacArthur Foundation

5. Scope & Goals of GK’s Work
for the Network
• Support 21 orgs. in NYC & 7 in Chicago
to use the badging system
• Reach upwards of 2,000 youth
• Support Hive members as they develop
their groups in BadgeStack
• Hold trainings in both cities
• Model process with GK
badges and Youth Advisory
GK Youth Advisory

6. The Process for Hive NYC
• Build off Global Kids’ experience
• Hear from members to assess needs, develop
big questions, address challenges
• Have expectations for communication
(Google Site, listserve, monthly calls)
• Did not know: Social practices that would
develop; when members would use the system

7. The Process for Hive NYC cont.
Trainings for Hive NYC consisted of:
• The what and why of badges
• Six ways of looking at badging systems
• Hands-on tour of BadgeStack
• A guide to developing badges and missions
• Summer beta examples and lessons learned
• Badge integration and workflows
• Member updates and questions

8. GK Survey on interest in Hive NYC Badging System based on 23 responses

9. First Hive NYC Badge Training Network members present badging work
Learning Times presents BadgeStack Members brainstorm skills & competencies

10. What Came Up? Examples
• Cross organization • Emoti-Con, Digital
& Hive-sponsored Waves Festival,
programs/events Maker Faire
• Common content • Science, art,
areas among orgs. history, writing,
in the network civic engagement
• Need for network, • Hive NYC/Chi, GK,
organizational, & Hive Fashion,
program-specific Game design
badges program

11. BIG Questions
• How do youth participate in individual
programs and also access network badges?
• Should badges primarily be motivators or
retroactive rewards?
• How to avoid over-badging?
• What are pathways youth can take within the
network?
• What network behaviors should be badged?
• Should network be overall badge provider?

12. Big Questions Unpacked
What are pathways youth
can take within the
network?
•Developing user case
stories to reflect different
pathways.
BadgeStack screenshot for Hive NYC
How to avoid over-badging?
•Hive NYC will roll out one ‘Cultural Traveler’
badge for now, but there will be many missions
associated with that badge.

13. Big Questions Unpacked cont.
What network behaviors should be badged?
•Identifying key values and behaviors. Ex:
imaginative, curious, pattern finder, problem
framer, experimental, collaborative, etc.
•User stories reflect those values and behaviors.
Ex: “Zakia participates in a skillshare. She
collaborates with other youth, demonstrates how
to code, frames the problem, etc.”

14. Organization-Specific Badges
• Hive NYC organizations interested in or
currently developing a badging system.

15. Global Kids Summer Beta
• GK beta-tested the system in the summer of
2012. The next few slides are our badge
constellations, student quotes, & pathways.
GK Youth Leaders & Staff, Summer 2012

19. GK offered thirteen badges in two summer programs.
Here is a count of how many badges were earned by
type. ‘Professionalism’ Badge has the highest count.

20. Three youth who earned the most badges each took
very different pathways based on their interests.

21. Challenges
1. Getting members to a
‘comfortable’ spot,
which differs for all
2. The limitations of the
system as Network
social practices arise
3. Discussions on some
of the big questions Hive Chicago Brainstorm

22. Hive Learning Network Chicago
• Work closely with Hive Leaders to
develop a shared badging system that
will support seven organizations in
Chicago

23. DRAFT HIVE BADGE ‘DESIGN PRINCIPLES’
Network-Wide Badges
From a working session in Chicago, an initial attempt at the
process is that HIVE badges must reflect…
• a high degree of credibility
• clarity of content and intent
• a clear orientation to youth
• demonstrable relevance
• connectivity in multiple
dimensions
• simplicity and ease of use
• supportiveness and inclusion
• a respect for community
• system-wide transparency

24. Organization-Specific Badges
Radio Arte
• “Once the purpose and
process for participating and
sharing work steps was
described, the youth
understood what the badges
were about, and their faces,
“lit up.” Overall, instructors
need to be intentional when
integrating badges and the
Badge stack platform into
their activities. Likewise,
youth need to be motivated to
engage and to also see value
in participating in this
process."

25. Organization-Specific Badges
• Nine organizations have committed to
developing a badging system for the 2012-
2013 school year

26. DRAFT HIVE BADGE ‘DESIGN PRINCIPLES’
The Big Questions
• How can badges best be linked across
programs/organizations?
• What’s the best way to collaborate on creating multi-
organizational badges?
• What’s a good process for reviewing/rewarding badges to
reduce undue burden on mentors and evaluators?
• What’s the right range of ‘granularity’ to reward with
badges?
• What are good ways to identify and model community
norms?

27. Relevant Reports & Studies
- GK Summer Badge Report: http://bitly.com/UDBIeu
- University of Pittsburgh: See next slide
- Six Ways to Look at Badging Systems:
http://bitly.com/PtuFUu
GK Youth log on to BadgeStack for the first time

28. Good Badge Design
Researchers from
the University of
Pittsburgh studied
the Epstein Badging
System (EBS) and
interest-based
learning.
They wrote an
exploratory case
study that includes
five key aspects of
student interest that
are relevant when
designing a badging
system.

29. Contact Us
Website: www.globalkids.org
Blog: http://olpglobalkids.org
Twitter: @globalkids
@wocildocil (Daria)
@jolizevette (Joliz)
Email: daria@globalkids.org
joliz@globalkids.org