Technology Badges in the Online MSEd in Learning Design and Technology

Below is a list of the badges that are currently available. Note that for each badge listed is the purpose of the badge, what will be required for each badge challenge, and a list of the associated technologies that can be learned and used to accomplish each challenges.

Basic Tools badge

Purpose: This badge focuses on demonstrating skills and competence with various digital tools that are often found effective and needed in one’s daily life. These are tools that will allow you to showcase your work, reflectively review and discuss your work, and provide means to store your work.

Challenge	What students will demonstrate	Associated technologies
1	Use of blogs as writing tools	Blogger Wix (blogging element) Weebly (blogging element) Wordpress
2	Use of screencast tools to create videos of the computer screen with voice narration.	Screencastify Screenpal Free Online Screen Recorder
3	Use of cloud storage and sharing tools to store and share information.	Dropbox Google Drive OneDrive Box

 

Research Tools badge

Purpose: This badge focuses on several types of tools that facilitate gathering, organizing, and reporting information. We are bombarded with information each day, these tools can be used to help you strategically brainstorm, select, prioritize, organize, map, highlight, store and later retrieve and report information in some predetermined manner that is useful. 

Challenge	What students will demonstrate	Associated technologies
1	Use of notetaking tools	Evernote OneNote Zoho Notebook
2	Use of social bookmarking tools	Wakelet Flipboard Pearltrees Pinterest Diigo Pocket
3	Use of mindmapping and brainstorming tools	Mindmeister Popplet Padlet

Presentation Tools badge

Purpose: Presentation tools are those technologies that facilitate the development and delivery of information and content to the audience/learners. Generally, the information is presented in some type of visual manner with an accompanying individual presenter and/or with embedded audio, images, videos, etc. To obtain this badge, you will demonstrate how to use tools to create standard presentations, adapted presentations that involve animations, and additional resources for your presentation in the form of infographics. 

Challenge	What students will demonstrate	Associated technologies
1	How to design your presentation by using storyboards and/or design documents
2	How to use tools to develop a simple presentation	PowerPoint Prezi Keynote Google Slides
3	How to use tools to adapt a presentation	VideoScribe Vyond Powtoons Animaker
4	How to add resources to your presentation (e.g., infographics)	Canva Piktochart Easel.ly Venngage

Podcasts and Audio Editing badge

Purpose: Adding audio elements to instructional materials can be a powerful way to impact learning and motivation.  Audio editing software allows one to record, edit, convert, and listen to digital audio files.  From very short audio files used to help identify key attributes in a discrimination task to extended podcasts of verbal information and storytelling, those designing instructional materials need the capability of editing audio to successfully impact learning.

Challenge	What students will demonstrate	Associated technologies
1	How to create, access, and edit audio files	Audacity GarageBand Adobe Audition
2	How to design a podcast episode
3	How to create a podcast episode	Audacity GarageBand Adobe Audition

 

Video Production and Editing badge

Purpose: Video production tools allow you to create and edit videos and then publish them to YouTube, Facebook, and other similar services.  From an instructional viewpoint, your videos can include text, graphics/still images, background music, voice over narration, picture-in-picture, and other interactive features such as polls.  To create effective and appealing videos, careful planning is necessary.  Within this badge you will demonstrate your competency in designing a short instructional video and in selecting and using video editing tools to create, edit, and publish the finished video.

Challenge	What students will demonstrate	Associated technologies
1	How to design an instructional video using a storyboard
2	How to create, edit, and produce an instructional video	Camtasia iMovie Lightworks Open Shot
3	How to explain the value of creating instructional videos

 

Website Development badge

Purpose: Website development tools allow you to create a collection of related web pages, identify them with a common domain name, and publish them on a web server. Websites can contain information in the form of written documentation, videos, links to other websites, etc.  They can contain means to allow those accessing the site to interact by selecting specific pages to review, exploring different available links, or providing comments or additional information to the site.   

Challenge	What students will demonstrate	Associated technologies
1	How to design a website using planning cards and storyboards
2	How to create a website	Wix Weebly WordPress Google Sites Squarespace
3	How to explain the value of creating a website

Interaction and Assessment Tools badge

Purpose:  This badge focuses on several types of tools that facilitate learner/user interaction with the information and learning materials that are being presented. For example, these tools allow for various types of questions, polls, and surveys to be presented, followed by required responses from the users. The tools can be used to collect information, as well as provide feedback based on the given responses.

Challenge	What students will demonstrate	Associated technologies
1	How to create polls, forms, and surveys for assessment and increased interaction.	Google Forms LimeSurvey EdPuzzle Weebly Survey Monkey
2	How to create study tools and quizzes for assessment and interaction.	Quizlet Socrative Kahoot!
3	How to explain the value of interaction and assessment tools

Articulate Storyline 360 badge

Purpose:  This badge will require you to demonstrate your ability to utilize Articulate Storyline 360 and more importantly, how it integrates into the instructional design process to enhance teaching and learning. You will achieve this badge by producing a full, interactive, instructional Storyline module.

Challenge	What students will demonstrate	Associated technologies
1	How to understand the basics of Storyline and how to plan/design a story	Storyline 360
2	How to create a basic Storyline module	Storyline 360
3	How to describe and explain the use of layers, triggers, and variables in a manner that will increase user interaction within an instructional module.
4	How to add interactivity through layers, triggers, variables, and quizzes in a Storyline module	Storyline 360

Interactive e-Learning badge

Purpose:  This badge offers you the opportunity to demonstrate your instructional design capabilities as you plan, design, and create the instructional module.  It will require you to demonstrate your expertise in the use of various technologies to investigate, design, and deliver the module, as well as your ability to select and integrate the proper technologies to engage and assess the learning of your audience.

Challenge	What students will demonstrate	Associated technologies
1	How to complete the initial planning of the e-learning interactive module.
2	How to design an e-learning module using a storyboard.
3	How to develop an e-learning module.	A variety of technologies will be used for this development effort.
4	How to evaluate an e-learning module.

 

Information Literacy badge

Purpose: Information literacy refers to the ability to identify, locate, evaluate, and effectively use information from various sources. It involves a set of skills, competencies, and critical thinking abilities that enable individuals to navigate the vast amount of information available in today's digital age. Students, teachers, and instructional designers need to be able to effectively access information, evaluate its quality and relevance, and then use it appropriately. Proper use includes knowing when, why, and how material can be used (i.e., copyright), the potential impact of Fair Use, as well as, how to properly attribute the intellectual property of others.

Challenge	What students will demonstrate	Associated technologies
1	How to find and access relevant online resources	Screencast technology
2	How to evaluate online resources	Screencast technologies Infographic technologies
3	How to use and attribute online resources appropriately (i.e., copyright, fair use)

 

Digital Online Communication and Collaboration badge

Purpose: This badge focuses on demonstrating your competency in communicating and collaborating effectively with others in the digital world. By earning this badge, you will demonstrate how to be professional in the way you communicate online and how through that communication you are able to develop professional learning networks (PLNs).  Finally, this badge also has you demonstrate your ability to collaborate and work with others in the online environment.

Challenge	What students will demonstrate	Associated technologies
1	How to communicate effectively in a digital world.	Blog technologies Infographic technologies
2	How to communicate professionally.	Screencast technologies
3	How to create, access, and use professional learning networks.
4	How to use collaboration tools to effectively engage users	Infographic technologies

Online Safety and Ethics badge

Purpose:  This badge focuses on the attitudes and behaviors one should have while using online environments for work, studying, or socializing. These attitudes and behaviors provide a road map towards a good digital footprint, online safety, and ethical behavior. We will explore your competency in identifying and safeguarding against any inappropriate, unethical, or illegal use of personal data, as well as any behaviors against other individuals in the online environment.

Challenge	What students will demonstrate	Associated technologies
1	How to exhibit safe and ethical online behaviors	Blog technologies
2	How to recognize and address unethical online behaviors	Screencast technologies Infographic technologies
3	How to protect digital identities and data	Blog technologies

Emerging Technology badge

Purpose: New technologies and applications appear almost daily. It can be challenging to know which technology would be worth the investment of money, time, and effort to acquire, learn, practice, and integrate within the work or classroom setting. Which technology can have the needed impact on you and your learners? This badge focuses on having you demonstrate how to find ways to identify and determine which emerging technologies would have the most value for you and those you train and how you can integrate those technologies which prove to be of most benefit.

Challenge	What students will demonstrate	Associated technologies
1	How to identify personal technology tool needs	Blog technologies
2	How to find, access, and assess emerging relevant technologies	Screencast technologies Infographic technologies
3	How to integrate relevant technologies.