Digital Badging

The Digital Badging professional development opportunity is an initiative created by the Saskatchewan School Library Association (SSLA). The professional learning opportunity, which will debut in the fall of 2014, offers badges to participants upon completion of tasks. The tasks involve the development of digital fluency skills.

Digital fluency is the ability to use digital technologies readily and strategically to learn, to work, and to play, and the infusion of technology in teaching and learning to improve outcomes for all students (Saskatchewan’s Technology in Education Framework).

Participants will learn about technology tools and applications, when to use the tools to achieve the desired instructional and learning outcome, and even why the tools are likely to have the desired outcome. 

Earning digital badges is a way for educators to document their professional development accomplishments. Once a digital badge is earned, it can be placed on social networks, web sites, and portfolios as a detailed record of skills and accomplishments to various audiences.

The tasks encompass a range of digital literacy skills represented in the following model:

The earning of digital badges involves a simple four stage process:

On behalf of SSLA, we welcome the participation of educators! Together, we can pave a personal learning pathway and leverage the potential for mastering digital age skills embodied in the ISTE Standards and Saskatchewan’s Technology in Education Framework.