One use for digital portolios is as a way to show mastery of certain knowledge and skills. In many circumstances, portfolios might provide a more authentic and useful tool than traditional certifications or degrees, because of the link to actual work products or artifacts.

Another tool that could be useful in this regard is badges. Watch this short video that explains how badges might work.

[video]

Imagine a portfolio that is linked to badges. What would this look like? Who might issue the badges? Would they be meaningful to others trying to assess your knowledge and skills? What might this look like for students?

Here is one vision:

[Credit: Mozilla]

Here are some additional readings you might explore:

• 7 Things You Should Know About Badges (Educause)
• ePortfolios as Badges
• DML Badge Competition Winners (for some examples of how folks are envisioning using badges)
   

Option 1 - What do you think about badges? How might they be better or worse than other types of credentials? How might you use badges in your own educational context?

Option 2 - Think through how badges relate to assessment. You might read this post for one perspective. How might badges and/or portfolios be used as a substitute for or in conjunction with other types of credentials or assessments?

Option 3 - What are the policy challenges with shifting away from more traditional measures of mastery (degrees, certificates, ec.) and toward more authentic ones (badges, portfolios, etc.)? Where might we find groups that are willing to experiment in this regard? What would the benefits be? How might we move this along?