SAN JOSE, CA – The Santa Clara County Office of Education (SCCOE) EdTech Services department will be featured in both TeacherCast Podcast this June and District Administrator magazine this September to discuss how micro-credentials are impacting the K-12 world. A micro-credential is a mini certification or digital badge, which is awarded for a specific skill or competency.
"When we talk about micro-credentials in the sense of K-12 we are looking at two levels, one is for professional learning, and the other is classroom application. The SCCOE is developing online content and training for professional learning micro-credentials for K-12 teachers, administrators, and SCCOE staff members. These badges are not just a sticker or an image. Like a mini-transcript, they tell the story of the learner and allow him to showcase his skills visually," said Cate Tolnai, academic technology specialist.
The micro-credential is embedded with metadata and carries information about the person who earned the badge, award date, credential description, actual criteria, and evidence submitted for the badge. Micro-credentials have the power to tell an accurate story of professional learning. In industries where credentialing and professional development is constant, a self-paced digital learning path can be a good solution for the busy employee and the organizations that track the learning.
Eight states currently use micro-credentialing programs, and many states are beginning to see the impactful value of micro-credentials for professional certification, but California is still in need of support in this area.
"The EdTech Services team is building partnerships with county offices of education throughout the state to unify efforts and create a statewide platform where educators can personalize their professional learning at their own pace, place, and timeframe. Since most courses offer graduate-level university units, we hope a statewide platform will allow the California Commission on Teacher Credentialing to consider the impact of micro-credentialing on the teaching profession," said Craig Blackburn, director of Technology Programs & Instructional Support at the SCCOE.
"We want to create a movement," added Tolnai. "These badges have the potential to reshape teacher and administrator certification for the state and even on a national level."
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The EdTech Services department provides support, develops online content, and training for professional learning micro-credentials for K12 teachers, administrators and SCCOE staff member to integrate new technology and research new strategies and innovative approaches to learning.
