Hive Learning Networks

Global Kids and Hive NYC Badge Design Reflection 

Submitted by daria on Tue, 02/19/2013 - 21:43

This is a cross-post from Hive NYC's blog.

 

Global Kids has experimented with digital badging in various contexts for the past few years. From badging an afterschool program four years ago at the New York Public Library, to badging the Urban Biodiversity Network program at the American Museum of Natural History, Global Kids has used digital assessment to support youth to recognize, talk about, and demonstrate essential digital literacy skills. Currently, we are consulting with three schools as they develop badging systems for their students, developing our own badging system for all Global Kids youth programs, and supporting Hive NYC and Hive Chicago to build their digital badging systems and infrastructures.

 

Developing a Hive NYC Badge 

Submitted by daria on Mon, 12/03/2012 - 18:49

Global Kids and the Hive Learning Network NYC have been busy designing a network-wide badge that can be used by all Hive NYC member organizations. We want to create a badge that motivates cross-network participation, demonstrates the key values and behaviors within the network, builds digital media skills, and increases meaningful participation at Hive NYC events. 

 

For the past few months we've tackled some big design questions, developed user stories, and identified a list of challenge activities that youth can complete to earn the Hive NYC Badge (which has yet to have a fun name). You can view our badge design trajectory here:

 

 

GK Presents on Networked Badging Systems 

Submitted by daria on Mon, 10/29/2012 - 16:15

On October 24, Daria and Joliz presented a HASTAC Webinar for their badge community and Digital Media and Learning Competition on Badges for Lifelong Learning winners. Through funding from the MacArthur Foundation, Global Kids is developing networked badging systems for the Hive Learning Networks in NYC and Chicago, which you can follow here.

 

You can view the presentation here:

 

Or watch the video presentation here:

 

Global Kids and Hive at Grantmakers for Learning 2012 Conference 

Submitted by Joliz on Fri, 10/26/2012 - 16:07

GK Leader Brianna setting up our board.

 

Global Kids presented their Hive projects at the 2012 Grantmakers for Learning Conference Reception. GK Leader Brianna discussed her experience in the summer program Race to the White House which through the Hive Learning Network was in partnership with the Brooklyn Public Library.

 

Brianna rocking her Hive t-shirt at the Global Kids table.

 

Brianna explained what geocaching was and their process of coming up with difference electorial issues to highlight within the game. She also encouraged the Grantmakers to experience a mini-scavenger hunt during the reception and gave sticker prizes to those who completed the task. 

 

Myself and Brianna setting up the table.

(Photo credit: @_technovation_)

 

Global Kids Summer Badge Beta Report 

Submitted by Joliz on Wed, 09/12/2012 - 21:23

In the summer of 2012, Global Kids, Inc. launched a beta test of its planned digital badging system. The test was designed to provide feedback on the system to support a Fall launch throughout the entire organization. This Global Kids’ Badging System is built on top of Learning Times’ BadgeStack, and is part of a broader badging network within the Hive NYC Learning Network (funded by the MacArthur Foundation).

 

What we learned, in summary, was that the badges played a positive role in the development of our summer programs, engaged the youth, and offered them different learning pathways. It provided them with valuable opportunities to name, reflect upon, value, and share what they learned in the program; offered us unusually rich examples of their perceived learning; created a new and useful assessment relationship between us; and collected measurable data about their learning outcomes.

 

The testing was not long enough to demonstrate if it was an effective social networking space, if it effectively utilized games-based learning design, or supported the democratization of learning. It was also not an ideal setting to explore if the badges promote a DML praxis.

 

You may download the report here.

 

 

Hive Chicago Badges for Learning 

Submitted by Joliz on Thu, 09/06/2012 - 15:41

Christian Greer, Program Director for HIVE Chicago recently wrote a great summary of the work that has been done with the Chicago badging system. Check it out below! 

 

 

Wow! It's been a very busy summer for our Hive Chicago member organizations. We have facilitated jams, game design workshops, citizen science projects, teen-led community events, youth council programs, and many other engaging activities with our teens. With the Labor Day holiday weekend fast approaching and our summer programs completed, I thought that I would check in this week with few member organizations to see how things went over the summer.

 

Race to the White House Badge Ecology 

Submitted by bjoseph on Wed, 07/18/2012 - 16:02

Race to the White House is a Global Kids summer program where youth will develop a digital scavenger hunt with gps-enabled devices (geocaching) to create a public activity about the upcoming presidential election and its impact on issues of importance to our community and our country. The program will be used a one of the early beta sites for the Global Kids and the Hive NYC Learning Network badging systems.

 

 

The original file can be viewed here in a variety of sizes.

 

Summer Beta for Hive NYC Badging System Launches 

Submitted by bjoseph on Fri, 07/06/2012 - 15:11

Yesterday we were delighted to formally launch the summer beta period for the Hive NYC Badging System. Partnering with Learning Times, we have developed a fantastic badging system for use across the Hive NYC Learning Network. Four brave organizations met this week to get up to speed on how to use the new system, define and refine their scope of work and plans for the summer, and coordinate our efforts.

 

 

The four organizations are The Lamp CDC, The New York Public Library, the YMCA of Greater New York, and Global Kids.

 

Each organization has very different plans over the next two months, but all activities will be located within the same site.

The Point CDC will beta test a badge system as part of their SYEP (Student Youth Employment Program) PowerPOINT Camp 2012. Their initial Badge System goal is to have young people actively document their learning experience and transformation leading to the establishment of individual-group and collective badges. There are three things The Point aims to learn over the course of the beta:

 

1) Learn how to coordinate across the different programs within The Point

2) Learn how to exemplify the accomplishments and progress of students at The Point

3) Learn how to improve the badge system in the long run to fit the needs of The Point

 

Six Ways to Look at Badging Systems Designed for Learning 

Submitted by bjoseph on Mon, 06/25/2012 - 19:51

 

Six Ways to Look at Badging Systems Designed for Learning

Initiated by Barry Joseph, Global Kids, Inc.

Written by Barry with scores of others*

 

Background

For over four years, Global Kids has developed badging systems within, after and outside of schools. We are currently designing a badging system for dozens of civic and cultural institutions within the Hive Learning Networks in New York City and Chicago, as well as throughout our organization. We have had a frontline view of the growing interest which has emerged over the past year in the development of badging systems across a wide range of formal and informal learning environments. We have also followed the rise of opposition, and sometimes confusion, about what digital badging looks like or is designed to accomplish. In this context we felt it might be useful to delineate the various interests we see aligning themselves with badges, or make distinctions amongst the different goals people have for them.

 

Hive Chicago Badge Development 

Submitted by Joliz on Thu, 06/21/2012 - 19:04

 

On June 12th Barry Joseph and I led a full day session to discuss badging principles and have a hands on experience in BadgeStack with Hive Chicago. The morning session brought eleven people together representing eight organizations. We saw examples of badging systems from DYN, Chicago Architecture Foundation, Global Kids, and the Epstein School. There was an indepth discussion on developing network wide badges. Ruth Schmidt - who led the morning session - provided a summary of talk:

 

 

 

We discussed the idea of this minigroup turning into more of an official working group to tackle some of the bigger picture issues that have bubbled up in conversation recently, in particular: