Hacker Scouts in Oakland, CA uses badges too, and is a blending of Scouting and the Make Movement, and uses badges.
http://hacker-scouts.org/ Boy Scouts also recently launched a STEM program with new badges: http://www.scouting.org/stem.aspx On Thu, Jun 27, 2013 at 10:56 AM, kirby urner <kirby.ur...@gmail.com> wrote: > On Thu, Jun 27, 2013 at 7:17 AM, Andre Roberge <andre.robe...@gmail.com>wrote: > There seems to be a trend on various websites to award users "badges" to > keep track of progress. Other than the rationale that "everyone is doing > it this days so it must serve a purpose", do any of the edu-sig readers > have experience with using "badges" or similar tricks to encourage learning > when it comes to programming beginners? > ______________________________ >> >> > > We discussed it at work recently, the sociology of badges. > > Mozilla is into badges. > > http://openbadges.org/ > > Having recently attended an Eagle Scout induction ceremony, I was reminded > of the importance of badges within scouting. > > As a reminder that badges are earned in technical areas, I link to this > picture from the ceremony program: > > > http://www.flickr.com/photos/kirbyurner/9003955894/in/set-72157634062648346/lightbox/ > > Once you factor in GPS / GIS as a kind of computing, the overlap with > existing scouting badges is way more than just Robotics or Electronics. > > Given we now have in Portland a "Code Scouts" (codescouts.org) and given > "Bar Camp" and "Foo Camp" have always used this "camp" metaphor, I think > there's a undercurrent whereby badges would be carried forward within the > geek community, within open source especially because that's where you find > a lot of interest in ethics, codes of conduct etc. -- similar, again, to > scouting. > > That's in the mode of a sociological analysis. > > As a distance education company (oreillyschool.com), our collective > thought seemed to be that any advantages to our students have to do with > the weight badges would or would not have with prospective employers, and > that, culturally speaking, badges haven't mattered at that interface. > > "Rank" on the other hand, has some bearing. Like when you become an Eagle > Scout, you may get letters from quite a number of organizations who somehow > arrange to get that mailing list (I found this out talking to one of the > dads, who joked about his son's getting letters from the Illuminati). > > "Rank" is more what you get with larger chunks of work. > > I'd say badges are a more like internal local variables that might well be > further adapted within a code learning setting. They're somewhat esoteric > and help with bonding. Stamps in one's passport have a similar status. In > a less formal sense, T-shirts and other swag play this role of signifying > "I was there" or "I am aware of this technology". > > However it doesn't logically follow that academic institutions should > embrace the badge system, since they already have their own systems of > "credits" and a credentialing system based on diplomas and certificates, > schools supported (as student, as faculty, as alum) and so on. > > "Job title" has a more "rank" smell (I guess there's a pun there) and in > writing a resume or c.v., the listing of details under each job may have a > "badge like" quality. That's where you show off your particular blend of > Kung Fu (see below). Then there's the military itself -- of course -- with > a kind of badging historically embroidered directly into the uniform, along > with rank. > > http://www.vanguardmil.com/ (ribbons, patches, decorations...) > > Geeks go with name tag paraphernalia, other swag, stickers on the laptop > also important. Tattoos? > > geekytattoos.com > > > paulmullins.wordpress.com/2013/05/26/geek-ink-geek-tattoos-and-consumer-culture > > I predict a further blending of aesthetics along this interface, but with > a more Chinese / martial arts flavor (more "Asiafied"). > > The idea of white, yellow, brown and black belt has some currency, along > with the thought that each person cultivates a blend of practices, stays in > shape in different ways (a different blend of Chi's and Fu's ("cheese and > foos")). Entered into evidence: chifoo.org > > CHI: > > http://www.odditycentral.com/videos/old-chinese-man-moves-objects-with-qi-chi-energy.html > (chi relates to energy or vital force) > > FU: > http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chinese_guardian_lions > (aka Fu Dog or Foo Dog -- as in "what blend of foo dog are you?" or "what > temple do you guard?" (i.e. what worthy lineage do you serve / protect?)) > > The martial arts approach provides a good blend of "school" and "rank" and > is consistent with a Pacific Rim economy (including Silicon Valley and > Forest) that sees itself as pioneering in high technology. > > Kirby > > > > _______________________________________________ > Edu-sig mailing list > Edu-sig@python.org > http://mail.python.org/mailman/listinfo/edu-sig > >
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