ICT Quests

Supporting the development of ICT skills through a Badge awards scheme

cc licensed ( BY NC ND ) flickr photo by AlicePopkorn: http://flickr.com/photos/alicepopkorn/3633986606 /

cc licensed ( BY NC ND ) flickr photo by AlicePopkorn: http://flickr.com/photos/alicepopkorn/3633986606 /

Aim To recognise and reward students for developing skills in software applications they wouldnt normally encounter through the formal school curriculum.

Background The ICT elements of the UK National Curriculum have lofty aspirations, but the experiences of students in the classroom is often little more than capability in the use of MS Office applications. The consequences are that students lack an awareness of how tools might best serve their needs and should they find such tools, they lack the facility to develop skill in their use and implementation. In our conservative, risk-averse education system, the ICT which is taught is understandably (of necessity, given the emphasis on examination success) designed to ensure students achieve in the examinations they sit. But the system on which those examinations are based is inevitably doomed to be behind the latest developments in ICT technology and applications. The following article provides some context: http://www.guardian.co.uk/technology/2011/ aug/28/ict-changes-needed-nationalcurriculum Why we want to do this To extend the opportunities students have to experience and use ICT in meaningful ways. To provide a framework and environment within which students can be guided and supported to learn and practise ICT skills independently.

To provide the means by which the achievements of those students can be rewarded, celebrated and have currency. To develop a community which nurtures, stimulates and supports its members as they progress on their learning journey. The principles: A range of Quests would be available, each based on a specific application e.g. Prezi (http://prezi.com) and arranged thematically (presentation technologies, concept mapping tools, image manipulation applications etc). These applications will largely be online and free (or have a free version) or be downloadable freeware, in order to be as accessible as possible. Each Quest would then take the student through a sequence of tasks pitched at levels of increasing demand (see Figure 1). The levels will be largely based on those within Blooms Taxonomy; those at the lower end introduce and familiarise the Quester with the application, whilst those higher up demand greater capability and facility. The topmost task goes beyond Blooms, requiring the Quester to demonstrate sufficient expertise as to be able to introduce someone else to that specific application and guide them through their first steps. We are also considering even higher levels, which encourage Questers to write new Quests or become part of the supervisory team.

Figure 1: Quest Levels

Figure 2: How a student might approach Questing

The enormous range of applications available will provide breadth and can be extended as new applications come to the fore. Depth is provided by levelling up, each Quester choosing to progress to the level appropriate to their needs. Badges will be awarded according to the application chosen and the level achieved. Quests can be undertaken at whatever time is suitable and whilst they could form part of a traditional curriculum, the hope is that Quests are undertaken voluntarily as an extension to and enhancement of formal study. We can see a notional route through the system in Figure 2 Supporting technology The technology required should deliver: Quests as a series of tasks, guided by instructions and support materials. The means for Questers to submit the outcomes of those tasks for review and sharing with others Progress monitoring and feedback A means to issue the awards and for students to display their profiles.

Figure 3: A Quest in Moodle

Moodle was chosen to provide the first three points for reasons of practicality and security; we already have a Moodle implementation delivering part of our learning platform and therefore authentication is taken care of. The courses feature within Moodle provides a thematic structure and within them topics deliver the Quests using the Lessons module. A visual representation of progress through the Quest is provided, though this can also be provided by Assignments tracking. Stamps and/or Certificates provide the Badges until the Open Badges system is in operation. Moodles open architecture and transferability mean that courses/themes can be exported and shared between different

organisations. Alternately the Moodle implementation could be hosted and managed centrally. Still to resolve Assessing progress and achievement through a Quest, culminating in the award of a Badge needs to be undertaken by someone with supervisory experience. This might be a teacher/tutor, but could also be a parent or senior student. Perhaps there is scope for a yet higher level where any Quester achieving Grand Master level in a number of Quests could be offered the supervisory role Quest Arbiter perhaps? We can also envisage an additional, though different, but similarly elevated role for highly experienced Questers: Quest Architect - those who design new Quests. Though initially we will be awarding badges internally, it is our hope that the Open Badges Project will provide the means by which awards can be made. In this way the awards gain much more credibility and transferability and offer the potential of extending the scheme legitimately to a wider community. We also hope that the means to surface a Questers profile showing his/her experience across a range of applications will become available through the project, rather than at

present, where this information is held behind the walls of our organisation. Precisely where and how this information can be recorded, retained and resurfaced for the users and their potential audiences has yet to be determined. This is new ground for us and we have neither a full appreciation of what is possible (yet!), nor the in-house expertise to implement a solution. We need a system which produces something similar to Figure 3, but with perhaps a little more style! We need to devise a set of protocols or standards by which integrity and rigour can be conferred on the validation process, ensuring that those who participate in supervisory roles do so to a consistent set of standards.

Summary Our aspiration here is to provide credited learning opportunities beyond the formal curriculum which students opt into as the need arises. In addition to leaving school with accreditation through the national examination system, they will also have a portfolio of Badges showing a range of additional, informal but recognised, selfdeveloped skills that any potential employer could be impressed by.

Figure 4: Quests Badges Profile