Concentric Sky – Open Thinkering

Badges, Proof and Pathways [DML Central]

Posted on March 13, 2017 by Doug Belshaw

My latest post for DML Central has now been published. It was originally a commission through our co-op from Concentric Sky late last year, so I’m glad to finally have it published! It features a great header image from Bryan Mathers.

The focus of the article is on a new open standard for badge pathways that is available in Concentric Sky’s Badgr platform. I’m hoping other platforms adopt it quickly, as it makes a lot of things possible that until now have only been hypothetical.

An excerpt:

It just happens that all of these badges are issued via Badgr, but they could be issued by any badge platform. Interestingly, the Open Pathways standard has the flexibility to require all badges, or just some badges to earn before the ‘parent’ badge is completed. These pathways can then be stacked almost ad-infinitum leading to nested “constellations” of badges. The opportunities are endless.

Click here to read the article in full.

(Note: I’ve closed comments here to encourage you to comment on the original article!)

Is it the end of the traditional resume? [opensource.com]

Posted on March 1, 2017 by Doug Belshaw

Bryan Mathers and I have a post published at opensource.com. It was commissioned by Concentric Sky, who are the organisation behind Badgr.

An excerpt:

At the moment, we’re treating Open Badges in a similar way as traditional credentials, placing value solely on the destination rather than on an individual’s current journey. A single, big, showstopper badge shouldn’t necessarily trump a badge pathway showing a relevant trajectory. We should recognize that traditional credentials recognize activity that occurs on a very uneven playing field. Some people, for various reasons, have had a relatively smooth path to where they currently stand. Others, with less-prestigious traditional credentials, may be a better fit but do not come from such a privileged background.

Click here to read the post in its entirety.

Note that our original title emphasised the power of making credentials more transparent by bringing together open source, Open Badges, and open pathways. As ever with these things, we were at the mercy of the editor.