Nocking the Arrow

Happy New Year everyone! It has been a terrific year of personal and professional learning. I appreciate those of you who make " Nocking The Arrow " part of our learning agenda. This blog has evolved into my digital learning portfolio. I have learned that sharing my learning transparently deepens my thought, widens my perspective, enhances connectedness, and provides an archive of my observations and experiences. Here are the three most popular posts from this past year on " Nocking The Arrow " How Can Teachers Make Their Learning More Visible? - This post is my plea for educators to become more transparent with their personal and professional learning. Transparently sharing learning has benefits the educator, his or her colleagues, his or her students, and other learners in general. Digital Badges For Teacher Professional Development - Digital badges can be used to acknowledge and distribute professional learning. Badges visibly identify achievements,...

Increasingly, digital badges are becoming a topic of discussion for educators. A digital badge is a digitized token of recognition for acquiring a skill, demonstrating a competency, or for sharing knowledge gained from the completion of an activity or project. As more of our learning comes by way of digital connections and contributions, badges are becoming a more prominent method of acknowledging skills and accomplishments. Many teachers readily acknowledge the importance of personalization of learning for students. Shouldn't professional development experiences offer the same promise? Ask a typical teacher to describe their PD experiences in a single word and you will likely get responses such as irrelevant or  boring . Besides personalization and relevance, digital badges provide opportunities for teachers to discuss the skills and knowledge that support educational best practice, and professional growth. These conversations support the form and function of profession...