Digital Promise Micro-credentials powered by BloomBoard #Love2Learn


Sometimes my blog posting gets away from me as my focus shifts to other areas. The end of the trimester is certainly a common time! At any rate, since my last post over here, there has been a lot of interesting activity floating around in the tech in classrooms world. So I'm going to try and get caught up.

For those of you in the loop, you may have heard back in October that the Learning Through Technology team at Maine's DOE is working toward developing a state wide micro-credential platform to make it easier to quantify and qualify skills not just for students, but teachers and anyone else who may be interested. It is certainly a huge project and I'm excited to see what happens.


While we anxiously await the beta test, Mike Muir, Maine DOE’s Learning Through Technology Director, posted a link to Digital Promise from Bloomboard on the ACTEM listserv. Wanting to see what the process could be like, I went ahead and found one to apply for. Anyone who knows me would not be surprised to hear that I chose to apply for the "Essential Spreadsheet Skills" micro-credential.

There were certainly hiccups along the way as there usually are with new tools and products, especially ones as extensive as this one. From obtaining a copy of the spreadsheet, to accidentally editing the original version, and finally to problems with my submitted file itself, the process was a bit lengthy. Come to find out, I was the first one to submit for this particular micro-credential so I was a bit of a guinea pig.

During my broadcast of episode 7 of "About TIME & Beyond!" yesterday, I finally got word that I had earned it! Phew! It took several weeks from starting the evidence to receiving the email. So my only concern at this point is if someone would loose interest with the delayed gratification. But I also know that the micro-credential comes with some weight to it from the RELAY Graduate School of Education and is worth waiting for in order to have that confidence in the recipient's skill level.

What does it get me? Honestly, not much. But it does provide me with a way to prove my knowledge outside of the traditional classroom. I think this concept as a lot of potential for professional development applications so that you could receive the PD that mattered to you with the weight behind it to make it useful for recertification.

Go check out what they have to offer and look for a micro-credential that sounds cool. If you try it out, I'd love to know what you think!



Never stop learning. Susie from SimmonsClassroom.com

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