Open digital badges are online representations of earned knowledge and skills. Badges make it easy to validate and make visible the variety of learning that happens in formal and informal contexts. Most importantly, they have the potential to help change how we assign value to what, where, and how people learn.
We at COERLL are eager to explore the ways that language educators, educational institutions, professional organizations, and even businesses are starting to use digital badges as a system of recognition for learning and achievement. We are especially interested in how digital badges can play a key role in translating lifelong learning into a powerful tool for engaging in communities of practice, demonstrating skills to others and initiating career development.

Based on Chris Appleton’s “Open Badges” Napkin Sketch
http://openbadges.org/about/