I earned my first professional development badge by participating in the Social Media Workshop 2013, an online event presented by LARC (Language Acquisition Resource Center, San Diego State University). I signed up for my Mozilla Backpack (for storing badge information), and have displayed my badge on my wikispace: tonitheisen.wikispaces.com.
I want ACTFL members to learn about the badge concept and the potential of recognizing their skills and expertise at a more detailed level. This is why we partnered with COERLL to present the first ever ACTFL badge. ACTFL can lead the way in bringing the ideas of using badges to recognize many possibilities of professional teaching and learning through multiple paths of credentialing. I would love to see the development of a robust ecosystem of badges that meets the needs of our members in the 21st century.
Toni Theisen is a French Teacher at Loveland High School French Teacher and Former ACTFL President.