Digital Trends at the Smithsonian Stephanie Norby, Smithsonian Center for Learning and Digital Access

Share resources and expertise

Create anywhere/anytime learning experiences

Encourage collaborations

Bridge formal and informal education

Make real-world connections

Align with Common Core and 21st Century Skills

Why Digital Badges?

Open a world of possibilities

Have fun!

Smithsonian Badging Initiatives

Cooper-Hewitt National Design Museum

After-school program

National Museum of Natural History

On-site experiences

Smithsonian Center for Learning and Digital Access

Online student quests

DesignPrep Digital Badges

Q?RIUS Education Center

History Geography

Botany

Art

Music

Environmental Science

Technology

Culture

Marine Biology

Innovation

esav22 submitted a response for

the Show Them Quest

September 15, 2013 at 8:47 pm | Delete

Badge at Play: Eco-Journalist

Quest Prompt

Include an image of the “infographic” here. Be sure to

include the title.

Show Them

I had to use phenol red because we

couldn’t find litmus paper. This picture tells

me vinegar (acid) is an acid. Also that our

river sample is also a little acidic. The lake

sample tells us that Liberty Lake is also a

little acidic. It also tells us that baking soda

(base) is non acidic.

Badge at Play:

Enviro-Scientist

Test It

landshark2415 submitted a response for

the Test It Quest

Collect a water sample and test its pH to determine

one aspect of the sample’s quality.

July 8, 2013 at 4:11 pm | Delete

Quest Prompt

Upload a presentation slide with an image of your

litmus paper and a brief caption of what it tells you.

Aiden C., 4th grade

8th grade submission- STEAM activity Supported by SAO Educators

The Lascaux cave paintings are not only a visual masterpiece but also a precious piece of history. Our Cro-Magnon ancestors created these paintings twenty-thousand years ago by torchlight, since no sunlight reaches the caves. Nearly two thousand depictions of animals adorn the underground walls, yet there is only one human figure to ever be discovered. The life-size illustrations of buffalos, bears, wolves, and mammoths were created with naturally colored minerals of red, black, yellow, brown, and violet, and the dyes were applied with moss mats or hair. In some parts of the caves outlines of handprints have also been found, which were made by holding a hand up to the wall and blowing paint out of a hollowed out animal bone. The early homo-sapiens who created the paintings were set apart by their ability to explore artistic expression, and to make creative decisions. Though the paintings relate to the early people's lives and oftentimes show parts of their daily events, the caves were primarily used for ceremonial purposes, and were not lived in. Through many years of painting and redoing parts of their artwork, the Cro-Magnon people certainly succeeded in passing on their legacy for many years after they were gone.

9th grade submission- Humanities activity

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Registered Users Quests Completed

October 11, 2013: 2,629 Registered Users; 2,312 Quests Completed December 2, 2013: 2,826 Registered Users; 3,077 Quests Completed

Smithsonian Quests by the Numbers

Partnerships Among Federal Agencies and Professional Organizations in Education

http://smithsonianeducationconferences.org/diplomacy/ (With Video Welcome from

Secretary of State John Kerry)