The Power of a Badge

As all of us do from time to time, I have a particularly difficult class of students that REALLY wanted to learn to play recorders. I know! It is hard to believe! My challenge was how could I keep them interested once they realized a recorder was more than just a way to create more sound.

I decided to allow students to work through recorders at their own pace by using BB9. I spent time putting together learning modules that allowed them to pace themselves. I created tutorial videos. I found another educator had made some great videos that students could use to practice. I added songs to Explain Everything documents so it was easy to assess.....except some students weren't doing anything! We will call them the turtles!

Enter BADGES.

The Achievement feature in BB9 allows you to award students a badge based on a few triggers. You can select certain students, a task they must complete or even just something they need to view. I started by just creating one badge for students who completed the first 4 modules (which meant they knew how to play 3 notes). Once I showed the class that they existed, BAM! Look at my turtles go! 

All but one of my students immediately had something turned in and were working towards the goal. Although the Achievements portion of BB9 is a bit clunky with lots of options, it is worth a try. I am by no means an expert but I know I will be exploring more.