• Introduction
• What is an Open Badge?
• Finding more information
• Key Concepts
• Learner
• Issuer
• Back Pack
• Displaying Badges
• Assertions and Badges
• OpenBadges.org
• What it does
• How to use it
• Django-Badger
• What it does
• Installation

Learner

In the Open Badges world someone that earns badges or commits to work towards earning a badge is known as a 'learner'. The learner is the key focus of this endeavour. Open Badges are a way for learners to be recognised for what they have learned. The Open Badges movement seems to be very appreciative of the needs of the learner and are careful to architect the idea to prioritise the learners needs over institutional needs. If you wish to witness this care first hand then consider joining the online discussion¹ 

The Open Badges project anticipates that learners will be able to use their badges to 'Unlock new career and learning opportunities'² . It is an ambitious assertion and to date largely unproven but the premise makes a lot of sense. If a learner can earn badges from communities and organisations that are recognised by potential employers, and these badges can be verified then it would make sense that employers would take this into account. The badges however are meant to express more than this, they are also intended to convey ongoing learning which is a testament to the learners drive and motivation to keep learning - a valuable asset in any employee.

Since this kind of learning can 'occur anywhere' the badge system is designed to give the learner a central point to manage their accredited badges. This is known as the backpack and there is more on this later. 

Learners are expected to display their badges on websites and there has been some development of the technology to support this but it is still embryonic. However, badges are just image files so it is also possible that learners can just link these from their own websites, blogs, profile pages etc.

The entire system rests on the recognition of effort taken to achieve these badges within organisations that issue badges (known as issuers) and by others outside of this framework. Hence visibility is a key requirement for this idea to take hold and it would make sense that learners should take the opportunity to display their badges whenever and wherever appropriate. The higher the visibility of Open Badges the more it works in favour of all learners.

1. https://groups.google.com/d/forum/openbadges^{^}
2. http://openbadges.org/en-US/faq.html^{^}