A new year brings excitement and plans for improving teaching and learning. And this fresh start can be a great time to learn new or nurture emerging skills. With the influx of new technology, and AI being infused in many of the edtech tools we have come to enjoy in our work as educators, it may be helpful to engage in self-directed professional learning opportunities.
Many of the widely available edtech tools offer free training. Some are specific to a function of a larger tool, while others provide general guidance on key features and uses. Additionally, upon completion and depending on the tool, you may earn a certificate of completion, certification, badge, microcredential, or some other recognition of your earned competency to your resume or CV.
Here I share six of the top free edtech credentials (in alphabetical order) available:
1. Adobe Creative Educator (ACE) Level 1
The Adobe Creative Educator (ACE) Level 1 training is focused on understanding creativity and how to nurture creativity in students. To register, you must join the Adobe Education Exchange, which is free and provides additional curated resources to use. You can sign-up using your personal or school email address. And, if you use a verified K-12 school email address, you can get access to Adobe Express for Education free. After completion, you earn a digital badge and certificate.
2. Apple Teacher
The Apple Teacher program builds foundational skills using iPad and Mac devices and Apple applications within the integration of academic lessons. Twelve badges in total are available to earn; 6 for iPad and 6 for Mac. Apple applications, including Pages, Keynote, Numbers, iMovie, and GarageBand, are covered. If your school uses Apple devices, it may be worthwhile to dig into some of the lesser used Apple applications. You can continue on and develop an Apple Teacher Portfolio, showing your ability to build lessons that allow your students to activate, explore, and apply learning.
3. Book Creator Certified Author
The Book Creator Certified Author training provides educators with instruction on the various features of Book Creator, preparing them to use it in their own classrooms. Teachers, librarians, and media specialists alike may be interested in pursuing the training. The process involves 18 short videos in total, and a certificate and digital badge are earned upon completion. Book Creator has a wide variety of uses in teaching across academic content areas and grade levels.
4. Canva Graphic Design Essentials
Canva Graphic Design Essentials is focused on building overall visual communication skills. Included in the training are design principles and color theory. You will need to be logged into a free or paid Canva account to complete the training and corresponding test. Don’t worry, you can complete the test as many times as it takes, and once you pass, Canva will email you a digital certificate. You may want to use your graphic design skills to enhance your Canva Lesson Plan. Since many of our students use Canva, it may be helpful to brush up on our own design skills and fluency with Canva!
5. EdPuzzle Certification
Using EdPuzzle in lesson plans offers many exciting pathways for learning, and EdPuzzle provides online certification opportunities for educators. The offerings for EdPuzzle certification is quite comprehensive, and 20 badges can be earned. Some of the badges include gamification in class, LMS integrations including Schoology, Google Classroom, and Canvas integrations, and project-based learning. All courses are offered in Spanish, too.
6. Screencastify Master Screencaster
The Screencastify Master Screencaster is a certification course that reviews and builds knowledge on the basics of screencasting and using video in education settings. This certification has a focus on multiple stakeholders including students and parents, and will guide you to create videos for students and parents, supporting students in creating content, and to connect with your colleagues. Upon completion, you will earn both a certification of completion and a digital badge.
As you see, there are many options for earning an edtech credential that will come at no financial cost to you! Hopefully there is at least one credential mentioned that you are interested in obtaining, and using to enhance teaching and learning.
