At Hoke County High School, we rise to challenges. As a 1:1 school, we are lucky to have the technology to usher our students into the physical and digital world around and beyond them. But having all this technology means we have to become lifelong learners ourselves and keep our tech skills up to par. Tech Bucks is designed to help you find tech tools that enhance your teaching and make learning more meaningful and relevant to our students. By trying and using these tools, you can earn badges that show you are a Tech Buck lifelong learner.
Because each classroom is unique, we are offering badges in a number of tech tools so you can choose the tools that work best for your classroom and teaching style. The digital badges you earn can be displayed in your Canvas courses and we will provide a laminated badge for you to post on your classroom door. This badge system provides motivation, inspiration, and recognition for faculty and staff who seek to innovate their classrooms and instruction in more engaging ways.
A badge, as we are using the term, is a physical or digital record of completion of a task or mastery of a tool. It's a technology credential that says, "Congratulations! You completed this thing." The idea stems from Scout badges, where participants can earn a literal badge that is then sewn onto a sash or vest.
There are four levels of badge opportunities. There is no time limit to achieve these. They are self-paced and we want you to move through them at a pace you are comfortable with.
To become a Level One Tech Buck, you need to earn six badges.
To become a Level Two Tech Buck, you need to earn five additional badges, for a total of eleven badges.
To become a Level Three Tech Buck, you need to earn five additional badges, for a total of sixteen badges.
To become a Level Four Mighty Tech Buck, you need to earn four additional badges, for a total of twenty badges.
The tools/badges are divided into five categories - Collaboration, Creativity, Critical Thinking, Communication, and Curation, with two bonus Canvas and Google categories. Faculty and staff who “level up” will earn rewards and recognition. Anyone who earns Level Four Mighty Tech Bucks should be prepared to share their expertise with other faculty and staff.
You can also earn special badges by completing the certification the tech tool offers, found in the Super Tech Special Badge link at the top of the page. Some of these are not free, but most of them are free or are inexpensive, and some take quite a bit of time to complete. However, once you earn the certificate of completion, you should be able to turn it in for CEUs. *Check with HR to make sure before investing that time and energy.*