Hive Learning Networks are a growing constellation of communities around the globe that are championing digital skills and web literacy through connected learning. We’re excited to announce that starting today, we’ll be recognizing the individuals who contribute to Hive’s growth and success with the Hive Community Member badge on webmaker.org. It’s the first in a coming series of Hive badges.

Any Hive generally consists of organizations: museums, non-profits, government agencies, schools, and others. However, it’s the individual from these organizations who help us achieve our collective goals and really breathe life into the Hive. Their professional engagement and peer-to-peer learning is what translates into amazing opportunities and experiences for young people.
Hundreds of educators, designers, makers, artists, technologies, librarians and teachers in cities from Berlin to Vancouver contribute their time, resources and expertise to help Hive communities–and the youth they serve–thrive. Together, these professionals join forces within an active community of practice to create opportunities for young people to learn within and beyond the confines of traditional classroom experiences.
Through openly-networked collaboration that includes Peer Observation, Resource Sharing, and Process Documentation, educational designers and leaders create and scale innovations in learning. Some of the actions that define these characteristics of open practice include collaborating on Hive projects or programs, facilitating hands-on learning stations at Hive Pop-Ups or Maker Party events, sharing documentation of Hive programs and processes through blog posts, toolkits or teaching kits, etc. You can read more details about the Hive badge requirements here.
Hive is a big driver of the global Webmaker community–individuals that contribute to their local Hive bring expertise in connected learning principles and are also at the foreground of spreading web literacy by developing content, tools, curriculum and practice for others to use and remix. You can see some examples in the Hive NYC and Hive Chicago portfolios, as well as on the Hive Toronto blog.

The Hive badge is issued, claimed and displayed on Webmaker.org, and soon, recipients of this badge will also have the ability to issue web literacy badges to peers–including colleagues from their organization or other program collaborators–as well as youth. We’ll also be further developing a Hive family of badges, and will look to the growing, global Hive community to help us identify the core skills, competencies and practices we’d like Hive badges to endorse.
In applying for and receiving the Hive Community Member badge, you’ll help us define a global Hive culture, facilitate more equitable access and opportunity, and demonstrate that we’re achieving our mission, to:

• Mobilize more educators to adopt connected learning practices and teach web literacy within a growing constellation of Hive Learning Networks around the world;
• Create high-quality connected learning and web literacy tools, content, curriculum and practices for broad use;
• Catalyze schools, youth programs, and city agencies to provide rich connected learning and web literacy programs, especially in under-served communities; and
• Grow demand for Hive Learning Events, Communities and Networks in new locations and sectors.

How to get involved:

• Apply! If you are an active contributor to a Hive in your community, apply for your Hive Community Member badge at webmaker.org. Simply create a Webmaker account with an existing email address, add notes and links to illustrate your qualifications, then once approved and issued, find your badge displayed within your Webmaker profile (see below).
• Spread the word. Encourage your peers and collaborators to apply for the badge to  recognize their Hive contributions. Be sure to add hashtag #hivebuzz to signal our growing global Hive community.
• Learn more about Hive Learning Networks.