US software development company
Concentric Sky is a software development company located in
Eugene, Oregon . The company was founded in 2005 by Wayne Skipper,
[1] and grew to nearly 90 employees prior its sale to Instructure in April 2022.
[2]
[3] In 2015, Cale Bruckner was promoted to President of the company.
[4] Skipper continued to serve as
CEO until the company's sale. Concentric Sky is the maker of
Badgr and is a well-known contributor to the development of open technology standards focused on advancing equity outcomes for learners and workers.
History
Concentric Sky grew steadily from its founding in 2005.
[5]
[6] In 2008, the company announced a partnership with GoldMoney to create an
iPhone app to allow the transfer of digital units of gold.
[7]
In 2009, the company formed a partnership with
Encyclopædia Britannica to launch a series of
iOS apps for the
K-12 education market.
[8]
[9]
[10] That same year, the company released the official iOS app for
NASA 's
Astronomy Picture of the Day
[11]
[12]
[13]
[14]
[15] and also developed the website for film maker
Michael Moore 's
Capitalism: A Love Story .
[16]
In 2010, Concentric Sky Founder Wayne Skipper was asked to submit expert testimony to the
Federal Trade Commission regarding
Google 's acquisition of
Admob .
[17]
[18] That same year, the company partnered with the
World Bank
[19] to develop a series of data visualization apps and partnered with
National Geographic to design and build a series of official study apps for the
National Geographic Bee .
[5] In 2010, the
Internet Engineering Task Force voted to make the company a development partner.
[20]
In 2011, the company partnered with the
United Nations to develop a data visualization app to support the UN's annual reports.
[21] That same year, the company was named "the only App Developer officially endorsed by
Mashable ."
[22]
In 2012, the company designed and built an
iPad version of the
Encyclopædia Britannica .
[23] The app received widespread recognition,
[24]
[25]
[26]
[27]
[28] including an
Appy Award .
[29]
In 2013, products featuring Concentric Sky's work for partner
Cengage Learning won 2
Codie awards .
[30] That same year, the company's work resulted in a US
patent for usability improvements to
electronic medical records .
[31]
In 2014, the company joined the
Open Badges movement and launched the
Oregon Badge Alliance with partners including
Oregon State University .
[32] Later that year, the company released an open source
Android viewer app for
Khan Academy content.
[33]
In 2015, the company led the development of Open Badges 2.0 in partnership with
MacArthur Foundation spin off, Collective Shift.
[34]
[35] That same year, the company launched the
Badgr project with partner
edX .
[36] The use of Badgr grew rapidly,
[37] and by early 2018 the product had grown to serve nearly 10,000 organizations around the world.
[2]
In 2016, the company announced a broad partnership with Collective Shift focused on advancements in education technology and workforce readiness. Under this partnership, the company developed
LRNG
Archived 17 July 2017 at the
Wayback Machine and took over development of GlassLab Games, which included the educational variants of several popular
video games including
Civilization and
SimCity .
[38] GlassLab Games was shutdown at the end of 2018, and Concentric Sky worked to release many of the games open source.
[39]
In 2017, the company became a founding member of the
IEEE Industry Consortium for Learning Engineering,
[40] and announced partnerships with the
California Community Colleges System ,
[41]
Georgia Department of Education ,
[42] and
SURFnet .
[43]
[44] The success of the company's Badgr product led to Founder Wayne Skipper being interviewed broadly in the education community,
[45]
[46]
[47]
[48]
[49] as well as Badgr's inclusion in the
European Commission
Joint Research Centre 's 2017 "Blockchain in Education" report.
[50] That same year, the company offered digital badges to commemorate
The Great American Eclipse ,
[51] and another product featuring the company's work for partner Cengage Learning won a
Codie award .
[52]
In 2018, the company expanded the
digital badges ecosystem by releasing an
open technology standard called
Open Pathways ,
[53]
[54]
[55]
[56] and by creating a program to award digital badges to learning content aligned to the
Next Generation Science Standards .
[57] That same year,
Mozilla announced the retirement of the
Mozilla Backpack and the migration of its users to Badgr,
[35]
[58] the company announced a new suite of open source tools for edX,
[59] Badgr was selected as the native badging solution for the
Canvas
Learning Management System ,
[60] the company announced a 4-year partnership with the
community college system of
Washington state ,
[61] and products featuring the company's work for partner Cengage Learning won another 2
Codie awards .
[62] Later that year, the company's EdRec initiative was named a winner of the
US Dept of Education
Reimagining Higher Education Ecosystem Challenge for its blockchain-based approach to digital
transcripts ,
[63]
[64] and the company's work was featured in the book "The Interconnected Individual.”
[65]
[66]
In 2019,
SURFnet announced a plan for
The Netherlands to adopt a national digital credential strategy based on the company's Badgr platform,
[67] the company launched a series of tools in partnership with the
California Community Colleges System designed to help prospective community college students and their families identify regional educational programs and employment opportunities,
[68]
[69]
[70] and company founder Wayne Skipper was invited to speak at
SXSW EDU on the topic of “Open Standards & the Quantification of Learning."
[71] During 2019, the company's work was featured by
Digital Promise ,
[72]
EdSurge ,
[73]
Educause ,
[74]
IBM ,
[75] The
Inter-American Development Bank ,
[76] and the Technology Association of Oregon.
[77]
In 2020,
Microsoft announced the integration of the company's Badgr product into
Microsoft Teams ,
[78] the company co-founded the
Open Skills Network with partners including
Western Governors University and
Walmart ,
[79]
[80] the company's Badgr product was included as part of Learning and Employment Record pilots presented by
Salesforce and
Walmart to the
United States Department of Commerce ,
[81]
[82] the company launched a first-of-its-kind comprehensive learner record with the
University of North Texas ,
[83]
[84] and the company announced partnerships with The International Association for Continuing Education and Training (IACET),
[85] Credential Engine,
[86] and Emsi.
[87] In December 2020, Concentric Sky and partners including
Instructure and
Zoom wrote a public letter to the incoming
Biden administration urging an immediate focus on education equity in order to address ongoing issues impacting the
US education system .
[88]
[89]
In 2021, the company announced a proposal for version 3.0 of Open Badges,
[90] bringing together the company's work across the
World Wide Web Consortium and
Decentralized Identity communities,
[91]
[92] the company released the Open Skills Management Toolkit in partnership with Western Governors University,
[93] and the company announced several new partnerships including
Blackboard ,
[94] Postman,
[95] and Open eLMS.
[96] During 2021, the company's work was featured by the
American Institutes for Research ,
[97] Futuro Health,
[98] and numerous other organizations around the world.
[99]
[100]
[101]
[102]
[103]
[104]
In early 2022, the company announced partnerships with the
National Student Clearinghouse ,
[105] and the
International Society for Technology in Education (ISTE).
[106] In April 2022, the company was acquired by
Instructure .
[3]
The Radiance Orb at the National Academy of Sciences.
Culture
Named as one of Oregon's Top Workplaces of 2021 by
The Oregonian ,
[107] Concentric Sky is known for its creative company culture.
[6]
[108]
[109] In 2012, the company dubbed its local metro region the
Silicon Shire ,
[110] and hosts Shire-themed events to promote the region
[111]
[112]
[113]
[114]
[115] including the annual
Shire for the River fundraiser in partnership with the McKenzie River Trust.
[116] In 2013, members of Concentric Sky launched an award-winning technology design team known as
Light At Play .
[117] In 2015, this team developed a series of LED-powered art installations that were showcased in several events around the world as part of the
International Year of Light , including displays at the
Smithsonian and the
National Academy of Sciences .
[118]
[119]
[120]
[121]
References
^
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^
a
b
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^
a
b
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^
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^
a
b
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^
a
b
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^
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^
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^
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^
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^
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^
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^
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^
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^
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^
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^
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^
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^
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^
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^
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^
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^
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^
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^
"US Patent 8775213" . Google Patents .
^
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^
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^
a
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^ Mukta G (15 June 2015).
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^
"Instructure Partners with Concentric Sky's Badgr to Offer Digital Badge Compatibility within Canvas" . Instructure . 6 October 2015.
^
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^ Yowell, Connie (18 December 2018).
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^
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^
"21st Century Skills Badging: A Bridge from Education to the Workforce" . via Medium . 20 October 2017.
^
"Total Learning Architecture Project" . via Youtube . 30 October 2017.
^
"Concentric Sky and SURFnet announce collaboration to explore the digital learning environments of the future" . PRWeb . 26 November 2017.
^
"Badgr selected as platform for proof-of-concept with open badges" . SURFnet . 1 September 2017.
^
"Badge Issuing and Recruiting Platforms: Using Open Standards to Connect Educators, Learners and Employers" . EDUCAUSE . 12 July 2017.
^
"Forging Open Pathways with Wayne Skipper" . Leading Learning . 31 October 2017.
^
"Recognizing Learning And Growth With Open Badges" . TeachThought . 8 November 2017.
^
"The Evolution of Educational Credentials" . edCircuit . 8 November 2017.
^
"Open Badging and the Future of Educational Assessment" . Education Talk Radio . 2 January 2018.
^ Gretch, A. & Camilleri, A. F.
"Blockchain in Education" (PDF) . European Commission Joint Research Centre . {{
cite web }}
: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (
link )
^
"We badged the eclipse!" . Badgetheeclipse.com . 21 August 2017.
^
"Cengage Wins Two CODiE Awards for Innovative EdTech Solutions" . Cengage Learning . 27 July 2017.
^ Skipper, Wayne (27 March 2018).
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^
Introducing the Future of Stackable Credentials: Open Pathways . 15 September 2017 – via YouTube.
^ Geisel, Noah (23 April 2018).
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^ Day, Erik (15 August 2018).
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^
"Achieve Announces NGSS Design Badge for High-Quality Science Units" . Achieve.org . 13 March 2018.
^ Mozilla (15 August 2019).
"The Mozilla Backpack is Transitioning to Badgr" .
^ Proversity (22 June 2018).
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^
"Canvas Announces Badges Powered By Badgr For All Canvas Users" . PR Newswire . 25 July 2018.
^ Kelly, Rhea (11 July 2018).
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^
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^ Skipper, Wayne (27 March 2018).
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^
"Announcing the Winners of the Reimagining Higher Education Ecosystem Challenge" . Medium . 11 October 2018.
^ Hastings, Hunter & Saperstein, Jeff (7 June 2018).
The Interconnected Individual . Business Expert Press.
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^
"Wayne Skipper on Open Standards, Badges, and Certification for Skills Development" . interconnectedindividuals.com. 11 December 2018.
^
"Edubadges: national approach to badges in education" . SURFnet . 24 July 2019.
^
"New 'Pathways Mapper' Lets Students Visualize, Streamline Their Degree Progress" . California Community Colleges News Center . 27 February 2019.
^
Quick Tips: Program Mapper . Cypress College. 1 November 2019 – via YouTube.
^
"Orange County Leads State with Innovative Career Education Tool" . California Community Colleges Career Education Center . 31 October 2019.
^
Open Standards & the Quantification of Learning . 7 March 2019 – via SXSWedu.com.
^ Bajor, Rob (21 May 2019).
"What You Need to Know About Micro-credentials Open Badges" . Digital Promise.
^ deLaski, Kathleen (31 October 2019).
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^ Skipper, Wayne (29 January 2019).
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^ Leaser, David (16 September 2019).
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^ Porto, Stella (5 June 2019).
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^
"Techlandia: Navigating the Cloud" . Technology Association of Oregon. 16 September 2019.
^
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^
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^
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^
"Digital Credentials: A Better Way To Capture And Communicate Learning" . Forbes . 25 November 2020.
^
"Learning and Employment Records Enable Skills-based Hiring at Scale" . Badgr.com .
^
"Concentric Sky and UNT Launch a First-of-Its-Kind Comprehensive Learner Record" . PR Web . 10 April 2020.
^
"CECE Talent & Workforce Case Study Spotlight: Piloting Learning and Employment Records at the University of North Texas" . aplu.org . 31 August 2021.
^
"IACET Announces Partnership with Badgr for the Open Digital Badge Experience Course" . PR Web . 23 April 2020.
^
"Credential Engine and Concentric Sky combine forces to connect education, individuals, and the workforce by exporting stackable, skills-aligned credential pathways into the CTDL registry" . Credential Engine . 29 September 2020.
^
"Badgr and Emsi Partner to Enable Skill-Based Microcredentials" . Emsi . 8 September 2020.
^
"An Education Proposal to the Biden-Harris Administration" . Instructure.com . 16 December 2020.
^
"Tech companies ask Biden for more education support" . Edscoop.com . 21 December 2020.
^
"Open Badges 3.0" (PDF) . Concentric Sky Github . 6 July 2021.
^ Lemoie, Kerri (11 June 2021).
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^ Lemoie, Kerri (16 June 2021).
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^
"Western Governors University Releases Open-Source Code to Facilitate Universal Skills Language" . Western Governors University. 16 November 2021.
^
"Blackboard and Concentric Sky Partner to Make Badgr Micro-credentials and Stackable Pathways Available to More Learners" . Blackboard.com . 25 May 2021.
^
"How We Automated Postman Student Programs with the Badgr API" . Postman.org . 25 June 2021.
^
"Badgr Integration Brings Badges to Open eLMS, further expanding Gamification Functionality" . Learning News . 1 July 2021.
^ Curnow, C. & Calderón, C. & Riley, T. & Carvajal, C. R. & Trevino, S. & Amin, S. (9 June 2021).
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cite web }}
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^
"Wayne Skipper, CEO of Concentric Sky: Future-Proofing with Digital Badges" . Futuro Health. 25 July 2021.
^
KCTCS Faculty Institute on Teaching 2021 . 30 April 2021 – via YouTube.
^
"School's microcredentialing program prepares kids for the future" . The Educator. 5 May 2021.
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^
"Myhub Announces Integration with Badgr" . www.studentclearinghouse.org . 26 January 2022.
^
"Drive Student Success With a Digital Badging Program" . www.iste.org . 16 February 2022.
^
"Here are the 119 best places to work in Oregon and SW Washington: Top Workplaces 2021" . The Oregonian . 27 September 2021.
^
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^
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^
KMTR Silicon Shire . 24 January 2014 – via YouTube.
^
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^
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^
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^
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^
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^ McKenzie River Trust (11 October 2019).
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^
Light at Play's Radiance Dome - winner of the 2013 LuciteLux© JUST IMAGINE Awards . 26 November 2013 – via YouTube.
^
IYL 2015 Opening Ceremony . 13 March 2015 – via YouTube.
^
"Globe-trotting orb" . The Register-Guard . 19 September 2014.
^
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^
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External links