A useful article overviewing the technology, social, academic and organizational issues surrounding the Open Badge Initiative (http://openbadges.org). Personally, I think this is a vital technology to break the mould of formal education and rethink how we accredit lifelong learning. This may not be the final solution, but it is an important link in the chain.
Address of the bookmark: http://ojs.stanford.edu/ojs/index.php/a2k/article/view/381