Earning Merit Badges without "Blue Cards"

[Horizon]

I have been to both types of camps, and I don't see a difference from the attendee perspective. At all of the camps we had to pre-register the boys for their merit badge classes long before the week of camp. That registration was all done online (handled by one of my ASMs). It makes perfect sense to take that online registration, then to push it a classroom tracking system as well. The final step is to deliver to the Troop the list of completed merit badges and partials.

 

If the troop wishes to transfer the partials to blue cards (we do), that is the troop's choice.

[ScoutmasterBradley]

Thanks everyone for the feedback and insights.

 

My feelings is that the old difficulties with merit badge management at camp will still exist switching from "blue cards" to a computer system just changes the tools but won't cure any of the problems with poor managers, sloppy instruction practices, or lazy record keepers (it may save a staff member's wrist from 500 signatures on Friday, but the computer won't track the process and do all the work for you). But I don't think it will make things any worse and maybe it will streamline things and at least make records neater.

 

However my two major concerns with such a system (and I'm sure a frequently asked question the camp staff will have to deal with this summer) are the following (and maybe some one who has been to a camp that uses such a system can help here).

 

1) How do the instructors know the scout has the Scoutmaster's approval to work on a badge? Under the "blue card" system a scout had to present a signed "blue card" to the councilor before starting the badge. How does an instructor know the Scout has gotten approval from their Scoutmaster to start the badge without a "blue card" (which, in a way, serves as the "permission slip" to work on the badge)?

 

2) With a partially completed badge, a Scout would get their "blue card" back at the end of the week with the completed requirements signed off by the councilor. Under the new computerized system the scout would get a printout of what they have left to complete. How does that work when continuing work with another councilor (or returning to camp the following year)? Does the Scoutmaster (who may not be a councilor for the badge) fill out and initial the requirements on a partially completed "blue card" for the scout to hold on to and take to another councilor?

 

Thanks.

 

[Hal_Crawford]

From what I have gleaned from the badgetracker website and the posts to this thread, it seems that scouts are preregistered on-line by their adult leaders which seems to take care of the approval issue.

 

As to the question of partials. I would suggest filling out the blue card with some indication that the requirements were completed at camp... for instance, our scout camp is camp Bowman at Goshen Scout Reservation so I might either put BOW or GSR to indicate the camp and then attach the printout so that the MBC could verify the details. Since we go to a council camp I am sure that MBCs in our area would soon recognize the new way of things.

 

At this point Goshen still uses blue cards but who knows when that might change.

 

Hal

[Beavah]

1) How do the instructors know the scout has the Scoutmaster's approval to work on a badge?

 

Yah, honestly, what percentage of SM's do yeh think really exercise that approval bit? My guess is 25% or less. By and large, it's not the reality most camps are dealin' with. And it's easily dealt with by the unit on their own when they get a report at the end of day 1 or 2 on what their kids have done so far.

 

How does that work when continuing work with another councilor (or returning to camp the following year)?

 

Much easier when returnin' to camp the following year, because it's in the system. No paper required (but kudos to you if you succeed in gettin' many of your kids to actually hold on to blue cards for that long! ).

 

Works just as easily when workin' with another counselor back home. Just present the counselor with the camp's report form. If he/she has never seen one before, explain what it is and that that's how Camp WXYZ does "blue forms" these days.

 

One official BSA form is as good as another.

 

Beavah

 

[BrentAllen]

"1) How do the instructors know the scout has the Scoutmaster's approval to work on a badge?"

 

At our camp, registration for the MBs begins months in advance (first week of April) and only one person per unit can register Scouts. So, the SM should be involved in the process.

 

As for partials, the SM could easily pass the information on to an appropriate MB counselor. The counselor and the Scout could get a Blue Card up to date.

 

Beavah,

I don't think our camp maintains the records much beyond Summer Camp, but I could be wrong. Our Scouts usually work to complete a badge over the rest of the year, so they don't take them again. I don't know if the counselors would even consider work completed the previous year - they pretty much have their program for the week, or the course, and stick to it. Not saying that's right, but just the way it is.

[John-in-KC]

BA,

 

My Council Reservations maintain Lodge books for one full camping season after the session the Scout attends, then they are discarded. That's why our Council Advancement Committee, together with the Camping Committee, says Camp MB partials may be finished at camp for only one season after the Scout takes them.

 

Of course, if the Scout seeks out an in-town MBC, he can continue the badge process to his 18th B-day.

[Hal_Crawford]

Our council keeps the camp merit badge records for at least a few years. We have used their records to rebuild missing blue cards a couple years after the fact. They keep these archives at the council headquarters, not the reservation. Counselors at Goshen accept partials from previous years or elsewhere. Scouts usually talk to the counselor the first day and find out when they need to come back for their requirements. Since it is often not the things that are done in class (like the observation for Envi Sci) they sometimes just work independently and bring the work to the counselor.

 

Hal

[Twocubdad]

Our camp went with a web-based system last year and it worked just fine.

 

The "gatekeeper" function is maintained in that the troop has to pre-register the Scouts for the MB classes. If I don't approve the boy's course selection, the troop's camp registrar doesn't enter them.

 

We get a print-out at the end of the week, but the results remain available on line for months. That's pretty nice, too, in terms of helping guys follow up on incomplete requirements. Partial results were also available online during the week of camp. Supposedly I could get on my laptop or use the computer in the leader's lounge to see who was ditching class or doggin' it. That was iffy and most of the counselors didn't keep their class records updated daily. But that was no real loss -- that stuff's better managed by wandering around camp rather than by computer.

 

The only drawback is that our troop record keeping system is based on the blue cards. We have records of blue cards going back decades. The boys are also trained to track their blue cards as the 100% solution for proving which merit badges they earned. It's a pain, but we took the computer results and transferred everything onto blue cards. Otherwise we were relying on electronic records and we weren't comfortable with taking that plunge just yet.

[oldsm]

My council uses blue cards. The scouts in my troop ALWAYS have a filled-out blue card BEFORE they contact a counselor, whether at camp, an MBU, Jamboree, or at home. No exceptions.

 

Our District Advancement Chairman insists on seeing the physical blue cards before he will agree to an EBOR. Given the propensity of Council's ScoutNet records to be in error, those blue cards are frequently lifesavers...

[Knot Head]

The camp we attend gives us a computer print out.

 

We use the printout to fill out blue cards.

 

>>1) How do the instructors know the scout has the Scoutmaster's approval to work on a badge? Under the "blue card" system a scout had to present a signed "blue card" to the councilor before starting the badge. How does an instructor know the Scout has gotten approval from their Scoutmaster to start the badge without a "blue card" (which, in a way, serves as the "permission slip" to work on the badge)? A1 -> An adult leader has to register each scout for MB classes online weeks before camp starts. The registration process cannot be completeed without SM approval for MB's selected. In our troop the SM approves all classes a scout selects before they go into the online registration process.

 

2) With a partially completed badge, a Scout would get their "blue card" back at the end of the week with the completed requirements signed off by the councilor. Under the new computerized system the scout would get a printout of what they have left to complete. How does that work when continuing work with another councilor (or returning to camp the following year)? Does the Scoutmaster (who may not be a councilor for the badge) fill out and initial the requirements on a partially completed "blue card" for the scout to hold on to and take to another councilor?

 

-> Basically yes. The partial is completed and then the SM will help the scout find a MBC to complete the course. Many times with planning the scout can complete items before class, show evidence to the MBC at cummer camp and get the card totally signed off. An example is camping. We provide a letter from the SM stating the scout has met 9a and 9b (camped 20 nights, backpakced, canoe trip)and the MBC will sometimes code that as completed.(This message has been edited by knot head)