It’s been 10 years since published his/her/their paper called “ ” where blockchain took main stage. Fast-forward to today, blockchain is hot topic in technology. Companies all around the world are dabbling in this revolutionary ‘new’ technology and in this post I will discuss how education can be revolutionized with the blockchain. Satoshi Nakamoto Bitcoin: A Peer-to-Peer Electronic Cash System the What is a Blockchain? There are numerous definitions online, so I’ll keep it short and sweet for the benefit of those who are coming across their first blockchain-related post. A blockchain is a and which records transactions between two users of the same network in a , , and manner. It works as follows: decentralized distributed ledger transparent secure immutable verifiable It is a list of ‘blocks’ linked together using cryptography. A block contains the of the previous block, as well, a and the . cryptographic hash timestamp transaction data After a block is ‘completed’, it gets added to the blockchain (in chronological order) and a new one is created. Blocks once added to the blockchain. permanently can’t be modified or removed Every network participant (node) holds the of the blockchain. exact same copy GIF courtesy of realdolmen What is Decentralization? I mentioned above that the blockchain is decentralized, but what does that mean? A system is one in which no single person, institution, or machine is telling others what to do. Ethereum’s Co-Founder, categorized into 3 types (you can read more ), with the blockchain offering 2 out of 3: decentralized Vitalik Buterin , decentralization here — as there is no central party that controls it. An example of a politically decentralized system is one in which there is no central authority taking decisions about the network but relies on its ‘stakeholders’ to do so. Political decentralization —as there is no single infrastructural central point of failure. An example of an architectural decentralized system is one in which, if parts of the network were to go offline, the remaining network would function as normal, with minimal impact. Architectural decentralization 3 Ways Blockchain Can Revolutionize Education Now that we’ve got the basics of the blockchain and decentralization out of the way, there are certain characteristics of the blockchain which can revolutionize education. These include: and is extremely easy to achieve using the blockchain, due to its and nature. Unfortunately, the centralized systems that exist today are vulnerable to weak provenance (“ and tampering. The blockchain offers exceptional thus bringing protection to the content creator. 1 — Proof of OwnershipProof of ownership proof of intellectual property immutable transparent the place of origin or earliest known history of something”) provenance What does this mean for ? education Students will have the ability to that they were the easily prove original content creators. to the original creators. Monetary reimbursement will be correctly attributed Students will be able to own a which can be accessed by relevant parties with ease and confidence. transparent work portfolio It will educate students of the importance of , whilst also teaching in preparation for entering the working world. retaining control over their intellectual property autonomy and self-assuredness , . For example, institutions could have the ability to issue certificates on the blockchain, which students receive (on the blockchain) once acquired. This will make certification fraud impossible, whilst students will be able to prove acquisition of certificates transparently and verifiably. Certificates could be stored on the blockchain **2 — Decentralized Information Sharing**The blockchain can through decentralization. This promotes a new, revolutionary way of sharing information, which was not available until the advent of the decentralized blockchain. bring down walls and barriers What does this mean for ? education becomes much easier. Whereas in the past, global knowledge sharing was hard to achieve, with the blockchain, this is no longer an issue. Knowledge can now with no central parties being involved which can restrict access. Global information sharing easily flow across the globe It as knowledge is now broader, more accessible and cheaper to obtain. helps future generations achieve a higher level of education As a whole, our society will reap the benefits across all sectors & disciplines, as an after-affect from the evolution of knowledge. **3 — Tokenized Economy**One of the biggest applications of blockchain today are cryptocurrencies. Cryptocurrencies Therefore, whole economies can now be tokenized using cryptocurrencies, including the student economy. “are digital assets designed to work as a medium of exchange to secure financial transactions”. What does this mean for ? education Education platforms, acting as middle-men, often take a in the form of fees. With a tokenized economy, middle-men will no longer be required. Students will therefore for sharing their knowledge. This could potentially help alleviate the looming crisis of student debt in the future. significant cut earn more These platforms very often have geographical entry barriers. This will no longer be an issue and will in developing countries to earn more than what they would previously. unshackle students The that often banks impose, which can be a burden, especially for students, would be eliminated. currency conversion fees A tokenized economy could ‘gamify’ education and motivate students further, by implementing ‘learning is earning’. As students complete certain tasks, cryptocurrency can be rewarded. This can be then exchanged for other educational material and/or even be exchanged for FIAT currencies. A Case Study: Spitball 2.0 A project which has caught my attention tackling this space is . is an ucational nology ( ) company with an existing user-base of over 500,000 students, a massive content database, a team with great operational experience and a lot of education partnerships already under their belt. They are now looking to launch a decentralized student economy (called ) aiming to tackle education. Spitball Spitball Ed Tech EdTech Spitball 2.0 is a marketplace in which students reap the rewards of a shared ecosystem of knowledge and services while also themselves earning money for their provided knowledge, content and services. The marketplace enables students to receive homework help, buy and sell course notes, find work, buy and sell books and much more, disrupting a market dominated by middlemen taking huge margins. Spitball Using blockchain technology, is establishing the first of its kind that connects and incentivizes students from all over the world. It allows them to using a native SBL token — creating proof of ownership on the platform and making tokenized cross-border transactions cheap, fast, and secure. Spitball 2.0 global decentralized Student Economy directly exchange knowledge, goods, and services As a matter of fact, has already launched a beta version of the marketplace on its existing platform with a blockchain-powered application running on top of it. Spitball You can find more information about Spitball by visiting their website, , and reading their whitepaper, . here here If you would like to know more about , please drop me a comment on my various social media, or leave a comment below! Spitball How many claps does this post deserve? How about a follow? If you enjoyed this post, please feel free to 👏 👏 many times (you know you want to!), give my blog a 👣 👣 and 🤲 🤲 with your friends. There’s a limit of 👏 👏 you can give to each post, so I urge you not to try and exceed that limit… you might break Medium! clap follow share 50 claps Speaking of which… If I still have your attention, please leave a comment and let me know what else you would like to see me writing about. You can find links to my social media and sign up to my newsletter below. contact@ermos.io You can also show your support by donating to the following address: : ETH 0x4c7195E074cf0Ab6F77Bdb7C97Fd2567066Bb712 . Disclaimer: All information and data on this blog post is for informational purposes only. My opinions are my own. I do not provide personal investment advice and I am not a qualified licensed investment advisor I make no representations as to the accuracy, completeness, suitability, or validity, of any information. I will not be liable for any errors, omissions, or any losses, or damages arising from its display or use. 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