1,454 views | Aug 20, 2018, 04:00am

20 Ways Blockchain Will

Transform (Okay, May Improve)
Education
Tom Vander Ark Contributor i

Education
I write about the future of learning, work and human development.

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Blockchain is a public ledger that automatically records and verifies

transactions. The distributed ledger technology (DLT) powers Bitcoin,
Ethereum and other virtual currencies (which have taken a beating this
month). Less publicized are all the ways DLT could transform many
industries. Use cases for a transparent, verifiable register of transaction data
are numerous because DLT operates through a decentralized platform
making it fraud resistant.

With assistance from Educause and CB Insights, we’ve identified 26 ways

that DLT could be deployed by school districts, networks, postsecondary
institutions and community-based organizations to improve learning
opportunities.

1. Transcripts. Academic credentials must be universally recognized and

verifiable. In K-12 and postsecondary, verifying academic credentials
remains largely a manual process (heavy on paper documentation and case-
by-case checking). DLT solutions could streamline verification procedures
and reduce fraudulent claims of unearned educational credits.

Learning Machine, a 10-year-old software startup, has collaborated with MIT

Media Lab to launch of the Blockcerts toolset, which provides an open
infrastructure for creating, issuing, viewing and verifying blockchain-based
certificates.

Matt Pittinsky, CEO of transcript service Parchment, said there’s a lot of

design decisions to work out before widespread use of DLT transcripts. He
thinks blockchain will store locations to systems that that record
comprehensive records–a balance between permanence and portability.

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2. Badges. Specific skill assertions can be verified and communicated with a

digital badge. Multiple badges can be assembled into an open badge
passport that students can share with prospective employers.

Indorse is using blockchain to verify e-portfolios. Users upload claims with a

link to verification and other users verify that claim.

3. Student records. Sony Global Education developed a educational

platform in partnership with IBM that uses blockchain to secure and share
student records.

Storing an comprehensive learner record on a distributed ledger may prove

computationally intensive and, as a result, prohibitively expensive. As
Pittinsky predicted, DLT may just be used as a directory rather than a data
warehouse.

4. Identity. With the proliferation of learning apps and services, identity

management is a big problem in education. Platforms like Blockstack and
uPort help users carry their identity with around the internet. On Blockstack,
users will access apps on decentralized networks and have data portability.

5. Infrastructure security. As schools add more security cameras and

sensors, they need to protect their networks from hackers. Companies like
Xage are using blockchain’s tamper-proof ledgers to sharing security data
across device networks.

6. Ridesharing. Blockchain could inject new options into the rideshare

oligopoly. With a distributed ledger, drivers and riders could create a more
user-driven, value-oriented marketplace. DLT rideshare startup Arcade
City allows drivers to establish their rates (taking a percentage of rider fares)
with the blockchain logging all interactions. Arcade City appeals to
professional drivers, who want to build up their own businesses than be
controlled from a corporate headquarters.

School districts could negotiate with a group of screened Arcade City drivers
for hard to serve aspects of pupil transportation (e.g., special needs, isolated
students, work-based learning).

7.Cloud storage. As learners and education institutions store more data,

DLT cloud storage could offer safer and potentially cheaper alternatives.
Dubbed the “Airbnb for file storage,” Filecoin is a high-profile crypto project
that rewards the hosting of files.

8. Energy management. For educational institutions with renewable

energy sources, DLT could reduce the need for intermediaries. Brooklyn
startup Transactive Grid enables decentralized energy generation schemes
allowing entities to generate, buy, and sell energy to their neighbors.

9. Prepaid cards. Blockchains can help retailers offer secure gift cards and
loyalty programs without a middleman. Gyft, an online platform for buying,
sending, and redeeming gift cards, partnered with blockchain infrastructure
provider Chain to run gift cards for thousands of small businesses on the
blockchain, in a program called Gyft Block. Loyyal makes loyalty incentives
easily exchangeable across different sectors.

Prepaid cards could be used by cities, schools, and families to purchase out of
school learning experiences (e.g., an LRNG card) and associated
transportation (#7).

10. Smart contracts. DLT can be used to automatically execute

agreements once a set of specified conditions are met. These “smart
contracts” have the potential to reduce paperwork in many sector including
education.

Woolf University, formed by Oxford professors, will use DLT to execute

smart contracts. A series of student and teacher “check-ins” are key to
executing a series of smart contracts that validate attendance and
assignment completion. A check-in could be a simple as clicking a button on
a phone app but it executes a smart contract that pays the teacher and
provides micro-credits to the student.

DLT could facilitate distributed learning skemes. A state or institution could

fund a student’s account using blockchain-based smart contracts and and
provide all the funding up-front. The smart contracts would release it when
certain criteria are met. (There’s obviously a lot of policy to figure out:
desirable experiences and skill verifications, eligible providers, terms and
conditions, etc.)

11. Learning marketplace. The core competency of DLT is eliminating

the middleman. It will be deployed to create various learning marketplaces
from test prep to surfing school.

TeachMePlease is Russian pilot on the Disciplina platform where teachers

and students come together. It helps students find and pay for courses,
registered by educational organizations or teachers. Woolf (#16) is an
example of a new higher ed marketplace.

12. Records management. DLT could reduce paper-based processes,

minimize fraud, and increase accountability between authorities and those
they serve. An early example, the Delaware Blockchain Initiative, aims to
create an appropriate legal infrastructure for distributed ledger shares, to
increase efficiency and speed of incorporation services. Illinois, Vermont,
and other states have since announced similar initiatives. Startups are
assisting in the effort as well: in Eastern Europe, the BitFury Group is
currently working with the Georgian government to secure and track
government records.

13. Retail. DLT could securely connect buyers and sellers in

marketplaces.For example, OpenBazaar operates as an open-source, peer-
to-peer network that connects buyers and sellers without a middleman.
Customers purchase goods using any of 50 cryptocurrencies and sellers are
paid in Bitcoin.

DLT could be used to power school stores and student businesses. In some
cases, a global network would be attractive, but in others, a permissioned
(private) ledger could limit the scope of a school economy.

14. Charity. For charitable donations, DLT provides the ability to precisely
track donations and, in some cases, impact. For example, GiveTrack, from
the BitGive Foundation, is a blockchain-based donation platform that
provides the ability to transfer, track, and provide a permanent record of
charitable financial transactions across the globe.

Donors to schools and NGOs may find accountability and transparency

attractive.

15. Human resources. Conducting background checks and verifying

employment histories can be time-consuming, highly manual tasks for HR
professionals. If employment and criminal records were stored in DLT, HR
professionals could streamline the vetting process and move hiring processes
forward more quickly.

Chronobank is focused on improving short-term recruitment for on-demand

jobs (e.g., cleaning, warehousing, e-commerce). The startup aims to use
blockchain to make it easier for individuals to find work on the fly and be
rewarded for their labor through a decentralized framework via
cryptocurrency, without the involvement of traditional financial institutions.

Schools could use similar capabilities in substitute and driver management

and for a marketplace of afterschool and summer activities.

16. Governance. The benefits of using blockchain for smart contracts and
verifiable transactions can also be applied toward making business
accounting more transparent. The Boardroom app, for example, provides a
governance framework and app enabling companies to manage smart
contracts on the public and permissioned Ethereum blockchains.

The app provides an administrative system for organizations to ensure smart

contracts are executed according to rules encoded on the blockchain (or to
update the rules themselves). Boards can also use the app for shareholder
voting by proxy and collaborative proposal management.

17. Libraries. DLT could help libraries expand their services by building an
enhanced metadata archive, developing a protocol for supporting
community-based collections, and facilitating more effective management of
digital rights. San Jose State’s School of Information received a $100K grant
from the Institute of Museum and Library Services to fund a year-long
project exploring the potential of blockchain technology for information
services.

18. Publishing. Blockchain could have multiple applications in the

publishing industry, from breaking into the industry to rights management
to piracy. New platforms are emerging to level the playing field for writers
and encourage collaboration among authors, editors, translators, and
publishers. Educators, students, and NGOs may appreciate the benefits of
expanded publishing options.

Authorship allows writers to publish their work on the platform. Readers can
purchase the books from the platform using Authorship Tokens (ATS), an
Ethereum-based cryptocurrency, and writers get 90% of royalties in ATS.
Authors own the copyright to their work, so they have the freedom to publish
and distribute it elsewhere.

PageMajik is a workflow management system designed to streamline the

publishing process. The system provides a secure, centralized catalog of all
files, which can be easily accessed by teams of writers, editors, and
publishers. Each person’s roles, rights, and duties can be specified before
they actually start using the platform to minimize errors. PageMajik is in the
process of adding blockchain technology to the next version of its workflow
system.

19. Public assistance. Blockchain could help streamline public assistance

system for families and students. The UK began working with startup
GovCoin Systems in 2016 to conduct trials for developing a blockchain-based
solution for welfare payments. GovCoin divides money into separate stashes
for different expenses. Recipients gain access to their benefits which are paid
in cryptocurrency via a mobile app.

20. Bonds. The World Bank is using blockchain to sell a bond. Moving the
process to the blockchain could cut costs and speed up trading for both bond
issuers and investors. School districts could benefit from faster and cheaper
bond sales.

Writing for Educause, David McArthur outlines the limitations and

challenges of DLT solutions in education. He also lays out the benefits
Permissioned Distributed Ledgers rather than public ledger. These smaller
private networks could enhance security and achieve faster and cheaper
transactions consensus.

“When it comes to educational innovation, blockchains and ledgers are likely

to lead to evolutionary gains, rather than revolutionary reforms,” concludes
McArthur.

For more, see:

Imagining a Blockchain University

How Blockchain Will Transform Credentialing and Education (a

review of an EU report on Blockchain in Education)

By 2025, Swarms of Self-Driving Vehicles Will Transport Students to

Learning Sites

Tom Vander Ark is an advocate for innovations in learning. As CEO of

Getting Smart, he advises school districts, networks, foundations and
learning organizations on the path forward. A prolific writer and speaker,
Tom is author of "Getting Smart"; "Smart Cities That Work for... MORE

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