Ed3 Weekly Issue #183: Are We Doing This Right?
The transition from corporate control to collective creation allow web3 to offer an alternative path
Hello blockchain enthusiasts,
As AI becomes the next trillion-dollar gold rush, education risks getting swept up in the same cycle that defined past tech waves. Centralized power, corporate profit, and systems that amplify exclusion have been the trends of the past. So this week we ask ourselves if we are sure that we are building the future of learning on the correct foundation.
Web3 offers a truly unique and different path. Openness, transparency, and shared ownership have the potential to undo many of the wrongs that have plagued technology innovation of the previous century.
From Open Campus raising $5 million to expand blockchain-powered learning tools, to Mississippi’s college savings plan now accepting crypto payments, to young African innovators using Solana to reimagine access and opportunity, the movement toward decentralized learning ecosystems is gaining traction.
Our deep dive into Anne Trumbore’s The Teacher in the Machine outlines how the previous innovation models differed. Her story of edtech’s rise through venture capital and institutional power reminds us how easily technology drifts away from its human purpose. If AI represents the industrial learning model, Web3 might be the community-driven alternative that returns agency to educators, creators, and learners.
There’s a lot more to explore in this week’s issue:
Open Campus Secures $5 Million to Build Blockchain-Powered Education Ecosystem
Mississippi adds crypto payment option to college savings plan
Young African Innovators Take Centre Stage at Solana Students Summit
And our deep dive, in which we discuss a global study on AI prompting.
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⛓️ Blockchain News
Open Campus Secures $5 Million to Build Blockchain-Powered Education Ecosystem
🔗 Open Campus raised $5 million from Animoca Brands, YZi Labs, HSG Capital, and Caladan to accelerate Web3 education tools. Read
🪙 Crypto News
Mississippi adds crypto payment option to college savings plan
🔗 Mississippi’s college savings program now accepts Venmo and PayPal for gifting and cryptocurrency for payments. Read
🌐 More Crypto News
Young African Innovators Take Centre Stage at Solana Students Summit
🔗 The Solana Students Africa Summit Grand Finale, held at the University of Lagos, brought together some of Africa’s brightest young innovators, developers, and creators for a day dedicated to technology, innovation, and enterprise. Read
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🤿 Deep Dive
An Edtech Pioneer Considers the Mixed Record of Her Field
This article reflects on the evolution of education technology through the lens of Anne Trumbore’s new book, The Teacher in the Machine. Drawing on her two decades of firsthand experience, from early online learning experiments at Stanford to leadership roles at Coursera and Wharton Online, Trumbore examines how edtech moved from promise to profit. Read
Thank you for stopping by for another issue of my newsletter on emerging technology in education. Link to all my work by checking out my website, or give me a follow on the X platform.