Ed3 Weekly Issue #31: New Beginnings
Hello educator and web3 frens,
I am feeling a sense of renewal for a couple of reasons. First off, I have officially moved my Ed3 Weekly newsletter here to Substack. I thought it was a good time to make this move as the future of the Revue platform is uncertain with the recent purchase of Twitter by Elon Musk.
The format and purpose of the newsletter will remain the same: to provide curated resources to help grow understanding of web3 for educators and web3 learners. One small change is I will re-brand this newsletter specifically under the “Ed3 Weekly” name. This seemed like a logical step as I continue to build my own writing on my blog (http://dagan.blog) and my own substack (dagan.substack.com).
I will continue to cross-post this newsletter on both my own blog and my LinkedIn newsletter. My goal is to make these resources as accessible as possible. Making sure it is posted in as many ways as possible seems to be the best way to achieve this goal.
The other reason I am feeling some extra web3 love this week is the amazing Ed3DAO “Web3 & the Evolution of Education Unconference.” It was truly a transformative event with hundreds of educators and education lovers coming together to share about reimaging education. If you missed it or just want to relive the experience, the featured talks are listed on this playlist on the Ed3 DAO YouTube channel.
But onto the web3🤝education resources for this week! As we celebrate new beginnings, I am sharing things that I think are building the foundations for the “post FTX” era that we are about to enter.
Since I mentioned the elephant in the room, I only have one thing to say. I am not a crypto or Defi expert and don’t know the technical details about what went down. What I do know is that we will look back on this as a defining moment when we reached an adoption infection point. I look forward to a bright and productive web3 future from here on out!
This week you will find resources about:
🤖 The Pew Center exploring the growing influence of AI and what it means to be human
🧠 Ed3 thought leader Scott David Meyer shares his thoughts on a post-FTX world
🌐 Metaverse expert Cathy Hackl writes in Forbes that yes the metaverse is a big deal
🏫 EdSurge continues its coverage of the metaverse and its impact on higher ed
Artificial Intelligence and the Future of Humans
Saul Loeb/AFP/Getty Images
As AI has moved into the mainstream (see this article from last week’s newsletter) questions about its ethics have been heavily discussed. This article by the Pew Research Center is a good summary of the main ethical concerns that we should be addressing as this technology is increasingly incorporated into our daily lives.
There are also a number of suggestions about how to effectively manage an AI-infused future. A variety of academics, experts, authors, and entrepreneurs share their thoughts about what this technology is and where it is going.
Web3 is dead. Long live web3
AI-generated image from Canva
I consistently lean on the thinking of writer and entrepreneur Scott David Meyer. He has been writing and developing in the web3 space for a while and always has the best perspectives on changes in the industry.
This brief article is a great perspective on how “true web3 might just find more fertile ground.” Whether it’s a change in nomenclature or interoperable credentials, the future of web3 will continue to ebb and change with the times.
The Metaverse Is Coming And It’s A Very Big Deal
Image from Getty
Cathy Hackl, aka the Godmother of the Metaverse, has an amazing ability to paint the clearest pictures about the ways that metaverse technology will exist in our future lives. This article from Forbes is another brilliant piece that takes you directly into our immersive future.
Cathy walks you through the economy, culture, shopping, and entertainment in this thorough explanation of what real metaverse experience will look like. Her insights are always foundational building blocks to help answer the question “how are you getting ready?”.
The Metaverse Is Built on University Innovation. Higher Ed Should Stake Its Claim
ProStockStudio / Shutterstock
EdSurge has consistently been exploring web3, NFTs, and the metaverse in its coverage of technology and education. You can see articles here, here, here, here, and here. This latest article looks specifically at how higher ed can guide the adoption of metaverse technologies.
I am a little torn on this. On one hand, I have appreciated how universities have traditionally led the way in adopting new technologies in education. Our educational institutions are slow to evolve and since the advent of the internet over 50 years ago we have relied on higher ed to push adoption. But I also worry about the disconnect between the learning being guided at universities and the needs of our K-12 students.
Thank you for stopping by for another issue of my web3🤝education newsletter. If you’re on LinkedIn you can check out a version of this newsletter on my LinkedIn page and give me a follow. You can also link to all my work by checking out my blog or give me a follow on Twitter.