New Peaks, New Views: Issue #27 of web3🤝education
There is an idea that as you climb a mountain you encounter incremental peaks along the way. With each sequential peak, a new one comes into view. My web3 journey has been unfolding in a similar fashion over the past month. As I come up on a full year of immersing myself in this 100% I keep seeing a new peak emerge after each new summit that I reach.
Right now I feel like I am seeing the Rocky Mountain Range through. I'll never forget the feeling I had when I first saw the Rockies and saw peak after peak after peak. I soon learned from one of the locals that they refer to these as "14ers." I live at the base of a 14,000-foot mountain in Hawaiʻi Island, so I know the grandeur of one of these mountains. But to see dozens of these all in one place is awe-inspiring.
So what does this have to do with web3 and education? As my knowledge and awareness have increased, so has my view of these 14,000-foot mountains. The resources for this week are just a couple of examples of the new peaks that are coming into view.
One example of this thorough exploration by The Atlantic of the differences between web3 and web3.0. I had no idea these were actually two different things. It also examines the subtle (and not-so-subtle) differences in how decentralization is understood by developers. This is a concept that I would have struggled to digest had I not been climbing the previous peaks that brought these understandings into view
Similarly, this blog post by the Open Music Initiative is about their collaboration with Berklee College of Music. They have partnered to create a blockchain-enabled ecosystem that will allow musicians to license their music to visual media students at universities across higher ed.
The two final resources for the week also helped to push my view of the web3 landscape. This includes a story about a Senior High School student using cryptocurrency to crowdfund for a charity. And finally, a summary of a major gaming and metaverse company acquiring an interactive education app.
Altogether these are examples of how my understanding of how education and web3 have reached new levels. These are new peaks that are only possible by the previous journeys I have gone through. I look forward to growing my understanding as I continue to climb the seemingly endless mountain of information about the blockchain, metaverse, and NFTs.
Check everything out linked below:
🤓 Deepen your understanding of the differences between web3 and web3.0
🎶 Learn how Berklee College of Music is helping students earn using the blockchain
🫴 Read about high school students raising money for charities through cryptocurrencies
🎥 Watch a video explaining a major acquisition of an education application that helps teachers monetize their creations
"The Battle for the Soul of the Web" - The Atlantic — www.theatlantic.com
I almost saved this article for its own newsletter. It has had a strong impact on my understanding of web3 and decentralization. I think it is better to share this article rather than try and process the entire thing.
We are all very new to this technology, but there are some who have been thinking about a decentralized web for longer than others. This article is an informative deep dive into the people shaping the next iteration of the internet. It is also a helpful primer on the differences and similarities between web3, web3.0, and a decentralized web.
Berklee and the Open Music Initiative Collaboration — open-music.org
I first came across the idea of blockchain from a musicianʻs perspective. It always bothered me that there was no way to verify ownership of digital music files. The first iTunes monetization model didnʻt make sense, and neither do the current streaming models.
This blog post represents an exciting advancement that will help support the next generation of musicians and creatives. These types of advancements are what make me think that we will look back at our current ways of doing things and realize how archaic they actually are.
Cryptocurrency, Philanthropy, and a High School Capstone Project — www.greenwichtime.com
Cryptocurrency and capstone...😍 Just seeing these two worlds together warms my heart. For those who arenʻt aware, my current position is as the director of the capstone program for my K-8 school.
I have guided student projects around VR and have led a student-run NFT club as well, but have yet to have a student incorporate crypto into their project. I have a feeling that this story about a Senior in Connecticut using crypto to help support local charities will be the first of many more to come.
Animoca Brands Acquires TinyTap and Brings it into Web3
Teachers Pay Teachers can be a pretty divisive topic in many educator circles. Do we like seeing teachers earn extra income from the original resources that they create? Of course we do! But are we OK supporting a system that lacks a layer of accountability and allows members to steal and exploit original content for their own gain? Hell no!
TinyTap is a platform that is one small step towards squaring the problem. Using blockchain technology and an intuitive platform, teachers are able to build lessons and resources that can be sold to earn income. This video outlines the acquisition of TinyTap by Animoca Brands, major digital gaming, and metaverse company.
Thank you for stopping by for another issue of my web3🤝education newsletter. You can subscribe to the newsletter here or if you’re on LinkedIn go check out a version of this newsletter on my LinkedIn page and give me a follow.
Link to all my work by checking out my website.