Ed3Weekly: Issue #5 of Web3🤝Education
Aloha mai and welcome to Issue #5 of my weekly newsletter of all things education and web3. This week is a mixed bag with some NFT news, crypto debates, and a great article on charity in web3. Of course, I will always keep it grounded in education, so I think you'll enjoy one of the best ed3-themed Twitter threads I've ever read.
I want to start off with an interesting idea that explains why I started this newsletter. By far my favorite web3 podcast is the Bankless Podcast with hosts Ryan Sean Admas and David Hoffman. In a recent episode with Olaf Carlson-Wee he mentioned his 1/9/90 theory when it comes to knowledge transfer around crypto and web3. Here's how he described it: "One percent of people are actually doing stuff, nine percent of people are watching them really closely and understand broadly what they are doing, and then those nine turn around and talk to the other ninety percent of people."
There were two strong takeaways I got from this. First, which aligns pretty closely with the point that he was trying to make, is that too many people are getting their information one or two people removed from source information. But secondarily, there is great potential to rapidly level up our knowledge around web3 and crypto by taking advantage of the collective knowledge that the 9% are sharing with the other 90%.
I am so grateful to those that have subscribed to this newsletter as I build my community. My intention is to help others to level up their web3🤝education knowledge by sharing what I am learning about. As always your likes, Tweets, and Retweets really help spread awareness of this newsletter. Also, if you have any interesting web3 articles, news, or events feel free to share in my DMs, I am always looking to learn more about what is going out there!
Tweets
My friend Mike Peck, Co-founder and Tech Director of Ed3 Educators and Co-founder of Ed3DAO, is always sharing some fantastic insights about the convergence of web3 and education. In this thread, he offers some reflections on the true potential in this space. His thoughtful examinations of how the current architectures of our educational systems can be disrupted by this technology are always valued. I highly suggest you read through this Twitter thread with an open and curious mind.
You may have heard about the Moonbirds NFT project this week. If not, where have you been! This is obviously emerging as the next blue-chip project, joining CryptoPunks, Bored Ape Yacht Club, and others (Doodles I see you). These projects go beyond just a cool profile pic to add to your Twitter account. Moonbirds are demonstrating how venture capital and investing will be changed forever by web3 technology. Check out this Twitter thread to dig in some more.
One hurdle I have hit in my Middle School NFT Club is, "how am I going to turn these digital drawings into actual NFTs?" This thread by Hawaiʻi-based web3 developer Watase.eth offers some simple solutions to this nagging question. I hope to have some updates soon on what we come up with.
Podcasts
Can you ever get too much Chris Dixon? Rather than a web3/crypto love fest, this interview with The Verge is a great opportunity to listen to some strong pushback against this technology. If you can't listen to and take account of the contrarian opinion, then you should probably continue to do more research. I enjoy these conversations because they challenge my own conceptions and demand deep reflection. This interview is no exception.
Chris Dixon thinks web3 is the future of the internet — is it? - The Verge — www.theverge.com Why VC firm a16z has spent $3 billion funding crypto startups like CoinBase and NFT platforms including OpenSea, plus a debate of the environmental impact of crypto and what the metaverse might look like.
Articles
I will read anything by my friends Vriti and Scott. I have shared their writings before, but if you are new, Vriti is Co-founder & Art Director of Ed3 Educators, Co-founder of Ed3DAO, and Founder of k20 Educators. (I know, she's a big deal). Scott is the founder of ed3.gg – a consultancy and studio working to scale education. His weekly newsletter at digest.ed3.gg provides insights on the intersection of web3 and education.
If you want to stay up on anything web3 and education-related you need to follow these two. This is a great article that walks through how "Web3 enables coordination, cash transfer, and congruence." Definitely recommend this one.
The Transformation of Charity through Web3 — Vriti Saraf — mirror.xyz Web3 coordination, cash transfer, and crypto congruence are transforming charitable giving.
Thanks again for reading, you can read my blog on the decentralized blogging platform Mirror, sign up to receive my Substack, or go old school and read my bloggy blog. They all link to the same content 🤪