The old model was students and young professionals intern for a company to get their foot in the door, with the hope to be hired and begin their career. These internships acted as an important anchor for a community, retaining and training students for the local workforce.

This model now feels slow and out of touch with new models of work brought about by technology and the COVID pandemic. As web3 shows, it is now possible to engage workers in a more decentralized way with micro-tasks that provide income, experience, and credentials while building a valuable network.

It’s time to create a model of Intern to Earn (I2E).

A successful I2E model would:

• Atomize the internship experience into paid micro-tasks

• Combine micro-tasks into broader experience in key skills and industries

• Provide credentials recognizing skills gained and tasks completed

• Connect students with local employers and the community

• Enable employers to build a more robust talent pipeline

The “Great Resignation” is a concern for businesses who now face competition for talent from remote businesses across the world. For local communities to compete, an Intern to Earn model is needed.

The Power of the Intern

Internships are a power economic tool for students and communities.

In many ways, internships solve higher education’s problem of relevancy. By combining an academic course of study with a practical experience, students are better prepared to enter the workforce. Plus, internships provide the network to get that first job.

For communities, internships provide a connection point. Many university towns face the “gown and town” separation, where students spend two or four years on campus and never leave. Internships bridge that divide by getting students off campus and into the community. This exposure to employers, community amenities, and new relationships are key factors in retaining talent. When students like where they live and have professional opportunities, they’re more likely to stay.

My own community of Fargo-Moorhead undertook a study to recently to measure the impact of “connectiveness.” According to the Campus FM report by Ecotone:

• Post-graduation wages are $8,240 higher on average for students who have had an internship

• Employers save $3,370 per student thanks to reduced labor costs (interns are cheaper!) and avoiding onboarding and training for new hires

• Being more connected to a community also increases the likelihood students will graduate while providing mental and physical health benefits

• $1 invested =’s $7.95 return: For every $1 invested in connecting students to the community through internships, mentorships, volunteering, and service-learning provides a social return of $7.95

This data points to the fact that internships and related experiences are highly impactful. Unfortunately, the current model is antiquated and limits the potential reach of internships. As placemaking studio Folkways is exploring, new models are needed.

The Problem with Internships

With clear data on the power of internships, there should be a focus on making it easy for as many students as possible to participate and parlay that experience into future opportunities. Unfortunately there are two major problems: access and impact.

The current model has numerous elements that limit access for students and inhibits the impact students receive after the internship. These problems need to be fixed:

Starts Late - Internships are often emphasized as an end of college experience to prepare for a career. This is too late and excludes students who leave school early. Internship experiences should start early to enable everyone to participate and to give students as many experiences as possible throughout their studies.

Requires Previous Knowledge - Many internships require a level of mastery in a subject area. This again limits accessibility to specific students at a specific stage in their educational journey. Students should be provided optional training they could complete ahead of an internship if specific knowledge is required.

Overly Demanding - Internships are typically crafted as a major experience, requiring a semester or summer. Students go through a long, competitive interview process and can get stuck without an opportunity if they are not chosen. Lowering the length of internship experiences and the onboarding process will expand internship access.

High Risk for Employer - Employers likewise face risks from a long, demanding internship process. They can only choose a specific number of interns and are “stuck” with them the entire length of the internship, even if they’re not a good fit. That means employers might miss out on talent and are forced to “find work” for the interns to keep them busy. It reminds me of my days as an intern in Washington, D.C. where, twice a week, my job in the afternoon was to squat on the Mall to guarantee our softball team had a field. 😎

Financially Restrictive - Many internships are unpaid or low paid. While employers tout the experience and network as benefits for the intern, the lack of financial support limits participation to those with economic means.

Relationally Restrictive - Many internships are not well advertised and are word-of-mouth experiences. If you are recommended by the right person, you’ll get the position. This is discriminatory against those without a network. This is especially acute for students from out-of-town and students who do not have parents or friends working in industries they are interested in.

Digitally Second - Many internships moved online during COVID, but they are not digital first. Internships might be done in-person, but communication, onboarding, and other tasks should be moved online. This would enable the in-person time to be used more effectively. Similarly, connecting interns with opportunities and even compensating them could be better done online.

Lack of Certification - Students learn important skills in internships, but these are not well documented. Often an internship is just a bullet on a resume. Students are incentivized to pick internships with well-known companies because the brand becomes the certification. Even if the internship is not as beneficial or interesting, it may be chosen based on reputation (not unlike choosing a college). Internships should lead to a marketable credential that increases opportunity.

Intern to Earn (I2E)

An Intern to Earn model takes the lessons from web3 and applies them to in-person and remote internships. At a basic level, I2E:

1. Rewards students for completing micro-tasks

2. These tasks unlock expertise

3. This expertise leads to credentials

4. All along the way, students are connected with the community and employers, creating more opportunities for full-term work

This model has been developed and perfected online with bounties. Companies and DAOs offer a “bounty” for a task - anything from design an icon to share a tweet to design a website. Members can claim the bounty and get paid when the task is complete. Upon completion, the member earns status, can be reviewed, and can unlock more difficult and higher paid bounties.

The bounty system is very similar to platforms like Fiverr or UpWork. Honestly, it is not conceptually different than a job placement agency. The big difference now, however, is that payments can be made immediately and on a micro-scale. The ability to atomize tasks lowers risk for employers and workers. It also enables workers to start immediately. With many tasks being online, a student could see a task, sign up, complete it, and get paid, all while sitting at the coffee shop.

Many platforms are now working to unlock this talent. They approach this model in different ways. For example, the Shiny Object Social Club uses DeWork to post tasks and build a Kanban board of tasks to be fulfilled.

Braintrust has developed an entire ecosystem of connecting talent with companies using a talent-owned model where talent gets paid and earns greater ownership in Braintrust.

Station provides topic-focused opportunities so individuals can express interest and suggest projects within a topic area. CCS uses this to connect members with new ways to contribute.

The I2E Blueprint

There are seven steps that would launch a successful I2E model in a community.

1. Build Demand

Jobs are the first piece of the model. The demand side of the talent marketplace will be harder to fill. Starting with an industry focus would help recruit the initial employers. As an example, non-profits in a community could all be approached and invited to join.

The industry focus results in tasks that are similar to one another, for example creating a social media content calendar or helping with a fundraising flyer. With tasks that are similar to one another, it will be easier to organize and easier for students to complete.

As these businesses and organizations have success, more will want to join, filling the demand side of the I2E marketplace.

2. Post tasks

Technology shouldn’t get in the way. The I2E marketplace could start with something as simple as an Airtable spreadsheet. However, numerous tools like DeWork, Station, Clarity, and others could be used to quickly launch. Key features when posting tasks would be highlighting payment, categorizing based on skill level (easy, advanced, etc.) and skill type (marketing, admin, etc.) for easy searching

3. Create Onboarding

The goal of I2E is quickly getting students started. Onboarding should thus be commensurate with the tasks. To start using the platform, students should only be forced to do basic onboarding: learning about the platform, creating a profile, adding account for payment, adding a W9 in the United States.

Then, as students complete more tasks, they can complete additional onboarding tasks as needed. A tool like Teachable, Disco, or Notion would make it easy to post training and track completion. If working with marketplace tools in number 2, students who finish onboarding could receive a credential, such as an NFT. This NFT would unlock access to additional tasks.

4. Create Credential Model

Before launching, outlining outcomes for the participants will increase retention and conversion from micro-tasks to long-term contributions. Completing a specific number of tasks at varied levels within a track should lead to a certification of mastery.

For example, a student who provided marketing support at easy, medium, and hard levels would receive a certification or NFT to recognize their work. This becomes their ticket to opportunity as other businesses would start to recognize this as validated proof of their qualifications.

5. Build Payment Model

The I2E model could be done with low tech, such as Venmo and a spreadsheet. More advanced would be building this model using web3 tools so students would be paid in cryptocurrency and rewarded with tokens that unlock additional opportunities.

Most community organizations would opt for the former. However, an I2E marketplace would be a powerful incentive to onboard students to web3 and prepare them for the future of work in a meaningful and tangible way.

6. Attract the Students

Knowing the current problems in the internship model highlights opportunities for building the I2E model. Those typically left behind by internships - younger students, those who don’t have time for a longer commitment, those exploring what they want to do - are perfect users for this model.

Starting with an industry focus and transparent payment for tasks will help users quickly find opportunities that interest them. While tasks can help students get engaged with the community by helping in-person, having a number of remote micro-tasks will be important to help students find and immediately use the platform.

7. Measure the Results

The I2E model is built for iteration.

With small tasks and a large variety of opportunities, employers can quickly learn what works best while students can find their talents and interests. Anyone managing the marketplace can similarly optimize and improve, finding industries and tasks that are most enticing for their student body.

Unlock the Power in Your Community

Lessons from the digital world can transform our communities. The idea of building in public - merely starting and publicly sharing what you’ve learned and built - is a cornerstone idea of the builder space online. This is a powerful mindset to give our students that could start with their internship experiences.

By atomizing and democratizing internships, we can better prepare students for the workforce and unlock talent in our communities. This talent might otherwise leave or be engaged with work online. It is up to local businesses and organizations to reach out on the students’ terms, to engage student talent the way they work in a digital-first world.

Internships should no longer be just a foot in the door. Internships should be a way to explore, earn, and connect.

If we can move closer to that outcome, everyone benefits.

Whether Girl Scouts, participation ribbons, or letter jackets, we are always collecting badges - proof of our accomplishments. These badges are fun, visual reminders and signals, showing the world who we are. They are also antennae, attracting members of our tribe to us. If you want to date the football star, look for the letter jacket!

It is no different than brands. The brands we rep, the teams we support, the style we wear identifies our tribe as Seth Godin would say.

It should come as no surprise that learning could be verified, showcased, and shared the same way. We already do it with our college alma mater and our high school sport team - why not for the pottery class you took, the conference you attended, or your team building exercise ‘99 (tangential reference here).

Open Badges were created for just this.

This technical standard was developed some 10 years ago to document and showcase experience. As the whitepaper notes, it was an “ecosystem to support skill development and lifelong learning for real results such as jobs and advancement.”

Verified, Showcased and Shared Learning

Open Badges combine strong signaling properties (image) with machine readability (metadata), enabling quick recognition and sharing of trust, transparency, quality, and reputation:

https://twitter.com/psykoreactor/status/1501270718943830027?s=20&t=8hiPp5YSeA51A-8ZxNQURA

The Open Badges standard recognizes that a credential has to be something worth showcasing. No one wears a report card on a jacket, but if it’s a cool letter from their school recognizing their athletic achievements, they do.

Open Badges were created just like Girl Scout badges or a the letter on a school jacket. They are fun, colorful, representative of the accomplishment. They are a clear signal that you belong to a specific community.

This skeuomorphic design also created the greatest resistance.

“Serious” work couldn’t be represented in such a fun way according to academia and credential gatekeepers. There was major pushback on Open Badges as a tool for formal recognition. It just wasn’t “professional” enough.

Despite the pushback on design, there was no argument that Open Badges were an easy way to share an experience. On LinkedIn, via email, and directly in a learner’s virtual backpack, experiences were gathered like badges on a Girl Scout sash.

It was easy to create and share the badges. Soon, there was ground up momentum. While policymakers were resisting adoption of badges, companies and employees started using them in a big way. In just 10 years, over 40 million badges have been earned by learners.

Backpack to the Future

Web3 heralded a new era for digital credentials.

Verified Learning Today

Numerous organizations and protocols are working to speed the development and adoption of digital credentials and the digital wallets where those credentials will live. These organizations include W3C, IMS Global, ed 3.0, IEEE, and more.

These are the “serious” people, creating the technical specifications needed to verify identity and learning outcomes. With this foundation, verifiable credentials, or VCs, along with decentralized identifiers, or DIDs, emerged as a new decentralized method to validate educational outcomes and skills.

Showcased and Shared Learning Today

Meanwhile, builders are going to build.

Armed with decentralized technology, a new generation of grassroots efforts is helping learners showcase and share their experience.

• NFTs paved the way, showing a demand for digital art that can also represent utility and experience.

• POAPs were launched as an easy way to create NFTs based on experience.

NFTs and POAPs add expressiveness to our digital identities. This adds virality and excitement to these efforts, leading to over 15,000 NFTs being sold per week! This culturally-relevant nuance “immutably” validates the model introduced by Open Badges 10 years ago.

With this excitement, more builders are showing up. Conservatively, at least 30 companies have entered the credential and on-chain reputation space following the path forged by standards like Open Badges. This momentum makes this a key inflection point in the future direction and development of digital credentials.

https://twitter.com/shreyjaineth/status/1498354850006016000?s=21

Backpack to the Beginning

These efforts hold tremendous promise for digital credentials, but it’s not clear that we’ve learned the lesson of the past 10 years.

• Verified learning is essential, but it won’t be adopted without cultural significance.

• Learning that can be showcased and shared is fun, but without proper recognition it doesn’t create opportunity.

The goal of digital credentials specifically, and education generally, is human flourishing. All of the current credentialing efforts are merely navel gazing if they do not create opportunities for learners.

We need to look to Open Badges as a guide to what digital credentials should be: culturally significant and professionally recognized.

Cultural Significance

An idea or object that people want to share has cultural significance.

This is not always “high culture” - the latest TikTok challenge or reality TV gif might have cultural significance even if it is thought of as entertainment instead of culture.

That’s the power of culture: it’s not mandated. We do not get to individually pick what has significance and what doesn’t. Instead, we all decide collectively through our actions. By caring and sharing, we are building the cultural significance of an idea or object. In this way, something going viral or becoming a meme is one way to build cultural significance.

The concept of cultural significance matters for education and digital credentials in particular.

The promise of ed3 is the ability to decentralize education. Anyone, anywhere could access knowledge, earn accreditation, and unlock new opportunities without the need for a central educational authority.

If we are going to enable decentralized education, however, the power rests with people. Learners and employers will choose what has significance to them.

The challenge, then, for schools, government, organizations, and protocols is imbuing credentials with culture. We cannot regulate specific platforms or protocols in a decentralized world. The best we can do is build the standard and support implementations that are culturally exciting.

As Evin McMullen notes, Verifiable Credentials (or Open Badges or POAPs) might be concert tickets today but PhDs tomorrow.

Simply put: web3 credentials are culture.

Whether it’s through art, memes, gifs, design, or otherwise, educators need to make credentials stick. Currently, verifiable credentials don’t have a deep culture. The challenge is how do we add culture to the VC and DID space?

The answer might be right in front of us in the form of Open Badges.

https://twitter.com/psykoreactor/status/1501270727332438019?s=20&t=8hiPp5YSeA51A-8ZxNQURA

The Decentralized Growth of Open Badges

The story of online education is one of grassroots adoption. The private sector created new institutions - think University of Phoenix - to meet the demand. Many of these institutions had problems with low graduation rates while saddling students with massive student loans. However, they pointed to an obvious demand. It was not until higher education saw this market opportunity that they finally adopted online education at scale.

The same pattern is emerging with digital credentials. Registrars and institutions have long said no to Open Badges. Maybe it did not feel serious enough. Maybe it was too much work.

Despite their hesitation, badges have been adopted in a big way. IBM was a groundbreaker, using Open Badges to recognize internal skill development. Non-traditional educators used badges to incentivize and recognize their learners.

https://twitter.com/psykoreactor/status/1501270730272555021?s=20&t=8hiPp5YSeA51A-8ZxNQURA

Now micro-credentials are an emerging trend in higher education, reshaping formal educational policies. Badges that are “reppable” (a source of pride) and shareable are the natural next step for institutions. They provide marketing (institutional branding) as learners share their badges and increase awareness of the programs. They also increase opportunities for graduates by showcasing a student’s work (evidence) and signaling reputation through endorsements and increased trust.

Open Recognition - From Signals to Antennae

Institutions are beginning to use badges for credentials. The final step is to use digital credentials to connect people.

Clay Shirky notes that communication tools don’t get socially interesting until they get technologically boring. After a decade of development, Open Badges may be entering the boring phase, with exciting new ways to leverage the technology.

Digital credentials, such as Open Badges, can act as both a signal and antennae. An Open Badge from a CPR course validates that I have this life-saving knowledge. That is an important signal that might qualify me for a job or enable me to keep my nursing license.

I might also want to show a digital credential for attending an event or just to show my support for an organization like ETH Denver. For ETH Denver, I minted a Bufficorn NFT (below) as a way to financially support the organization and signal that I am interested in Web3 and want to be on the cutting edge.

Credentials are most often thought of as signals. However, they can also act as antenna, finding and attracting people and opportunities that will fit my interests and abilities. In this way, digital credentials act as a network creator, facilitating new connections. With a culturally significant digital credential, I don’t have to go to a job board and look for new careers. Instead, the projects, job opportunities, and friendships come to me.

Open Badges are not just collectors of skills. They are connectors of people.

This is one tenet of Open Recognition.

With interoperable credentials, we can start to match, recommend, and find people who have the same interests and skills profile.

Trust in this system is distributed - we earn trust within our niche community.

Instead of privacy by design, Open Recognition creates “intimacy by design” as coined by Serge Ravet. Your niche community connects with you and understands your skills and interests.

Digital credentials can be more than the muscle powering recruitment. They should be the soul breathing life into communities and social interactions.

The Long Tail of Credentials

A common criticism of easy-to-create badges, such as Open Badges and POAPs, is “carpet-badging” - issues too many badges for too many things. As more and more badges are created, they become meaningless. It is reminiscent of the complaint that “kids today” get a participation ribbon for everything..

However, this explosion of badges is a benefit, not a bug. There is a Long Tail of Credentials, a variation of Chris Andersson’s Long Tail . The Long Tail, also know as the Pareto Principle, argues that 80% of the demand is for 20% of the supply. In the real world, this means that 80% of the sales in a bookstore are for 20% of all the books. Same thing in a record store, hardware store, etc. Due to this demand, a smart bookstore only carries 20% of the books - the stuff people buy!

What the Internet does is eliminates shelf space. Now, Amazon can carry every book available, including The Travel Hacking Guide to Norway, even though just my mom the author’s mom and a few friends will buy it.

The same effect is at play with credentials. Sure, 80% of credentials are meaningless for the vast majority of the population. That’s not a problem. A few specific people will recognize the credential. They will create niche, specific opportunities for the credential holder. Thus, the badge is a signal and an antenna, connecting and strengthening a tribe. Even though there are millions of badges out there, having the right badge for the right audience makes it valuable.

Badges as the Soul of a Community

The future of digital credentials is being built as we speak, with the WC3 publishing the new version of the Verifiable Credentials just this week and Open Badges 3.0 aligning with VC in the next few weeks.

What is needed now is to move from standards to cultural significance.

Open Badges shows the path to marry professional recognition with cultural relevance. The future of Open Badges is verifiable, but equally important, their past, present, and future is one of “reppable” and shareable credentials.

Digital credentials are culture. Only when people truly care about them will they be fully used as both a signal and antennae to create opportunity and enable human flourishing.

Never underestimate the power of pickled fruit. 🍅

Olena was sitting on her balcony in Ukraine when she saw a Russian drone buzzing nearby.

She reached down and grabbed a jar of her favorite homemade treat: pickled tomatoes with plums. She tossed the jar at the drone and knocked it out of the sky. 💥

https://twitter.com/kgorchinskaya/status/1500840773822169090

The incredible bravery (and aim) of Olena is inspiring, and it points to a powerful lesson: the power of the people is great.

The challenge for individuals is coordination.

It’s hard to organize a decentralized group of individuals. When they are able to coordinate, however, the results are greater than we expect.

Nowhere is this power thrown into such stark relief as the war in Ukraine.

People > Putin

A single, centralized individual - Vladimir Putin - started the conflict, but the opposition among the people he is invading and his own people is resisting the occupation.

Oligarchs in Russian made their wealth by centralizing public goods. Now pressure from the people are inspiring companies to boycott Russia and nations to seize this wealth.

Ukraine DAO + Humanitarian Support

Individuals have given nearly $100 million to Ukraine with instant cryptocurrency transactions. That is 2/3rds of what USAID has sent in humanitarian aid.

Ukraine DAO has not only raised funds but acts as a beacon to connect those in need with those able to support.

https://twitter.com/cryptodrftng/status/1501860347187236867

The more the merrier in the humanitarian world, but it is not hard to see the power of decentralized giving when just over 1% of the world uses crypto and is already giving at this level.

Individual Action > Waiting for the Calvary

Individuals take action quickly in response to the situation on the ground. With two million refugees, already double in the last week, there are literally millions of opportunities for individual support.

By solving the decentralized coordination challenges, we can immediately take action instead of waiting for a government or organization. Baby strollers are just the beginning.

https://twitter.com/StateOfPoland/status/1500465683834052612

Our Global Escape Hatch

Much of the conversation around web3 focuses on decentralization - the ability to own and control our information, education, money, etc.

I’ve never been a decentralization maximalist. I thought it was nice but not the reason I was excited. I saw web3 as a way to increase access while ideas like sovereignty were nice additions.

The past weeks, however, have deepened my resolve. Many of the greatest challenges our planet faces are essentially problems of coordination - climate challenge, inequality, healthcare, and yes, even education.

As Taylor Kendal recently noted, maybe web3 is our global escape hatch. The huge problems we face with no solution in sight might best be tackled by the people.

Facing these challenges requires more than a tweak to the system. It requires a reinvention. This reinvention is regenerative economics.

Regenerative Economics

Regenerative economics according to Kevin Owocki in The Green Pill:

• satisfies human needs

• creates positive externalities (and are net positive)

• creates balance (and find equilibrium)

Many organization are now working towards this end:

• AskovFinlayson - creates winter parkas that take more carbon out of the atmosphere than they use to create the coats. Patagonia has pledged to do the same

• KlimaDAO - exerts positive price pressure on carbon markets to fight climate change

• Proof of Humanity - guarantees humanity in technical systems and distributes a universal basic income (UBI) to its participants

• Kleros - provides conflict resolution with a global pool of jurors who receive PNK tokens for their work

Others are building the protocols for future regenerative efforts, including:

• Toucan Protocol to solve climate change

• Regen.Network to tokenize carbon credits

• iox to quantify and validate social impact

• Africa Cardano to create economic empowerment on the African continent

• Gitcoin to discover and fund public goods

• EthicHub to fund unbanked smallholder farmers

Most regenerative organizations are taking models that exist and hacking them for good. In that way,

regenerative economics is peak capitalism. It’s leveraging incentives and markets to coordinate individual action for good.

As Jakob Hackel noted in a recent conversation, regenerative finance, or ReFi, efforts do exactly that. ReFi hacks existing decentralized finance, or DeFi, mechanisms to inspire collective action for positive change.

Education: The Poster Child of Positive Externalities

Education is the poster child for regenerative economics and positive externalities. In fact, when you Google positive externalities, it’s the first example!

When a student learns, they get more knowledge and opportunity while their community adds skills and knowledge. A win for all.

Unfortunately, there are two problems.

1. Time-scale.

Education is often thought of as a 12 or 16 year process. Only at the very end do the students earn the piece of paper that enables them to capture the opportunities.

2. Geography

Many students will study outside of their home community, or leave their community when their education is done. Since the opportunities are not based in their home communities, we see brain-drain towards urban areas and wealthier countries. In that way, the communities who pay to support the education do not receive the benefits from their investment.

What if we could shorten the time-scale of impact and localize the benefits? This would be regenerative education.

Regenerative Education

Regenerative education would:

• satisfy a human need: education, which is Article 26 in the UN’s Universal Declaration of Human Rights

• create positive externalities: both the learner and the community benefit

• create a balance: sustainable education in all corners of the globe for all ages

A regenerative education (reg ed? reg edu? regucation? 😂) model recognizes the fact that all teachers are learners and all learners are teachers.

In fact, the best way to master a subject is to teach it.

https://twitter.com/ProfFeynman/status/1388705440670773251

Thus, teaching can and should be a requirement to master a subject. Instead of taking a test, one learner would teach two students before they graduate from that topic. Peer-to-peer learning at scale.

In this way, education fans out exponential and immediately.

This is the One-Room Schoolhouse model.

The One-Room Schoolhouse Model of Regenerative Education

My grandmother and mother went to school in one room with all of the kids from nearby farms. The older kids would teach their peers. In that way, everyone was a teacher and a learner.

The difference now with regenerative education is we can reward and validate this learning and teaching without the need for a central school or institution.

This unlocks new potential.

Now, any place on the planet with at least three people is a “school.” When someone learns a new skills, they can teach two others (in-person or online) and validate this activity. No diploma or registrar required. Since students can learn online from teachers around the world, there is no limit to what someone can learn within a specific geography.

By integrating a regenerative lens into education, communities see immediate benefit.

As soon as a learner masters a new skills, it is shared with others.

• There is no time delay or waiting years for the student to graduate and join the community.

• Before that person leaves for the city, they share their knowledge with the community.

The One-Room Schoolhouse Model is already being explored by people like Bodo Hoenen of Dev4X, which worked with schools in Tanzania to show that self-directed learning could then lead to peer-to-peer learning at scale.

Additional experiments are needed to build out this model. However, the regenerative economics movement can, and should, be applied to education.

Grab Your Tomatoes

We have tremendous power.

As we see the power of the people in Ukraine, in train stations in Poland, in humanitarian DAOs, in technical protocols, in classrooms, it forces us to think bigger.

Collectively, we can achieve great things. A re-imagination with regenerative economics at its heart is needed to solve massive planetary problems. Solving coordination problems with web3 can improve our planet, decrease inequality, and provide quality education for all.

The only way to get there is by grabbing your tomatoes. 🍅

For me, it was freshmen year of high school. The old computer instructor brought out cardboard boxes to hide the keyboard (f-f-f-f, j-j-j-j-j), and we slowly learned the “touch method.”

Today, my kids are already learning to type, early in elementary school.

The same pace of change will happen with web3.

Learning how to create a wallet, connect with communities online (DAOs), accept Internet money (crypto), and earn tokens will be key skills that will start in the most advanced classrooms and slowly work their way down as a core competency for all students.

This important lesson couldn’t come fast enough.

Portable Opportunity

The past week has seen the invasion of Ukraine and over a million people instantly becoming refugees, pouring across the borders in Europe in an echo of the great migrations in the 1990’s and World War II.

https://twitter.com/tracybrown_dc/status/1499187750553145352?s=20&t=CiLHPIPVoiY12sRug81bXg

These Ukrainians are leaving everything behind - homes, personal possessions, even family members.

Also left behind are small, but important things like access to their bank accounts, proof of their experience and education, and the network of support in their communities. As they seek a new start, access to this information is critical.

What if these important details were portable and verifiable, and they could immediately start their education and work right where they left off? In a world where web3 is a core competency, our students will have the freedom of movement, ownership, and opportunity.

Democratizing Web3 Education

Currently, knowledge of web3 is unevenly distributed.

https://twitter.com/marioxcarrasco/status/1498425285225578499?s=20&t=pVQ1jqdVOOv3HsJSGj0ISw

Web3 has the potential to create opportunities, but it could also exacerbate inequality.

Education is the answer.

By teaching all students core competencies in web3, they have the ability to go deeper and create opportunity for themselves. The portable, verifiable nature of web3 means that this opportunity is available for everyone, regardless of location or background.

Unfortunately, there’s not a lot of web3 education happening, especially in the halls of traditional institutions. Instead, companies like Rabbithole and Buildspace or DAOs like Invisible College are helping people get started. Tellingly, popular courses on Udemy on Ethereum Development and Cryptocurrency Trading were actually built by the Blockchain at Berkeley student club.

The proliferation of training is a positive step, but most of these opportunities presuppose knowledge of a wallet or a curiosity in web3. How does someone who doesn’t even know that web3 exists get started?

The answer is democratizing web3. Just as we brought keyboarding into the classroom so all students could master the foundational skill, it’s time to bring web3 into the classroom.

An Intro to Web3 for the Classroom

The past week, I had a chance to teach web3 to two different online classrooms that could not have been more different: a university entrepreneurship class at the University of Texas at Austin (UT) and a class of 5th graders in India.

Despite their obvious differences, the content and methodology were quite similar. By the end of one hour, both classes had new wallets, were trading tokens and crypto, and were finding opportunities with DAOs.

Based on feedback from the instructors and students, I organized my curriculum on how to best teach web3 in a traditional classroom setting in an hour or less. This curriculum introduces community-led businesses (DAOs), Internet money (wallets + cryptocurrency), and finding job opportunities in web3.

I hope you can take this curriculum, modify it, and use it to prepare the next creation of builders to use web3 to create the future.

Frameworks for Teaching Web3

Entrepreneurs solve problems, and web3 offers new solutions. To take advantage of these new opportunities, entrepreneurs need to learn about web3.

That’s why I was excited to work with student entrepreneurs at the University of Texas in Cam Houser’s class, one of the most innovative entrepreneurship instructors (and entrepreneurs!) I know.

I had a few key ideas coming into the class that I wanted to focus on.

https://twitter.com/MrScottMeyer/status/1495865379461246981?s=20&t=pVQ1jqdVOOv3HsJSGj0ISw

Three key concepts emerged from the course.

1. It’s Not About Web3

Every entrepreneur knows it is not about the tool, it’s about the solution. People want to solve their problems. If you have the best solution, they will want it.

Most learners are not interested in web3 for the technology. They are interested for the impact.

What is possible with trust-less coordination? What is possible with frictionless movement of money? What is possible when global talent is verified and accessible?

With this framework in mind, lessons need to be real-world and avoid jargon whenever possible. It’s good to introduce key terms, but more important is getting students to start using web3 tools.

2. Doing > Discussing

Much of web3 is esoteric. The best way to avoid the muck of details is by getting started with simple examples.

The goal of a one-hour intro is to give students enough of a taste that they could then dive deeper. Having them build experience in web3 is important.

3. We are all Pavlov’s Dogs

We love rewards. It might not be a literal bell with a dog treat, but we want to apply our learning immediately and get a “treat” for doing so. In many courses this means getting a grade on an assignment. For web3, we can do so much better.

As students progress through the class, include rewards. This might be a free reward, like a POAP, or actually sending crypto to students like we did in India. This mini “learn to earn” experience is motivating and eye-opening for students.

With these frameworks in mind, let’s get into the details on how to structure a class and what to teach.

10 Steps to Teach Web3 in 60 Minutes

1. Break the Ice

3 Minutes | Large Group

Teachers are a mix of entertainers and educators. It’s important to keep this balance and keep students entertained.

https://twitter.com/wes_kao/status/1409210675788976128?s=20&t=an-KQ5od-sDHbgimuoMmcA

In addition to entertainment, it’s important to build trust and excitement with the students, especially as a guest lecturer. The best way to do this is with an icebreaker.

Yes, I know, an icebreaker! Ah. So annoying. But, it’s true. Unfortunately, icebreakers actually work.

https://twitter.com/emollick/status/1355310821140738050?s=20&t=Oyh4LWiRD1O06_0egRgUGg

There are numerous icebreakers that I like using (this course walks through all of them). This video shows some of my favorites.

I used one of my new favorites which isn’t in the video called Peek-a-Boo.

Start by asking students to turn their cameras off - it’s really fun to tell them the opposite of what ever other teacher says.

Then, they turn their cameras on when they want to answer yes to the question. We see who answers yes, turn cameras off, and repeat the process.

I always start with a question everyone will answer yes to. So we ask:

• Are you in an entrepreneurship class? (All cameras go on - look around - cameras off)

• Have you ever sold something online? (Surprisingly high, maybe 60% in my class)

• Do you live in Texas? (Everyone)

• Have you ever started a business? (No one - sadly typical in an entrepreneurship class.)

• Do you have a wallet? (3 out of 25 answered yes)

• Are you excited for class? (Try to get everyone to turn them on)

2. Community-based Businesses

10 min | Small group

We know from the frameworks that it’s not about the tech. To make web3 accessible and less scary, avoid the jargon. Instead, take Aarushi’s advice and connect it with concepts or tools they already know.

https://twitter.com/singhania_aa/status/1494049791508205573?s=20&t=r021nCvbWu0vXNWzfe6Iuw

To introduce the concept of web3 and coordination, I start with Reddit.

Reddit is a great starting point because it is something most of them already know, and it helps students iidentify problems within a community, even if they know nothing about the community.

Using Greg Isenberg’s Unbundling Reddit concept, ask students to:

• Choose a subreddit (I gave them three options if they didn’t have one)

• Find a question or a problem people in the community are discussing

• Identify 5 potential solutions for the problem

• Share what you would need to launch the solution

We know that brainstorming doesn’t work. Instead, use the Brainwrite, Brainstorm, Brainshare method. Students get a few minutes on their own. Then they go to small groups. Then they bring their favorite idea to the large group.

https://twitter.com/MrScottMeyer/status/1320439343228530688?s=20&t=r021nCvbWu0vXNWzfe6Iuw

This creates more ideas, enables all to be heard, builds connections within the class, and saves time.

When the students share what they need to launch the solution for their Reddit community, the inevitable answer is money. We need to hire people, buy a building, purchase supplies, etc. That answer is the perfect set-up to dive into DAOs.

3. An Intro to DAOs

8 min | Large group and individual work

This is the first web3 knowledge checkpoint. After students share their solutions, ask the question: what would be possible if these subreddits had banks accounts?

This leads into a natural introduction to DAOs and the ability to coordinate. Share three examples of the big problems these communities can attempt to solve. I introduced Kraus House, LinksDAO, and CityDAO as examples.

Connect what happens on a subreddit - people ask questions and try to help one another - to DAOs. If those Reddit users could coordinate and make money from their work, real change could be made.

With this quick introduction, it’s time to have students do their own DAO exploration.

Students have 3 minutes to go to DAO Central and find a DAO that interests them. Play music in the background while they explore. Then, call on a few students ask what their chosen DAO does and why they found it interesting. This is a great way to showcase DAOs that students could join to continue learning after class.

4. Crypto - AKA Internet Money

6 min | Large group

Time for the second web3 knowledge checkpoint.

Now that students know about DAOs, we need to solve the launch problem. If we want to create a solution, we need money, just like in the Reddit example.

This is where we introduce the idea of cryptocurrency. To keep things simple, I describe crypto as Internet money.

Highlight three core concepts about cryptocurrency:

1. Geographic Independence

Crypto can be sent to someone else regardless of where they live in the world. There are no conversion fees or currency issues. In fact, you don’t even need to know where they live.

2. Frictionless

Crypto is fast and cheap to move. Emphasize this fact by sharing the cost of moving money in the traditional system in terms of time and money. For example:

• Cost of a wire - $50

• Cost of a check - 2-5 days to clear

• Credit Card - 3% transaction fee

• Crypto - ~$.15

This 2x2 helps:

3. Micro-transactions

When money is fast and cheap to move, we can send it for micro-tasks. We could be paid for every 10 minutes we work. We could buy a move ticket and pay for every 15 minutes we stay in the theatre. We could create bounties to have someone perform a small task for our company and pay them immediate.

With frictionless, geographic-agnostic internet money, new types of transactions are possible.

5. The Long Tail

5 min | Large group

Chris Andersson’s classic, The Long Tail, is the essential concept of the Pareto Principle I work into almost every class.

In this case, I use The Long Tail to connect the community-first business idea with Internet money. Here’s how I think about it.

Most businesses make most of their money off of a few things. I always ask if anyone remembers Borders - which they don’t and I get a small chuckle out of that - and use a bookstore to explain the concept. Most people buy just a few of their books - Harry Potter, the Bible, 50 Shades of Grey, etc.

The 80/20 rule can also explain contributions in a group. In most clubs or organizations, a few people do most of the work.

Businesses won’t hire someone if they have one good idea. Instead they hire people who can consistently show up and work on something. The small number of people who do most of the work are the people who get hired. Community-first businesses are different.

Community-first businesses can tap the long tail to get more idea from more people.

These decentralized organizations can access and pay world-class talent, even if it is just for one idea or project. More talent from more contributors give community-first businesses an advantage over traditional businesses.

6. Wallets

8 min | Individual work with group example

Now that students know why web3 matters, it’s time to get them set-up. As we know from our framework, we want to get them started building as soon as possible.

We start with a wallet as that will be their key to unlock opportunities in web3.

The wallet is described as the safe place you keep things. With this in mind, we immediately explain wallet security.

A wallet address is a home address; a secret recovery phrase is your social security number.

You can share your wallet address, but never share your secret recovery phrase. In fact, it’s best to write it down and keep it in a safe place because without it, you will lose your wallet forever.

After we have impressed upon them the importance of security, we set them up with Metamask.

I call on a student and ask if they are willing to share. After we have a volunteer, we confirm that they do not have a wallet.

Then, we have them share their screen and walk through installing the Metamask browser extension. We emphasize that when it comes time for the secret phrase we will stop the screenshare. Then we have the student start creating the account.

Other students are encouraged to do the same alongside of the student. If they have problems, and you have a second instructor, this is a great chance to create a breakout room for individual help.

7. Using the Wallet

5 min | Individual work

Immediately students want to get something with their wallet, the third framework in teaching web3.

The quick and free way to do this is with a POAP. In the case of UT, we had the amazing Tatiana create this POAP (don’t forget - you have to do it ahead of time). Then, the students can claim it and view it. With the Indian students, Tatiana hosted an entire session on designing POAPs with Canva so they could build their own POAPs for their classmates (and maybe become professional POAP designers!).

In the case of the Indian elementary school, we raised funds from an online NFT sale and then distributed Ethereum to each student. The students loved to see the .02 ETH hit their accounts.

With those funds, we helped the students buy an ENS domain. We followed the same process as the Metamask setup, where we had one student showcase and the others do it alongside them. This was a bit difficult for the 5th graders, but we got them all through it in about 15 minutes.

It may not be financially feasible, but sending crypto is a great way to show the ease of transfer. Having them purchase something with the wallet - like an ENS domain - is even better.

8. Connect the Wallet

3 min | Individual work

Learning to login with a wallet is a key skill that prepares students to get involved in web3. We demonstrate this with Rabbithole and Clarity.

We again have a student share their screen. They go to Rabbithole.gg and connect their wallet. We encourage the other students to do the same while they are watching.

At this point, the teacher can explain the concept of signing a contract, which they have to do to connect their wallet. Then it’s on to a quick tour of how Rabbithole can help them learn more about web3. This lays the path for them to dive deeper based on their interest.

We do the same with Clarity, where they login and have access to all the notes from the class.

9. Earn Crypto

8 min | Individual work

Earning money always gets students to sit up, so we next head over to Gitcoin’s quests.

Here they can learn and earn with their new wallet. We give them two minutes to find a quest they are interested in and ask a few students to share.

Then, we repeat the process with Coinbase’s Earn site. This requires an account so we just show them what’s there and move on. With a few simple tasks, they now can go earn crypto.

10. Find a Job

4 min | Individual work

Lastly, we emphasize that it is the early days of web3. With a little bit of time and attention, these students can become leading experts in the space.

In the entrepreneurship class, I framed web3 as a new way to solve problems, which is the heart of entrepreneurship. With younger students, we framed web3 as a new technology that they will be using for many years to come. If they can start now, they will have a head start and find more opportunities.

As a starting point, we look at Gaby’s Web3 Job Board. I like to start here because it shows how web3 is not just a bunch of developer jobs. They can get involved as designers, teachers, community managers, and more. I also share how DAOs are a great place to start as well because you can contribute and then get offered bounties and job opportunities based on your performance.

Wrap Up

With that, we are at the hour. It’s great to build questions into each section and again at the end. While this schedule is tight, it keeps things moving and ensures that students are exposed to key areas in web3.

Educators are Everything

Web3 creates potential solutions to problems facing our world. However, it isn’t a guarantee that this technology will be a force for good. It is up to us to make it so.

More specifically, it is up to teachers to make it so.

As Simone eloquently highlights, it is the teachers who will bring opportunities to our communities. They need to know what web3 is and how to best teach it.

https://twitter.com/psykoreactor/status/1499151908518440965?s=20&t=r021nCvbWu0vXNWzfe6Iuw

This web3 curriculum is one way to get started. Fortunately, new opportunities are emerging to help teachers co-create and learn together.

• Ed3 DAO is a great starting place. As a DAO by educators, for educators, you can learn about web3 from other teachers and discuss how to use it in the classroom. The DAO will open soon to the public. In the meantime, you can get started with their k20 Metaverse.

• Invisible College is a great place to learn about web3. While not specifically for educators, watching how they are reimagining a university provides inspiration.

As I finish this article, I’m sitting in a dark room, still using that touch method I learned decades ago. Our children will be doing the same, using their web3 knowledge for years to come (not necessarily in the dark).

It’s up to us to help everyone have equal access to these opportunities through web3 education.

This article is a part of a collaborative series exploring how web3 could impact education - what we call ed3. Authors Scott Meyer and Vriti Saraf look to prepare the education system for what is possible in the future of learning. Topics include: NFTs, tokens, DAOs, DeSo, XR, Metaverse, DeFi, & more.

Check out our previous articles:

• Web3 to Ed3: Reimagining Education in a Decentralized World

• How DeFi can Reform School Funding Model

The DAO Transformer: The Heart of a Non-profit, with the Brain of a Co-op and the Body of a C-corp

Education institutions have been run inefficiently for a long time.

Whether a non-profit public school or a private independent university, educational offerings and school infrastructure are entirely dictated by the quality of the district or school leadership. Key stakeholders including parents, students, and teaching staff, rarely have any say in how the school operates or what should be taught and how. Too often, the expectations for state test scores or graduation rates color how curriculum is implemented.

For a long time, there weren’t too many solutions. Even with the best of intentions and the greatest education models, micro-schools, charter schools, and any other innovative systems were handcuffed by funding or quality of leadership.

Enter the DAO, or a decentralized autonomous organization.

We hypothesize the DAOs will be the future of educational institutions.

Let’s start with some foundational context.

A DAO is a community with a shared treasury. One might consider them an evolved co-op. The ethos of a DAO and a co-op are quite similar in that both types of entities strive to bring value to, and empower their community. But, DAOs are the next generation of co-ops for several reasons. Here is what makes DAOs different:

• ⛓ DAOs are run on protocols that map onto the blockchain and automate much of the operations

• 💼 DAOs span collective ownership, collective learning communities, social clubs, curation of content, and creation of assets... while most co-ops focus on collectively owning only a tangible product or asset like housing and products

https://twitter.com/altmbr/status/1468686872817848332?s=20&t=wH_BW42tcafOe8U5DMHAsg

• 🏛 Whereas co-ops operate under a 1 person = 1 vote, DAOs have the flexibility to innovate governance structures with a variety of tokenomics and voting protocols

• 🪙 DAOs create tiered incentive structures with tokenomics that cater to a variety of personal interests including earning, learning, producing, promoting, networking, all in one place

https://twitter.com/cdixon/status/1444072365822857219?s=20&utm_campaign=Metaverse%20for%20Education%20Newsletter&utm_medium=email&utm_source=Revue%20newsletter

The four points above are critical to the operation of a DAO because collectively, they balance incentives with responsibility, in a transparent infrastructure.

Let’s break that down.

⛓DAOs run on the blockchain

This means that voting, treasury allocations, token deployment, and unlockable content based on membership status are “trustless”. The automation set by a charter and coded rules allow the DAO to run efficiently, without bias, and without the need to trust any one party. Because the blockchain is trackable, current and future members can see the validity and reliability of all transactions of the DAO. This is very different than any organization... that has ever existed.

💼DAOs span ownership of assets, communities, social clubs, curation of content, and more

In traditional corporations, conglomerates, and co-ops, members have had to limit their activities based on the legal standing of the entity. Most didn’t risk integrating a variety of business models in fear of losing focus of a target problem, or in absence of the right talents & expertise. DAOs have specific missions & visions too, but the variety of business models that have emerged have allowed community members to benefit from the transactions they were already making.

Most DAOs are on an evolving trajectory. For example, k20 DAO is starting as a learning space for educators with the intention to move into providing grants for innovation, upskilling educators in web3, creating a talent portal, facilitating hackathons and conferences, and eventually, operating as a VC for the next tier of web3 education startups. Prior to 2021, this vision would have sounded bonkers, but today, it’s pretty common among DAOs.

🏛DAOs can vary in governance structures

People at micro and macro levels of society have experimented with all kinds of democratic structures for governance, from 1 person = 1 vote to 1 share = 1 vote, to many things in between. When giving complete equality of power to each person, those who are contributing more are undermined and decisions can lag. When giving more power to those who hold more interest in the entity, the power is lopsided and undemocratic.

DAOs can choose whatever governance structure they want. This could include a hybrid of traditional systems or more complex and technical options such as quadratic voting, which can be more easily deployed than in traditional structures. Plus, DAOs can change that structure throughout their life cycle. The biggest infrastructural issues occur when legacy systems persist even when change is necessary. DAOs can avoid that.

🪙DAOs leverage tokenomics

This may be the most impactful DAO operation. DAOs rely on a system of tokenomics, where intangible behaviors are awarded with tangible value. DAOs can have a variety of tokens that equate to a variety of privileges. Tokens can be differentiated between those that hold equity, those that allow a vote, those that open access to the community, those that grant roles, and those that unlock programming or assets.

The beauty of tokenomics is that the right combination can serve every single member’s motivation. And, the right sequence of token launches can create more excitement than NFTs. Imagine a company where members are awarded for their daily contributions in the way that matters most to them. And imagine, if a member is holding equity tokens to a community that needs to scale, how eager they will be to help scale it.

Because of the elements above, DAOs have the potential to change the way private & public institutions operate.

https://twitter.com/VritiSaraf/status/1463680457795592196

The Birth of Learning DAOs

The first DAO was founded, ultimately unsuccessfully, in 2016 for investment. The real growth in DAOs happened in 2021 as the technology, financial instruments of crypto currency, and hype created a perfect flywheel for the growth of DAOs.

After months, or sometimes years, of lockdowns and working online, DAOs were just less weird to people. Of course we would coordinate, work, share, socialize, and learn online together! By the beginning of 2021, DAOs collectively had about a million members and the top 20 groups had $14B in digital assets.

In September of 2021, Crypto Culture and Society (CCS) blazed the trail and coined the term “learning DAO,” building "liberal arts for crypto." Numerous learning DAOs followed suit, pointing to a new way to create decentralized hubs of learning.

https://twitter.com/Flynnjamm/status/1463232281997422600?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1463232281997422600%7Ctwgr%5E%7Ctwcon%5Es1_&ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Fed3.mirror.xyz%2F-ko2xt89AlznNaEtnwE5WvyOnsMdetFc33H8WtslMNo

This model of organizing education points to a future where new centers of learning would not be physical centers at all. Rather, decentralized learning hubs that could be launched and owned by learners, opening up the benefits of education to all, including the 93% of the world that has not studied past high school.

https://twitter.com/KatwellKat/status/1490428103612518400?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1490428103612518400%7Ctwgr%5E%7Ctwcon%5Es1_&ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Fed3.mirror.xyz%2F-ko2xt89AlznNaEtnwE5WvyOnsMdetFc33H8WtslMNo

It’s not hard to squint and see DAOs as the next evolution of the educational systems we have today.

DAOs as a New Model of Education

As we noted in From Web3 to Ed3, DAOs will provide the vital infrastructure for decentralized educational experiences. The ability to gather and compensate both teachers and learners will reshape how and where we provide education.

DAOs can act as decentralized hubs of learning. Students can now join a community to learn about any topic they are interested in. Then, they can begin to apply their knowledge and work for the DAO, earning along the way.

DAOs also get us one step closer to truly personalized learning. For example, a young ambitious artist can connect and collaborate with other artists and benefit from real-time peer feedback. Alternatively, a highly academically minded young woman may feel a lot more comfortable hanging out with like-minded engineers. They can share tips on conducting their research and participate in various proposals or tasks. Intrinsic motivation becomes the norm, and we can do away with all the outdated models of the carrot and the stick.

Of course, we recognize this takes energy and drive from the learner. The most likely outcome is a spectrum of options. As is often the case in the ed3 world, the answer is: “yes, and...”. DAOs may create new models of education or just make existing models more robust.

Here’s a few ways that might happen.

DAOs as Niche Colleges or Meta Universities

The university model is often subdivided into colleges or schools. Each college has an area of expertise and the university as a whole aggregates these colleges so students can gather information across disciplines.

DAOs are perfectly situated to improve on this model.

As noted in Strategic DAO Frameworks as the Smiling DAO curve, DAOs will provide the most value as a subject matter expert in a very specific niche or as an industry aggregator.

DAOs as Subject Matter Experts

DAOs can niche further and deeper than a typical college.

If someone wants to learn about ancient Moroccan architecture, a DAO could be created that connects expert instructors with interested students. The power of the model is the instructor does not need to be an expert on a wide range of subjects or even work as a professor full-time. Rather, the best person brings the best instruction for a specific moment.

This provides a unique advantage over existing colleges which are limited by geographic knowledge and students who are enrolled to the university as a whole.

The same concept could be applied to K-12 education. DAOs could act as micro schools with students from anywhere in the world. The students could gather online for specific learning experiences. This would be a powerful addition for students without access to education or who don’t have programs and classes in their school that they are interested in.

Taking it a step further, DAO schools could even incentivize education using their own token. Dexter is attempting to do just that.

Dexter is an accredited K-12 STEAM school in Witchita Falls, TX. They are not a DAO (yet), but they are working to become a “decentralized education experience.” Students can earn transferable credit that maps to high school requirements. To take the exams, students use DEXcoin, which they earn through assignments and homework.

DAOs as Industry Aggregators

DAOs can also aggregate knowledge from across topic areas. With DAO-to-DAO partnerships, SubDAOs, or a liberal arts approach to education, DAOs could bring a variety of topics into a learning pathway. Students could choose their own adventure with expert instructors.

The power of partnership enables DAOs to quickly have greater breadth and depth in any area a student might be interested in studying. The growth of smart contracts means it is possible to hire talent globally for tasks as atomized as a single lecture. Likewise, students have the flexibility to pay based on single lectures, classes, or entire programs.

The flexibility to “straddle the smiling curve” separates DAOs from traditional learning centers.

DAOs as Student Clubs and Social Hubs

For many of us, the relationships and experiences we have during college are what we remember most fondly. DAOs offer a way to connect and make friends with people around the world.

This may feel like a poor substitute for those of us who studied in-person and enjoyed student clubs, dorm life, and adventures on campus. The truth is the vast majority of students don’t have this experience. Over 70% of students are non-traditional and nearly half of Americans don’t have a secondary degree (plus 93% of people around the world).

On top of the fact that most students don’t experience the “traditional” college life, students today actually feel more like themselves online than offline. DAOs are a perfect fit for these students. They can be themselves, connect with students with similar passions, and learn from peers around the world. Brave new world indeed.

https://twitter.com/patel0phone/status/1472613193864339465

As Kassen Qien notes, “people often join [university] clubs to 1) meet people with the same interests and 2) pad their resume for professional pursuits...DAOs use Discord channels for certain interests (art, gaming, etc). If we view DAOs themselves as clubs utilizing social/community tokens, participants would be (at least financially) incentivized to contribute to the sustainability of the organization over the long term, even after they “graduate.”

The final piece of the college experience, of course: dating. It’s a place many people find their mates (both Australian ‘mates’ and lifelong partners). If we’ve learned anything the past years, people can meet and date online. (Just don’t watch that new Netflix documentary)

https://twitter.com/fullyallocated/status/1434364044446687235?s=20&t=qKLdCbjiTiEIwSodQI3YzQ

Fortunately, Qien finds a potential solution for this as well. DAOs could facilitate dating and relationships. “DAO could build its own matchmaking tools for its members. They could also hold collaborative functions to mix and match certain DAOs (ex. Flamingo x PleasrDAO), something like a series of frat and sorority mixers that facilitate meeting more people.”

Most of us will say that DAOs and online experience are no replacements for an “actual” college experience. However, given the fact that this experience is out of reach for the vast majority of people in the world, DAOs and ed3 are a way to democratize - and maybe improve - social experiences.

DAOs Helping Humans Flourish

DAOs bring the power of the purse to communities. The way that communities use this power is limitless.

Learning DAOs were the first step. In the near future, expect more experiments in learning and education as curious individuals connect with passionate teachers. The goal of education is to improve human flourishing. DAOs will help more people flourish with personalized education.

Where to learn more

Subscribe to the Metaverse for education newsletter, where web3 is contextualized for education. And check out this list of thought-leaders on Twitter.

Who wrote this?

Vriti Saraf (@vritisaraf), the founder of k20 Educators, is building the Eduverse on web3, a virtual hub for educators to connect, learn and earn, collaborate, trade assets, find jobs, and explore resources. She is also the co-founder of k20 DAO, the first DAO for educators, by educators. Vriti's goal is to break down silos among educators through web3. Vriti has served as a teacher, dean, & director in public, private, & charter schools both locally & internationally across k12 & higher education.

Scott Meyer (@MrScottMeyer) is an entrepreneur and former professor working to scale and democratize education. He recently launched Ed3 - an edtech studio working to scale education. Subscribe to learn more (http://digest.ed3.gg).

Decentralized Autonomous Organizations, or DAOs, are a new way to organize work and learning. This Cambrian explosion of decentralized organization creates unparalleled opportunity to solve major challenges, create innovative ideas, learn together, and simply have fun with likeminded friends. But, the growth in DAOs inevitably means competition - competition for both the attention and skill of members.

DAOs will need to be more specific about their audience and their topic in order to attract members and keep them coming back and working with the DAO.

The Meyer Matrix (who doesn’t love a good self-referencing alliteration) provides a framework for categorizing DAOs and identifying future opportunities for DAOs. As the Smiling DAO Curve shows, DAOs will be more successful when they are differentiated by subject matter expertise or when they are industry aggregators that offer the best way to discover people, ideas, and work opportunities.

The Cambrian DAO Explosion

The first DAO was founded, ultimately unsuccessfully, in 2016. The real growth in DAOs however happened in 2021 as the technology, financial instruments of crypto currency, and hype created a perfect flywheel for the growth of DAOs.

After months, or sometimes years, of lockdowns and working online, DAOs were just less weird to people. Of course we would coordinate, work, learn, share, socialize, and build online together! By the beginning of 2021, DAOs collectively had about a million members and the top 20 groups had $14B in digital assets.

In September of 2021, Crypto Culture and Society (CCS) blazed the trail and coined the term “learning DAO,” building "liberal arts for crypto." Numerous DAOs followed suit.

https://twitter.com/Flynnjamm/status/1463232281997422600?s=20&t=2eYHHFwe6tpqhCJ-VckEkg

This model of organizing education points to a future where new centers of learning could be launched and owned by learners, opening up the benefits of education to all, including the 93% of the world that has not studied past high school.

https://twitter.com/KatwellKat/status/1490428103612518400?s=20&t=S2qlQwDrr_03GMJc5R3P-Q

Similar decentralized models are forcing a rethinking of industries from venture capital to sports and real estate to music. But the question is: where is this all heading?

As anyone active in DAOs know, the fatigue of DAO membership is real. Having dozens of Discord icons and a stream of messages from disparate communities is distracting at best and tiring at worst.

https://twitter.com/chaserchapman/status/1458825169267531781?s=20&t=8gAPn2gQLsqvNxZZVJvD1Q

https://twitter.com/Jayislate/status/1458836035354431502?s=20&t=XFaTdE92bLxUHD_VbUb66w

As the twoplus blog notes:

Good design of DAO tools should start with our brains and body cycles in mind. For example, accounting for our strengths in tackling complex tasks but also our limits in processing vast amounts of information and our need to tune-off regularly.

Good design of DAO environments and cultures should start with our deepest psychological needs at the core. For example our need to socialize and connect with others. As much as our need for things like stability and freedom.

Instead of forcing people into unsustainable and dangerous environments, designing DAOs for people will be a winning strategy. What’s good for contributors is good for your DAO.

People are DAOs first and last differentiator. Because the Web3 world is open-source, technical edges are less defensible. Eventually it all comes down to an engaged community, a pool of talented contributors and a great work environment.

In the global competition for people, only DAOs that manage to craft good contributor experiences will attract, engage, and retain the people they need to thrive.

As we hit our capacity to focus and begin to lose interest in constant experimentation, DAOs will become more competitive.

DAOs will refine and clarify the audience they want to attract and the topic they are working in. The Meyer Matrix creates a framework for categorizing DAOs on these two criteria.

The Meyer Matrix - a Framework for Categorizing DAOs

Organizing by Audience

People are the most important element of a DAO. That's why the audience of a DAO is an essential place to start in categorizing their work. Let’s use the example of learning DAOs.

Some DAOs will focus on a very specific audience. The k20 DAO, for example, works specifically with educators and administrators in education. The Shiny Object Social Club (Shiny) focuses on tech builders. (While not a traditional learning DAO, it’s where I learned much of what I know about web3.)

Other DAOs focus on a broad audience. Invisible College is for anyone curious about getting started with web3. CCS offers a community exploring web3's societal impact and "[grappling] with what it means to truly live our lives online — to be our ‘digital selves."

Organizing by Topic

DAOs are further differentiated by their topic - what they discuss, learn about, work on, and get excited about.

Some DAOs focus on a niche topic. Using the learning DAOs, k20 DAO focuses on education in the web3 space. Invisible College is also focused on a niche, looking specifically at web3 including crypto, NFTs, DeFi, and DAOs.

Other DAOs take a broader approach to their topic. Shiny covers all things web3 in addition to: no-code, automation, the creator economy, play-to-earn games, hardware and software, and even a bit of friendly chat about whiskey.

CCS is similarly broad in their approach. Their upcoming Season II includes topics as varied as: multichain scaling strategy, public goods, music and web3, comparative organization structures, art history, communications in the digital world, and community management.

With these two categories as the anchors, we can build out The Meyer Matrix and place DAOs on the spectrum of niche to broad audience and niche to broad topic areas.

Using the Meyer Matrix

The Meyer Matrix highlights opportunities in the DAO landscape. When there is an opening in one of the quadrants, it points to an opportunity for new and existing DAOs.

While the above example was creating with learning DAOs, the same could be done with any topic area or for all DAOs. For example, here's how I would categorize DAOs related to arts and culture.

• Water & Music - niche audience (music industry professional) and broad topic (the intersection of music and technology)

• Friends with Benefits - broad audience (people who support culture) and broad topic (arts and culture generally)

• PleasrDAO - broad audience (DeFi leaders, NFT collectors, and artists) and niche topic (purchasing culturally significant digital art)

• mxtter DAO - niche audience (artists) and niche topic (generative art)

This matrix can be helpful for both DAO creators as well as individuals looking to get involved with a DAO.

New and emerging DAOs will want to carve out their own identity. They might want to look first at DAOs working on a similar topic. With this comparison, they can decide if they should get more specific on the topic or try to become an aggregator, connecting disparate individuals all somewhat interested in the same broad topic.

They may also want to create a strategy based on the audience. If they can connect with a specific group of people, they can let the topics be wide and varied. Alternatively, they may see an opportunity to become the DAO aggregator, attracting a broad audience interested in a wide variety of topics.

We can label these four quadrants based on their characteristics:

• DAOs with niche audiences and niche topics are subject matter experts

• DAOs with a broad audience and niche topics are subject matter aggregators

• DAOs with a niche audience and broad topics are industry matter experts

• DAOs with a broad audience and broad topics are industry matter aggregators

While there is market opportunities for DAOs in all four quadrants, experience from other industries show that the greatest value will accrue towards subject matter experts and industry matter aggregators. This is known as the Smiling DAO Curve.

The Smiling DAO Curve

Industries as varied as technology manufacturing, online gaming, and media have shown that in a competitive environment, value accrues to the edges. This is what is known as The Smiling Curve.

The Smiling Curve was coined by Acer founder Stan Shih to explain where the profits were in technological manufacturing. According to Wikipedia:

A smiling curve is an illustration of value-adding potentials of different components of the value chain in an IT-related manufacturing industry…According to Shih’s observation, in the personal computer industry, both ends of the value chain command higher values added to the product than the middle part of the value chain. If this phenomenon is presented in a graph with a Y-axis for value-added and an X-axis for value chain (stage of production), the resulting curve appears like a “smile”.

Ben Thompson took this framework and applied it to the publishing industry, specifically thinking about news and the difference between news outlets and aggregators like Google and Facebook:

When people follow a link on Facebook (or Google or Twitter or even in an email), the page view that results is not generated because the viewer has any particular affinity for the publication that is hosting the link, and it is uncertain at best whether or not their affinity will increase once they’ve read the article. If anything, the reader is likely to ascribe any positive feelings to the author, perhaps taking a peek at their archives or Twitter feed.

Over time, as this cycle repeats itself and as people grow increasingly accustomed to getting most of their “news” from Facebook (or Google or Twitter), value moves to the ends, just like it did in the IT manufacturing industry or smartphone industry:

The Smiling Curve points to the future of DAOs. Just as happened in the publishing industry, it is likely that the majority of the value for DAO members will be found in either industry aggregators or subject matter experts.

Subject matter expert (SME) DAOs will attract the expert members who want to work with the best and become masters at their craft. There will be a pull within the community to become more and more niche as other DAOs emerge.

Just like a Substack author or well-known artist, these DAOs and contributors will produce expert content and products that others will use and reference. People who want to be surrounded by the best will be attracted to these communities because they can spend time with experts who will help them learn and find professional opportunities focused on their specific passion. In short, these SME DAOs are the content creators on the left end of the smiling curve.

DAOs that are industry aggregators (IA) will reduce the friction for members to get what they want.

Just like Google or Facebook make it easy to find information or entertainment, industry aggregator DAOs will help members join one DAO and find everything they need, from friends to bounty opportunities to learning opportunities. Much of what happens in an industry aggregator DAO will be uninteresting or irrelevant for most members, but that doesn't matter. What matters is there is always something from them to find that fits their interest. These IA DAOs are the content discovery platforms on the right end of the smiling curve.

Over time, then, DAOs will be pulled towards these two poles.

DAOs like Shiny will either want to become more broad in their audience, moving towards aggregator status. Or, they will want to become more niche in their topic, moving towards subject matter expert status.

As an active member in the Shiny community, it is easy to see this already at play. While the community started with around 100 or so active members, there are now tiered levels of membership. Shiny Feathers sold out, bringing with it access to a majority of the content. Additionally, a successful application with 250 $SHINY token grants membership to the community to enable a broader audience to join. Over time, I see Shiny becoming the content discovery platform for a broad range of topics, mostly connected with building and creating with technology.

DAOs like Invisible College will feel the same pull. They could become more niche and move towards k20 DAO, going deep on key topic areas. With their broad audience already in place, they may alternatively feel the pull towards aggregation, much like Shiny.

This pull towards aggregation seems most likely based on their short history. Recent events have included talks on the creator economy, the legal side of DAOs, token investment opportunities, and specific tutorials on how to use web3 tools. It would not be surprising to see them expand their offerings to include topics on mental health in web3, discussions on communications and digital identity, and even offering a broader array of educational opportunities as a new kind of college.

Riding the Smiling Curve

DAOs can use the Smiling Curve as a blueprint for its work. Fortunately, DAOs are much more fluid than a traditional business. This advantage could help them straddle the matrix and ride the smiling curve, acting as both an aggregator and expert with the right strategy.

https://twitter.com/taykendesign/status/1488911767208017922?s=20&t=kGbouPXIdCuUQ0S8K1H6Vw

If the goal is to become an aggregator or an expert, DAOs can get there in three different ways.

1. Seasonal Focus

Many DAOs operate on "seasons" as a way to focus their work, much like a company would have quarterly goals. DAOs could use these seasons to focus their efforts on broadening or niche-ing the topics they work on.

2. SubDAOs

One of the best ways to further niche and/or reach a broader audience is through SubDAO's. A SubDAO is a DAO that is spun out of a parent DAO. Think of it like a company creating a new product line.

https://twitter.com/Cooopahtroopa/status/1465391575773679616?s=20&t=XY6PXAYaRRwA5QflPDeU7w

SubDAOs allow DAOs to get more specific in their topic focus by having specific team members dedicated to a niche.

https://twitter.com/Cooopahtroopa/status/1465391578965491718?s=20&t=XY6PXAYaRRwA5QflPDeU7w

While a single SubDAO would help increase the expertise in a topic area, spinning out multiple SubDAOs would build a broader audience as well, helping a DAO to both create differentiated content while providing a platform for content discovery. The full smile! 😀

This model is in its infancy so it remains to be seen if a DAO can both spin out SubDAOs and still maintain communication and discovery across the multiple communities.

3. DAO Partnerships

DAO-to-DAO collaboration is lacking. It could be an important way for DAOs to increase expertise in niche areas while also reaching new audiences.

In The Meyer Matrix, it would make sense that aggregators would partner with experts. Invisible College could partner with k20. Invisible College gets the benefit of expertise for a segment of their community, while k20 gets additional exposure and reach, helping them to find more educators who would want to join their DAO.

Similarly, Shiny might benefit from a collaboration with CCS. CCS gets experts on a wide-range of topic areas that will help it better help members discover what they're looking for. Shiny gets exposure to new members to help it continue to build out its expertise.

The Strategic Future for DAOs

DAOs offer new opportunities but will face the same challenges of traditional businesses, namely the need to compete in a crowded marketplace. As talented contributors find their digital home in their favorite DAOs, there will be a consolidation around subject matter expertise and industry aggregation.

The Meyer Matrix can help DAOs find their focus to better make an impact. Similarly, The Smiling DAO Curve can help these DAOs build a strategy for long-term success.

A future where DAOs can create sustainable impact on industries ranging from education to culture to real estate is something to smile about.

Special thanks to hathr0 for feedback.

Academic records could soon be stored on the public blockchain, referred to as an on-chain credential. On-chain credentials would be permanent, transparent, and owned by the student. They would also unlock a new type of educational institution: the airdropped university.

The airdropped university creates competition for existing education institutions by using public information from on-chain credentials.

With this information, the airdropped university could launch and scale using a three step blueprint:

1. Create a token

2. Give token to ideal supporters

3. Reward token holders

The airdropped university could provide new models to lower costs and reach more students. It could also reinvent alumni networks and provide greater financial upside for teachers and administrators. Most importantly, the airdropped university would force higher education to innovate.

This article takes a look at The Airdropped University Blueprint inspired by LooksRare and explores some of the impacts of on-chain credentials.

The LooksRare Launch

Two weeks ago, an upstart NFT marketplace website was launched called LooksRare. They were competing against OpenSea, the long-standing incumbent founded four years ago.

By all accounts, OpenSea has a seemingly impenetrable head start with over $300 million in venture capital funding, a valuation of over $13 billion, and a daily revenue of $4.2 million.

It was impossible for LooksRare to compete head-to-head, so they simply changed the rules.

LooksRare launched as a community-owned marketplace. In less than 24 hours, LooksRare bootstrapped users to their new marketplace by using a community token, $LOOKS.

Here's how it worked.

First, LooksRare launched the $LOOKS token.

They gave the founders 10% of the token supply, the community 75%, and the remaining 15% was split between the treasury and other stakeholders.

Second, LooksRare wanted to attract power users to their platform.

Since all transactions on the blockchain are visible to the public, LooksRare gave its token to anyone who traded more than 3 ETH on OpenSea in what's known as an “airdrop.” The tokens were “dropped” into the wallets and users could claim them. The more someone had traded previously on OpenSea, the more $LOOKS they received. Suddenly, the most active NFT traders had a reason to use LooksRare and benefitted from the success of its token.

Third, LooksRare enabled people to buy its token and stake the $LOOKS token.

Staking simply means the users could lock their tokens in $LOOKS, much like you would put money into a money market. As a staker, they then receive a percentage of all the transaction fees from the marketplace as well as additional $LOOKS rewards - even more incentive to help LooksRare succeed.

Using this community-owned approach, LooksRare generated $110 million in revenue in one day and over $5 billion in transactions in 10 days.

Equally important, they solved the chicken or egg problem of a marketplace. With the incentives from their token, known as tokenomics, they encouraged people to list products on their marketplace and shop their marketplace at the same time.

LooksRare still has a ways to go to attract more users and to move beyond people selling just to take advantage of the incentives. However, this bootstrapped launched shows a model for launching and scaling educational institutions: The Airdropped University Blueprint.

The Airdropped University

The general consensus when talking about higher education is that luxury brand universities are well-positioned for the future, maybe impenetrable. If you are Harvard, or Stanford, or a well-known research institute, you not only offer an education recognized by employers, but also an elite network worth the shockingly high sticker price.

The emergence of decentralized finance, or DeFi, enables educational competitors to change the rules and challenge the status quo of education. DeFi can reform school funding, but it can also spark the start of entirely new entities.

As credentials move on the blockchain, they are publicly visible and validated. This makes it easy for a student to share and use their credentials. It also means other startups could incentivize these students, just as LooksRare did.

Currently, it is easy to find alumni from a school by searching on LinkedIn. What is different in the ed3 world is you can move beyond messages and incentivize alumni and the general public to support your school or institution.

If we were launching Airdrop U, an online liberal arts university, we could use The Airdropped University Blueprint to launch and scale our program. Here’s how we would do it.

First, we create the $AIR token.

We will give 10% of the tokens to administrators and professors so we can attract the best talent and have them benefit if the school succeeds. 75% will go to the Airdrop U community (people we are attracting as supporters), and 15% will cover operating costs and additional expenses.

Second, we prepare for the airdrop.

We decide what types of graduates we would want associated with our school. We could use anything that is on the public blockchain, which might include graduates from a specific university, when they graduated, what they studied, who they had as a teacher, and more.

In our case, we want anyone who studied at a liberal arts school to help us launch. We identify their wallets, which hold their credentials, and provide them with an airdrop token. We then spread the word that any liberal arts graduates have $AIR tokens they can claim for free.

Third, we incentivize these graduates to stake their $AIR tokens.

In our case, we have students paying to take our classes. These expenses could go back to token holders along with additional $AIR tokens. As students taken classes, they could also earn tokens and stake those tokens as well. In this way, their classes begin to pay for themselves.

Long after students and faculty leave Airdrop U, they have an incentive to see it succeed. In this way, Airdrop U builds engaged alumni. They are not connected to one another from a shared past experience but rather from investing in the present and future of Airdrop U. The university doesn’t need expensive ad campaigns and glossy magazines but instead invests in the token, which empowers word of mouth marketing for Airdrop U.

Scholarships could be provided in $AIR tokens. Donors could send $AIR tokens to the Airdrop U wallet. Future graduate programs could be offered as a reward for $AIR stakers and alumni.

Airdrop U in Action

The example of Airdrop U is a thought experiment, but one that is not far away.

Arizona State University (ASU) has been exploring blockchain credentials for over three years, especially to transfer records between community colleges and ASU, and has hosted the Digital Credentials Summit to build the on-chain credential future.

Student Coin has been building a platform to enable students to create their own tokens, potentially to fund their education.

Even elementary students in India are receiving on-chain credentials for completing projects.

The most elaborate of the current efforts is the non-traditional educator, Odem.

Odem offers online classes in business, blockchain, and development and publishes the certificates on the blockchain. They also offer education skill badges (ESB), according to their whitepaper, where students can verify the skills they have learned on-the-job. These skills are verified by the employer and added to the blockchain as part of the students on-chain credential.

Odem has also created the ODEM token (ODE) and is using tokenomics to build a marketplace connecting students, teachers, employers, and institutions.

The ODE token has been trading for over three years. While it is well off its high, it is the 1,441st most traded token according to CoinGecko:

Airdrop U could use any of these examples as ways to start.

Anyone who has an ASU credential on the blockchain could receive an $AIR token. Similarly, anyone who has created a token on Student Coin could receive the airdrop. Students who have completed projects in India could be early scholarship recipients.

Airdrop U can easily click on the Contract Address from the ODE coin and see all the wallets that have transacted with the ODE coin. Airdrop U could offer them $AIR tokens. Alternatively, students with a credential from Odem, or students with specific ESBs from Odem, might be ideal potential students for Airdrop U and could also claim $AIR tokens.

As more educational institutions add credentials to the blockchain, the potential grows. This may point to one reason educational institutions do not want credentials on the blockchain: control.

The Innovator’s Dilemma argues that successful incumbents do not have incentive to change or invest in technology that will undercut their success. Innovative institutions like ASU may pursue on-chain credentials, but it seems likely that pressure from non-traditional education providers using on-chain credentials will be the catalyst to wider adoption in higher education.

This pressure could force adoption of on-chain credentials. Or, it could lead to two tracks of credentials - on-chain and off-chain.

The true impact of on-chain credentials is murky, but there are reasons to believe it could solve key challenges in the education system.

How The Airdropped University Improves Education

The opportunity to airdrop a university into existence could help solve major challenges facing higher education.

https://twitter.com/eriktorenberg/status/1379670298140803073?s=21

Debt Crisis

The cost of college is up 1200% since 1980 and 40 out of a 100 people who have college debt don't have a degree.

An airdropped university could incentivize competition and enable pay as you go models. Students could take out loans with tools such as Aave, potentially backed by the $AIR tokens they earn. With auto-staking, students would be earning interest, or rewards, during their education to lower any debt burden before they leave.

Competition in a Static Industry

The most successful educational institutions have been around for centuries. It is difficult to start a new institution and hard to change existing institution.

The airdropped university would use the strength of these long-standing institutions as a launchpad for their own efforts. The influx of competition could mean better pay for the best instructors, lower costs for students, and new models to reach more students.

https://twitter.com/eriktorenberg/status/1379670313001160709?s=21

True Assessment with an Educational Marketplace

It’s difficult to know which school is the right choice for a specific student. College rankings are not based on outcomes but rather inputs.

https://twitter.com/eriktorenberg/status/1379670309322756096?s=20

The airdropped university solves this by creating an educational marketplace. Parents and students could look at the $AIR token and get a sense of the success and trajectory of the university.

As other universities launch with their own tokens, there will be a supply and demand dynamic. It is not an annual publication of US News & World Report that will tell someone how good a school is, it’s a constantly updated price graph that transparently shows what people think of a school.

While this may seem like a dystopian world of commodification, it could be seen as a more honest and transparent way of ranking schools. Instead of surveying presidents and encouraging glitzy spending to increase an annual ranking in a magazine, schools are ranked by what students think.

As Balaji Srinivasan notes in the clip below, education will not be alone in the transition. Industries and entities that have enjoyed geographic monopolies - cities, universities, hospitals, etc. - will now be on a ledger, comparable and even tradable with other assets.

Want to know which city to move to? Check the price and which city is moving up. What school is best? Look at how many people hold the token.

Much like local and regional newspapers were thrust into the world of international competition thanks to Google, educational institutions now have to prepare for the same future.

https://www.airr.io/quote/61998c773aae6012c88842e6

Building the Future

Professor and historian Melvin Kranzberg’s First Law of Technology states:

Technology is neither good nor bad; nor is it neutral.

The advent of on-chain credentials will bring profound changes with unexpected consequences.

At first glance, it seems that increased transparency will provide opportunity for upstarts and challenges for incumbents. These changes could also mean increased opportunity for students.

It is also possible that these credentials will only increase access to those who already have had it, furthering economic disparity and opportunity. On-chain credentials are permanent, so students will forever have those experiences tied to them, for better or worse. This ed3 future also brings further commodification to the education sector, which could undercut the mission of educating and improving quality of life.

The Airdropped University shows just one way that education could change, much quicker than anyone expects. It is essential that educators, policymakers, and technologists explore these impacts now to build the future, rather than waiting for it to happen to them.

Building the Future of On-Chain Credentials

Ed3 - the intersection of web3 and education - imagines a future where students are incentivized to learn and able to transparently share their skills.

Instead of just imagining this future, we wanted to help build it. In the coming weeks the Shishya Jigyasa Academy will teach students how to:

• Create a crypto wallet

• Learn best practices for wallet security

• Design a POAP

• Claim an ENS domain

Along the way, students will receive a custom designed “proof of attendance protocol”, or POAP, marking their progress.

This experiment was designed by the Academy along with its students and parents, but you can help.

You can mint this article as an NFT. All funds will be used to cover the cost of ENS domain registration. Any remainder will be distributed to the students’ wallets who earn all three POAPs.

We will also share our learnings along with the student designs so you can hire the students for your POAP design needs. Subscribe to make sure you get the updates.

Let’s dive into the blueprint for incentivizing and sharing learning.

Launching an Experiment in Incentivizing and Sharing Learning

The Shishya Jigyasa Academy is a K-5 school in North Bangalore, India, eventually growing to become a K-12 school.

At the Academy, we strive to create an environment in which children have multiple opportunities to express, create and build. The internet rewards the creators and the builders. Those who can utilise the abundant resources and serendipity on offer will get more out of life. More happiness, more opportunities, more success and more fulfillment.

One of the biggest reasons for starting the Academy was to bring positive change to the experience children have at school. The education system is typically a laggard when it comes to innovation. We want to do things differently - be at the forefront of innovation in the space and also be a school which follows the science of learning, brain development and developmental psychology.

When the pandemic hit, we swiftly moved to teaching remotely. For a school like ours, where activity and project-based learning is such a big part of the curriculum, this posed a significant challenge.

Very quickly, we learned that getting students to create using digital tools generated significant excitement.

They loved creating podcasts on Anchor (listen below - it’s amazing), videos on YouTube, writing newsletters on Substack, doing projects on Scratch and designing on Canva. They did a lot of their assignments utilising these tools, and many can proudly proclaim themselves full stack creators.

https://anchor.fm/anvita-anand/episodes/Rad-Roman-numerals-e15hhe6/a-a5mfiu1

We then started to think about the best way to string all this creativity together in a fashion that would allow students to leverage this work in the future.

In India, board exams are the raison d’etre of most children. The performance in the 10th and 12th grade exams is thought to be the main determinant of the college you’ll attend, your future job prospects, and more. However, the world is changing, and fast. People care less about grades and degrees and value what you can do.

Proof of work is the most valuable currency.

When a child can point to hundreds of projects that they have worked on, it builds trust and credibility - more credibility than a mark sheet or a degree. Furthermore, developments in Web3 now allow learners to build academic currency as proof of work.

What if every teacher out there could issue micro-credentials to every student that completed a project? And if every student could then build an inventory of such micro-credentials over time, which can then be tracked on a public blockchain? Over a period of a few years, every child would have acquired hundreds of micro-credentials, spanning various fields of knowledge which are on a public ledger for all to see. With a few changes in the user interface, every learner will be able to showcase a tree of knowledge built over many years and in collaboration with many teachers and peers.

We have seven students from the Academy who will trial this exact concept.

The goal is to teach children the basics of what a wallet is and how to securely use it. Then issue POAPs for every project and activity completed. Over time, students will design these POAPs for their classmates, and possibly for anyone in the world needing a POAP, creating a potential source of income.

While this experiment is a small step in the longer process of building on-chain credentials, we believe it will build local support for future experiments. Most importantly, we believe it will incentive students to learn skills that will help them navigate their future reality.

Credentials for Creation

Academic credentials will continue to lose their share of mind space and importance in the years to come. Learning happens everywhere, and all the time. Why should going to university be deemed more prestigious than pursuing 10 different projects over the same time period?

Using a system such as the one we are building, learners and teachers all over the world will be able to create trust and credibility in a way that can be verified, and which allows near limitless collaboration and connection.

The future is now, and you can help. Are you in?

Key Insights

• Education is key to human flourishing, but current models are not leading to optimal learning for the majority of people around the world.

• Web3 has enabled creators to own their work online, ed3 enables students to own their education.

• Nascent ed3 models are improving access, affordability, and accreditation, but more work needs to be done.

Education is Essential for Human Flourishing

UNICEF declares that "Every child has the right to learn," but schooling is not leading to optimal learning.

Of the roughly 1 billion children and adolescents who go to school every day, over 600 million are unable to reach minimum proficiency levels in reading and mathematics. This learning crisis is identified by the UN as the greatest global challenge to preparing children and adolescents for life, work and active citizenship. In short, education is a key element for human flourishing.

On top of challenges with K-12 education, we know that 93% of the world does not have a secondary education degree. Even in the most educated countries, the majority of citizens do not have a college degree.

If we are truly in a knowledge economy, one of the best ways to improve living standards and promote equity is through education. The current model might work for 7% of the world, but we need models that can reach the other 93%.

Fortunately, new models of education are emerging, built on the decentralized power of Web3.

Overview of Web3

What Web3 Is

At this point, you've probably heard of at least one of the following concepts: cryptocurrency, NFTs, or the metaverse. These new technologies are gaining traction because of the monetary value they are generating. But the story extends far beyond these buzzwords. The impact of what's to come is unparalleled, and it's all because of web3.

Web3 refers to the decentralized ecosystem of technology to support the next generation of virtual engagement.

Let's break that down.

If web2 is the current system we use to access services on the internet, web3 is the evolution of web2 both philosophically and technologically. If you had to explain web3 to someone, here are the key points:

1. Philosophically, web1 was about disseminating information (think: websites), web2 was about communication (think: Whatsapp), and web3 is about creation (think: IP ownership).

2. Technologically, web1 and web2 used centralized infrastructure to support online activity. For example, you sign up for a Google account and then Google has control over (and likely access to) everything that you create using that account, e.g. emails, documents, spreadsheets. By contrast, web3 uses decentralized infrastructure (like blockchain) to support verifiable transactions, individual ownership of intellectual property, and the empowerment of creators.

Why Web3 Matters

The ethos of web3 is inclusive, accessible, virtual, social, and personalized.

Economic forces and web2 have allowed large entities to gain power and control how our information is stored, accessed, and leveraged. Web3 enables individual users to make decisions about their online activity without having to compromise utility. It has the power to dismantle the problematic systems that have stagnated industries like education.

Imagine if universities were fractionalized and you could earn the micro-credentials that mattered most for your career, only paid for what you needed, and owned a life-long portfolio with those credentials that were interoperable across all institutes & industries?

Web3 will also enable the metaverse to take shape over the next few decades; a universe of many buildable worlds that operate on decentralized infrastructure. The metaverse will make it possible to do everything we can do in the real world but enhanced by digital experiences & possible in an entirely virtual world.

https://twitter.com/VritiSaraf/status/1460643746928893954?s=20

Why Web3 Matters Now

Web2 enabled the proliferation of knowledge across the world and allows us to communicate with anyone, anywhere. The progress of web2 is reaching a saturation point; we've done much of what we can with this technology to move the world forward.

Web3 is the next step toward an equitable world where all humans have access to opportunities that can help enhance their intellectual development.

In the last year, web3 has already made a tremendous impact on people all over the world. Because of "play to earn" models in gaming and the unique uses of NFTs, individual wealth in cryptocurrency has enabled people from remote, under-developed places to upgrade their standard of living. Of the top six NFT artists under the age of 18 for example, four are from under-developed regions.

The promise of web2 when it first emerged was incredible and has led to significant progress for humans. The promise of web3 combines the potential of web2 with the ethos of community-oriented practices that decentralize & disseminate power.

From Web3 to Ed3

Industries from financial services to entertainment to art are being reshaped by web3 - a shift to decentralized technologies owned by its builders and users.

Education is following a similar trajectory towards "ed3." In ed3, learners own their education - validating their knowledge with decentralized technology in contrast to previous models.

• Ed1 was knowledge transfer provided by accredited institutions, such as universities and high schools

• Ed2 was centralized platforms distributing education, such as Udemy, Skillshare, and Outschool

• Ed3 is individuals gathering skills from a variety of sources and validating that knowledge in their own wallet.

https://twitter.com/MrScottMeyer/status/1468336133427929088?s=20

This article is an attempt to identify global challenges facing education, how ed3 is already addressing those challenges, and what's next in the emerging field of ed3. We will use ed3 to speak to the changes occurring specifically in education while web3 refers to the changes happening across industries.

Why Education Needs to Embrace Change

The emergence of web3 means new possibilities for education. To realize this potential, we need to answer a foundational question: What is education for?

Education has long been all things for a small percentage of the world’s population. It provides skills training, research, personal exploration, social networks, a place to grow up, sports, camaraderie, a verifiable credential, and more. This system - ed1 - bundled these elements together and created some of the finest and most impactful institutions in the world, but it left a lot of people out.

Skills training is often what students and parents think of when they imagine education, both in secondary school and in higher education. The question of "is education worth it" or "is the school good" centers on this idea of learning skills that will guarantee a career or placement at university. Some institutions, like tech schools or polytechnic universities, explicitly focus on this aspect of education. Non-traditional learning, such as technology bootcamps, have also emerged to provide these skills. For research universities or liberal arts schools, though, this training is less of a focus.

Education in a Changing Workforce

Today, this workforce development is in high demand due to tectonic shifts in demographics and technology.

Technology is speeding the pace of change, so more training is needed both for existing workers and those entering the economy. By the time students have completed a four-year degree, the skills they have learned are often already out of date. Students with just a high school degree are unable to apply for 65% of the available jobs in the United States because they require some college education.

The labor market is also rapidly changing. Declining birth rates in wealthier countries in particular mean an aging workforce. These older workers need to be reskilled to meet workforce demands and younger workers will need to be found. Potential workers will most likely be found in emerging economies, either through remote work or immigration. The competition for this talent will increase.

As we enter the Knowledge Economy, more knowledgeable workers of all types are needed. The problem is traditional k-20 schooling is not meeting the demand or keeping up with the pace of change.

Education should prepare students to make an impact in the world. In short, the purpose of education should be to promote human flourishing.

To effectively do that at every level from "K to Grey", the education system needs to embrace change. New web3 technologies can be applied to education to usher in ed3 and fulfill this mission of impact.

Making this leap is not easy. Parents, policymakers, and teachers are more likely to be conservative in their approaches to change. They are thinking of the impact on their children or their school with an eye towards risk-aversion. A longer-term, bottom-up outlook will be needed to integrate web3 technologies into our current education system and build the foundation for a future-proofed education system.

Challenges in Education

Education faces three major challenges that ed3 can help solve: access, affordability, accreditation.

Access

First, access is a major hurdle. Less than 7% of the world's population has a college education. In the United States, one of the most educated countries in the world, less than half of the population has a college degree. Amongst those fortunate enough to access higher education there are considerable concerns around equity and inclusiveness. Universities are under an increased spotlight to ensure a fair representation of all communities.

Universities often tout how many people they turn away rather than figuring out how to offer education to as many students as possible. Notably, the US universities that have focused on reaching students at scale - such as Western Governor's University or Southern New Hampshire (SNHU), are experiencing massive growth.

https://twitter.com/MrScottMeyer/status/1388347328105521153?s=20

Access is also limited by the structure. Most schools and universities offer education with two major constraints: time and location.

Time

Classes are offered chronologically, often with a start date in the fall, spring, and summer. If you miss one of these times, you have to wait.

Similarly, if you cannot attend for the entire 16 week semester, you won't be able to finish a course. Often, the courses needed are offered in sequences so if you miss one, it takes even longer to finish. Accelerated programs are emerging. Higher education institutions like SNHU offer students the ability to start and stop a course whenever needed. Outlier provides college courses online created for high school students. Unfortunately, these changes are the exception, not the rule.

Location

Location is another barrier for many students. Most K-12 schools are firmly placed in a specific geography. Online class offerings for universities are now exploding thanks to the COVID-19 pandemic, but many of these classes are still built to be in-person first. National borders are still a major constraint as online courses in one country may not be accessible to students around the world.

Affordability

Second, affordability is a challenge.

Since 1980, the cost of college in the US is up 1200% compared to inflation at 236%. The rising cost has led to a ballooning student debt, over $1.6 trillion in the US alone. This debt limits future opportunities and makes it less likely that students will start their own ventures or choose the path they want for their lives.

What's more, many jobs will require re-skilling and a re-framing of education as a lifelong pursuit. With many still paying back their first visit to the university, it is less likely they will ever return for more training.

This isn't just a US-specific issue either. The estimated lifetime cost of educating a child in the UK is well over $100,000. Inflation-adjusted, this cost is likely even higher in 2022. This presents a problem not only for governments that fund the bloated state education sector, but also for parents that pay multiples of this for private education.

Accreditation

Finally, accreditation slows change and the ability to teach what students need in the Knowledge Economy.

Courses typically have to meet the Carnegie Unit for credit, meaning hours in a seat. While this standardizes the length of time students are in the classroom, it does little to guarantee mastery. Increasing skills in the Knowledge Economy require a shift to praxis. New accreditation models, such as competency-based models, could provide a path to rewarding mastery over clocking time.

Accreditation and reporting requirements put increased strain on universities to increase administration, which now makes up over 50% of payroll.

Employers outsource hiring selections to universities. A degree is required for nearly 65% of jobs in the US. However, it is the stamp that is required, not the learning - a phenomena known as the "sheepskin effect." The "sheepskin effect" points out that if you complete 7/8ths of a degree you don't get paid 7/8ths of the salary. You have to finish the degree to get the job. In essence, the degree is signaling to an employer, not a guarantee of competency.

Reimagining accreditation and signaling via mastery could fundamentally change the value proposition of education for parents, students, and employers.

The AAA Education

As we enter the Knowledge Economy, we need to increase the knowledge of people everywhere. A high school or college degree doesn't have to be the way that we do that. New technology, such as web3, and innovative models of education mean that we can increase access, improve affordability, and streamline accreditation.

An accessible, affordable, and accredited education that prepares students for the workforce is a AAA education. Getting there will require an embrace of ed3.

How Education Can Embrace the Move to Ed3

Education needs to open up to change. The good news - it's already changing.

Web3 technology and ethos provide new possibilities for education to become more accessible, affordable, and transparently accredited. Innovative education models are now being built that can provide inspiration and blueprints to truly embrace a shift to ed3.

Access

What’s Possible

There is a famous proverb that goes:

"It takes a village to raise a child"

Education has a fundamentally community-based structure with various stakeholders (parents, learners, teachers) involved. The word university originally meant a community of teachers and scholars.

In the web3 world, decentralized autonomous organizations - or DAOs - are enabling new ways to collaborate. What is unique from the web2 world, these decentralized communities now have a shared bank account, enabling purchases as varied and audacious as NBA basketball teams and the US Constitution. David Phelps notes, there are lots of ways to conceptualize DAO's:

https://twitter.com/divine_economy/status/1453480931487006728?s=20

In ed3, DAOs will provide the vital infrastructure for decentralized educational experiences. The ability to gather and compensate both teachers and learners will reshape how and where we provide education.

DAOs can act as centers of learning. Students can now join a community to learn about any topic they are interested in. Then, they can begin to apply their knowledge and work for the DAO, earning along the way.

DAOs also get us one step closer to truly personalized learning. For example, a young ambitious artist can connect and collaborate with other artists and benefit from real-time peer feedback. Alternatively, a highly academically minded young woman may feel a lot more comfortable hanging out with like-minded engineers. They can share tips on conducting their research and participate in various proposals or tasks. Intrinsic motivation becomes the norm, and we can do away with all the outdated models of the carrot and the stick.

Furthermore, DAOs make governance more transparent, with the largest contributors often getting a proportional say in both curriculum design and delivery. Imagine a world where students have a strong voice in what gets taught and how their tuition funds are allocated. This would represent a massive shift in educational engagement and completion rates.

https://twitter.com/VritiSaraf/status/1463680457795592196?s=20

DAOs engage with the wider community and its needs. Pupils can find and complete small paid tasks called bounties. This coordinated action can solve problems facing a community and help students gain verified experience. Expect to see hiring platforms tied to DAOs. For example, you could earn tokens inside a DAO that is sponsored by a local company, then those tokens can be exchanged for a stake in your new employer's company.

The future of work and the future of education are intimately linked, creating changes that are already happening.

What’s Happening

The emergence of learning DAOs creates new destinations for education and new pathways towards employment.

Crypto, Culture, and Society blazed the trail and coined the term “learning DAO,” building "liberal arts for crypto." Members listen to speakers, join reading sessions, and discuss the implications of web3 on society. Anyone can join and participate in the building the community.

Other examples include:

• Bankless DAO for decentralized finance

• Vector DAO for design

• Invisible College for web3 beginners.

https://twitter.com/chancecollabs/status/1467834726400643077?s=21

Many DAOs started with a web3 focus, but expect the breadth and depth of these learning organization to quickly multiple.

https://twitter.com/Flynnjamm/status/1463232281997422600?s=20

DAO's aren't limited to knowledge transfer.

As Kassen Qian notes, they could be a substitute for a university experience. As we look ahead, DAOs could unbundle the traditional education experience, opening up the benefits of ed1 institutions to the 93% of the world that doesn't have access.

Affordability

What’s Possible

Web3 learning environments are often permission-less to participate. This is in sharp contrast to gated learning communities such as Harvard or Oxford University, which suffer from time and location problems.

Under web3 architecture, a student in India with access to the internet can access free and open content provided by the likes of Saylor Academy, The Open University or Khan Academy. They can work through modules asynchronously, and web3 allows for these credentials to be verifiable on-chain. Furthermore, they can complete bounties (paid tasks) on-demand and demonstrate their skills to potential employers. This goes beyond a skills-based approach to education and towards the famed competency-based education.

https://twitter.com/oneseventwonine/status/1387262510936453121?s=20

For example, our same student in Mumbai or Mongolia could learn to code in Solidity, get paid to do so, and then use the accreditation as leverage to gain employment as a freelancer or land a full-time remote job. Whereas previously employers would have looked to local talent pools, COVID-19 has accelerated the shifted power towards these remote workers. Note that there is a new spectrum developing here, ranging from getting paid to learn (learn-to-earn), free, freemium, through to paid online courses. All of these options are considerably better for the learner than the traditional (and expensive) access points to further education.

Web3 is especially exciting because it builds upon all the progress made during web2. Many web2 platforms have already been instrumental in democratizing access to education and learning. In some ways, YouTube can be considered one of the largest edTech firms.

https://twitter.com/BeingPractical/status/1464807419951730696?s=20

Everybody from young children to experienced tradespeople uses YouTube to access specific knowledge. Web3 decentralized versions of these social networks already exist, such as DTube or KARMA. These platforms reward creators directly with cryptocurrencies, so incentives are aligned for both the creator and the learner, without the middleman taking their outsized cut. This offers a huge opportunity for educators to reinvest the proceeds and rapidly improve their production value. Creators will need a razor-sharp focus on generating exceptional learning experiences to maintain their status in a decentralized and fairer attention economy.

Furthermore, developments in augmented reality and virtual reality will bring down unit costs. It will also promote mainstream adoption into the metaverse - a compilation of all virtual worlds with continuity in experience and ownership of IP creation.

Up until now, intellectual capital had gathered in big cosmopolitan cities such as New York, London and Hong Kong. Network effects were localized. However, entering the metaverse allows for enhanced and equitable experiences even if you are not in one of these cities. In the metaverse, your digital avatar is all you need to participate. Once the barriers to entry are lowered, our ability to spot and connect with young talent will grow exponentially regardless of age, gender, location, race or any other bias.

Over 20 years after Sugata Mitra's famous "Hole in the Wall" experiment, we finally have a new technology within grasp that can accelerate self-organized learning, especially in some of these less privileged communities. This new technology is already unlocking new education models promoting affordability.

What’s Happening

An exciting development in ed3 is the learn-to-earn model where students are paid to learn.

Rabbithole is a great example. Rabbithole teaches people how to use web3 tools by encouraging them to take action. Each action is recorded in their personal wallet on the blockchain, which basically means the tasks they do online are provable. By taking action, students can earn tokens that can be converted into their local currency.

As an example, early Rabbithole users were asked to create an ENS domain. These users were later rewarded with an ENS token. In a podcast interview, Rabbithole founder Brian Flynn noted that Rabbithole helped 16,000 people get ENS tokens which led to $200 million worth of value, 50% in the developing world.

Other learn-to-earn examples include:

• Questbook.app for learning web3 development skills. As students complete quests, they earn NFT and cryptocurrency.

• Layer3 for "doing sh*t" and get rewarded with crypto. It is similar to an early version of Fiverr where members pitch what they would do for cryptocurrency.

• Zapper.fi for getting started with DeFi. Users to take "quests" by depositing funds, transfer funds, and learning Decentralized Finance (DeFi) protocols. Participants earn "voltage" and NFTs.

• 1729 for pulling forward the future web3 world. It is a newsletter that incentivizes readers to take action on everything from gathering information - such as nuclear policies of every EU country - to learning Solidarity to build smart contracts on the Etherum blockchain. Action is rewarded with cryptocurrency.

As Mercedes Bent notes, learn-to-earn is not a new concept. The advent of web3 technology, however makes it easier to verify and distribute funds to students.

https://twitter.com/mercebent/status/1447377938358308866?s=20

The emergence of ed3 will continue to unlock new models of education that improve affordability, potentially flipping the model so students earn money along their learning journey. This change couldn't come soon enough as there is over $1.73 trillion dollars of student debt in the United States alone.

Accreditation

What’s Possible

The use of tokens could completely re-write teacher, peer and learner market dynamics.

As every educator will know, novices learn differently from experts in a subject. In turn, this means the best person to learn from is often the person just one level above where you're at. However, many students would feel significant imposter syndrome in becoming a (paid) tutor. This is a shame because there is so much potential in peer learning. These learners are acutely aware of the stress and subsequent solutions to the problems they recently mastered.

Tokens will incentivize and unlock the power in peer learning.

If Reddit is already in the process of tokenizing their karma points, there is no reason why this can't be done for other strong communities, e.g. students working through a curriculum together with their peers and their teachers. Each individual community gets to decide what is valuable and who is contributing the most. The best teachers will be well-paid whilst students seamlessly curate their personal learning networks of global peers. The definition of who is a teacher will change. More of us will become teachers.

https://twitter.com/AtishMistry/status/1457414588199231489?s=20

Another exciting dimension to web3 is the implementation of interoperable virtual goods, often in the form of non-fungible tokens (NFTs). Whilst more formal credentials will be stamped into the blockchain, students will also be able to acquire NFTs for the completion of tasks and bounties, as well as earning a host of virtual goods including fashion items, virtual land, and unique skins for their avatar. Younger students will gain early exposure to the world of commerce by collecting and trading these virtual goods with one another.

Furthermore, students will have access to micro-credentials, paying for what they need to learn, just in time for when they need it. Some examples of micro-credentials could include things like using scheduling apps, growing a Twitter following, or publishing your first article. Your portfolio of skills is then updated in real-time and the whole process can be gamified using badges showing what you've learned, sometimes called POAPs (Proof of Attendance Protocol). Services like Open Badge Passport and POAP.xyz are the first step in this direction.

Often times students possess a very well-developed specific skill. Maybe they write exceptional poetry by the ninth grade, are a math genius by age eight, or can carve wood like a pro before graduating high school. Teachers or other certified people who witness this could acknowledge this skill by awarding special badges that would also be stored in each student’s account on the blockchain.

Ed3 shifts the question away from "How smart is the child?", towards "In what ways is the child smart?"

In many ways, this shift has begun.

What’s Happening

The promise of ed3 is a future of transparent credentials. You can prove what you know for all to see, instead of relying on a university to stamp a piece of paper or sharing different versions of what you know on different websites.

This credentialing is happening now with tokens. NFTs are used as tickets to classes, experiences, and community. Instead of charging tuition, these tokens make it possible to charge for courses as well as connect students and control access. NFTs can also act as a visual representation of course completion and activity. Graduates earn an NFT and receive on-going access and benefits for their work.

Buildspace helps developers get started building in web3. They recently airdropped - or sent - NFTs to the most active members who had completed their online web3 courses and engaged online with their community.

https://twitter.com/farzatv/status/1469428043517251588?s=21

Crypto College was an online course that took the NFT-gated approach. NFTs to take the course cost .15 ETH for the first 30 students up to 1.5 ETH for the final students to sign up. Students had the option to list and sell these NFTs, leading to a secondary market for access. These NFT sales totaled over $380,000 for the instructor.

Crypto, Culture, and Society (CCS) started as an online crowdfunding campaign. Their aim was to "raise 15 ETH, which will fund ten weeks of learning from prominent voices in crypto." Donors received an NFT, which was their ticket to a 10-week lecture series.

The NFT also acted as a voting token. Students with the NFT could vote on how the funds were used, including which speakers were brought in and how funds would help build the community.

Today, CCS is a thriving online community. NFT holders have special access - the modern alumni network - while anyone can join the community and learn together

Ed3 in Traditional Education

These ed3 approaches to accreditation are not limited to alternative education. Competency-based education creates the model for ed3 to work within traditional educational institutions.

Since 1906, universities, and later high schools, have accredited students based on how many hours they spend in the classroom. This measurement is known as the Carnegie Unit after its creator and patron Andrew Carnegie. As learning becomes more asynchronous and the Knowledge Economy requires faster knowledge acquisition, this accreditation systems makes less sense.

https://twitter.com/MrScottMeyer/status/1401995265737957377?s=20

Fortunately, a brave cadre of higher education institutions and organizations like CBENetwork are building the foundation for transparent accreditation by focusing on competencies.

By defining competencies, traditional higher education can be more easily atomized.

Students can learn skills in a variety of places, including DAOs, ed3 learning platforms, the workplace, and peer learning. The competency-based method then allows these experiences to be combined into a traditional degree.

Competency frameworks, such as OpenSalt, are already being developed at the K-20 level. OpenSalt attempts to break primary and secondary school courses into competencies, such as North Dakota is doing. Then students can prove they have achieved these competencies through experience and courses. The results are saved on the blockchain, so employers and other schools can easily access and view the student's skills.

This atomization of education could:

• Enable families to more easily move to other locations and continue their education

• Provide stackable credit for independent study, work, entrepreneurship, military service and more

• Identify talented students long before a standardized test

While the move to competency-based education may be years away at a systems-level, the US Department of Education along with private sector companies are funding the effort. The hope is that when competencies are transparent, access and equity are improved.

The Future of Ed3 is Here - Let's Distribute It

Talk of education reform is often imagining changes down the road. Fortunately, work is happening right now to pull forward the future of ed3. Students are claiming ownership of their education and realigning the value chain for everyone from student to parent and educational institutions to employers.

The future of ed3 is rife with possibility. Leadership is now required to bring ed3 into the mainstream.

Ed3 as a Source of Human Flourishing

Education is a right, and a cornerstone for human flourishing. The more we are able to teach our students, the better prepared they will be to enter the Knowledge Economy and leave their mark on the world.

We are at the beginning of the web3 wave. Entire industries are being re-imagined with a focus on participation and ownership. Education can, and should, follow suit.

By welcoming this new era of ed3, more students will be able to access, afford, and accredit a dynamic education that helps them flourish and leave their mark on the world.

Where to learn more

Continue learning about ed3 with this list of thought-leaders on Twitter. Subscribe to the Metaverse for education newsletter.

Who wrote this?

The core ethos of web3 is collaboration. In that spirit, this article is co-authored by passionate ed3 enthusiasts from around the world with varied experiences.

Atish Mistry (@atishmistry) is the author of theedletter.com and a former investment banker turned mathematics teacher in the UK. He is on the advisory board of a pioneering school in India called Mother Miracle. His current focus outside of full-time teaching is building Ebbings, an AI-powered EdTech platform for teachers and students.

Blair Rorani (@blairrorani) has 15+ years of experience working on transformation and capability projects across a range of industries. This Kiwi creates content for web3 communities and works on education and onboarding in the metaverse.

Scott Meyer (@MrScottMeyer) is an entrepreneur and former professor working to scale and democratize education. He recently launched an entrepreneurship center at a university and an accelerated education program for adult learners in his home country of the United States. He consults and writes about ed3.

Vriti Saraf (@vritisaraf), the founder of k20 Educators, is building the Eduverse on Web3, a virtual hub for sharing ideas, professional development, innovative programming, and resources to support progressive teaching practices. Vriti's goal is to educate all educators on web3 including NFTs, blockchain, cryptocurrency, augmented & virtual reality, & the metaverse.