The shift from web2 to web3 represents a revolution to redefine numerous societal structures. However, to fulfill the promise of web3, we must first overcome the challenge of onboarding the next million developers. Optimizing education to facilitate a transition to the decentralized web will require redefining learning and developing tools, strategies, and incentives that empower emerging developers.
Web2's allure was not only to 'make the world a better place.' Equally compelling was its ability to help individuals amass significant wealth, lifting countless millions out of poverty. Although Web3 offers earnings that dwarf those of web2, the gap in technical complexity is wide, possibly discouraging many web2 developers from making the leap to web3. To ignite the web3 revolution, we must reevaluate how we educate and incentive learning.
We'll explore the rapidly evolving edtech ecosystems in web3, examining how emerging technologies can forge innovative social experiences to increase retention and explore how tokenomics can incentivize learners in ways that weren't feasible in web2.
Edtech in Web3
Web3 is changing the concept of ownership and control. Implementing blockchain technologies in the realm of education allows learners of all ages to own their records, achievements, and credentials. Credentials are encrypted to protect privacy, and also sharable at will without the need for any intermediary. This offers skills validation that may be used to facilitate job recruitment and fundraising for entrepreneurs as never before.
There are four trailblazers making waves in this space that I am most excited about:
BuildSpace
The school without walls espouses a DIY approach to education. It encourages students to take ownership of their learning. BuildSpace has created a 6-week program that encourages education, building, and iteration. It culminates in a contest where the top four teams have the opportunity to share a $100k prize.
Instead of spoon-feeding knowledge, BuildSpace creates a playground where students explore, make mistakes, and have the opportunity to build something never seen before.
Developer DAO (D_D) Academy
D_D Academy is open-source and community driven. They are trailblazers in finance and governance. Their $CODE token empowers holders to participate in events, make governance decisions, and access educational resources.
At D_D, developers are part of a broader community where they contribute to a collective pool of knowledge which has created a unique dynamic between collaborative learning and teaching environments.
EasyA
Easy A began as a service that helped university students ace their exams. The founders (who, for full disclosure, are friends and colleagues of mine) have pivoted to web3 hackathons and education. Their mobile app lets learners jump directly into educational pathways, removing typical registration obstacles.
Students automatically experience points and NFTs, making EasyA's app the most accessible education product I've ever experienced.
NoFunZone (NFZ)
NFZ (where I'm a core member) is marrying education and entertainment with an RPG-styled learning experience. NFZ transforms learning into an epic journey that teaches web3 concepts through a game narrative. This approach helps learners create an intuitive understanding of web3 while being able to earn tokens and NFTs.
Each of these entities are catalyzing change in education. They prove that education no longer needs to be rigid, highly structured, or full of hurdles. Decentralized education is making learning fluid, fun, and engaging.
Web3 education promotes play and exploration and has the ability to democratize and decentralize learning; it holds the potential to transform the way we view and value knowledge and skills.
Socialized Learning in Web3
Learning extends beyond studying from a textbook or self-paced digital modules. Web3 expands socialized learning by blending interactive, communal experiences with educational content. In web3, students have the ability to connect, collaborate, and share verifiable ownership.
BuildSpace fosters a community where learners share struggles, triumphs, and insights, cultivating a sense of belonging and mutual growth.
Developer_DAO incentivizes learners to contribute to community growth by becoming token holders, creating a social exchange where learners are both students and contributors. They are proving the idea that when individuals are properly incentivized they will promote the growth of the community at large.
EasyA's point system and upcoming leaderboard create camaraderie and healthy competition among learners, driving both individual and communal growth.
In NFZ, a player's journey ties into a larger guild; individual actions impact the collective, fostering a community that shares experiences, challenges, and victories.
Education in Web3 transcends traditional platforms like Slack, Discord, or older message boards that leave latecomers scavaging through deprecated information. And we've only just begun; we've yet to explore the implications of education in the metaverse, which will enable a global student body to be fully immersed in culturally diverse experiences.
Incentivized Education in Web3
Traditional education relies on extrinsic motivators such as grades, degrees and employment prospects. These motivators are effective for some but have also been used to disincentivize portions of the population. In web3, we can encourage intrinsic motivation through tokenization, offering the excitement of earning rewards and gaining community recognition.
Web3 tokenomics enables rewarding learners with digital tokens and NFTs. These educational currencies can unlock premium content, special courses, live or virtual events, compensate educators, or influence the learning platform's direction.
BuildSpace and EasyA reward learners with substantial monetary prizes. Watching past winners secure additional funding fosters community excitement and promotes ecosystem growth.
Developer DAO incubates a sense of ownership among learners by encouraging them to hold tokens. This incentivizes learners to contribute and maintain the larger ecosystem, embracing the belief that "a rising tide lifts all boats."
EasyA and NFZ incentivize learners with experience points and NFTs, generating the potential for vibrant marketplaces that bolster community spirit, ownership, and enthusiasm.
Tokenomics can transform learners' motivations and levels of engagement. In web3, the value of education extends beyond abstract concepts like 'getting a job', offering more personal and intrinsic rewards. Learners gain more than knowledge; they acquire a stake and a sense of ownership in their educational journey.
A New Pathway for Education
Decentralization, socialization, and tokenization intersect to form a dynamic framework for education. This triad shatters traditional hierarchies, bringing learners to the forefront of education as active participants, collaborators, and creators. Distributed educational resources allow individuals to own their academic narratives.
Conformity is no longer the norm. Instead, exploration, experimentation, and creation are becoming increasingly vital elements of the educational journey. New ecosystems are emerging within the web3 edtech scene, bootstrapping expansive communities by enabling learners to become contributors, presenting learning as an intrinsic tool for personal and professional growth.
Socialization is metamorphosing learning from a solitary pursuit into a communal experience that fosters engagement, cooperation and mutual growth. Learning is evolving into a two-way street, where learners are not only consumers of knowledge, but also contributors to the next iteration of creation and distribution.
Finally, the tokenization of education is unveiling rewards and verifiable ownership, offering an unprecedented blend of extrinsic and intrinsic motivation to engage, progress, and contribute.
Decentralized, socialized, and tokenized education, powered by web3 technologies, is transforming our perception of learning. Seizing these new pathways will facilitate the onboarding of the next million web3 developers, equipping them with requisite technical skills and instilling a mindset and ethos integral to the decentralized and distributed web.
The transformation of education is a rapidly developing reality. Together, we have the power to shape global communities that embrace contribution at least as much as consumption. Web3 is enabling education to be decentralized, socialized, and tokenized. Let's embrace this new decentralized paradigm, learn, create, and grow together.