The Open Education Resource (OER) movement refers to teaching, learning, and research materials that are freely available in the public domain for anyone and everyone to use, reuse, adapt, modify, and distribute at any time. The issue with this is that content creators, whom are often educators, do not get recognized for their contributions.
Mobility refers to having free, unfettered, 5G wifi accessible anywhere, anytime on a device that accommodates Internet of Things (IoT), which BCT is transforming into the Internet of Value (IoV). Mobility also refers so upward social and financial mobility for the disenfranchised.
Artificial Intelligence (AI) is the latest technology which gives machines human-like intelligence capacity to think for themselves. Artificial Intelligence can personalize learning to an unimaginable level. It can also detect blockchain application layer intrusion issues as an additional layer of security.
( Muthukrishnan and Duraisamy, 2020)
UNESCO (United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization) has endorsed OER for several reasons, aligned with its mission to promote peace and sustainable development through education, science, culture, and communication.
Six specific sustainable development goals have been identified to support OERs and BCT (UNESCO, 2022).
BCT aligns with UNESCO's SDG 4 by enhancing transparency, promoting inclusive and equitable access, supporting lifelong learning, improving administrative efficiency, fostering collaboration, and protecting intellectual property.
BCT has significant potential to support and enhance the objectives of UNESCO's SDG 5 by promoting financial inclusion, ensuring transparent transactions, empowering women entrepreneurs, protecting rights and identities, promoting education and skill development, and encouraging women's participation in technology.
BCT aligns with UNESCO's SDG 9 by enhancing infrastructure resilience, promoting sustainable industrialization, and fostering innovation. Through transparent supply chains, decentralized energy solutions, automated industrial processes, ethical sourcing, IP protection, and innovation ecosystems, blockchain can play a crucial role in achieving the goals of SDG 9.
BCT aligns with UNESCO's SDG 10 by promoting financial inclusion, ensuring transparent aid distribution, providing secure digital identities, enhancing access to education, ensuring fair labor practices, and facilitating inclusive governance.
BCT aligns with UNESCO's SDG 16 by enhancing transparency and accountability, promoting peaceful societies, providing access to justice, and building effective and inclusive institutions.
BCT aligns with UNESCO's SDG 17 by enhancing global partnerships, improving data availability and monitoring, strengthening financial systems, fostering innovation and technology transfer, and promoting sustainable resource management.
Portability of Records
Blockchain allows for the creation of portable, digital records that students can carry with them throughout their educational and professional careers.
Students can transfer their academic credentials and achievements seamlessly between institutions and across borders, supporting lifelong learning and mobility.
Interoperability
Blockchain can integrate with various systems and platforms, facilitating the exchange of information and data across different educational ecosystems.
Students can enroll in courses from multiple institutions and have their achievements recorded on a single, interoperable blockchain, enhancing their educational mobility.
Access Anytime, Anywhere
Blockchain-based educational platforms can be accessed from any device with an internet connection, supporting mobile learning and remote education.
Students in remote or underserved areas can access educational content, participate in online courses, and obtain verified credentials without the need for physical infrastructure.
Decentralized and Transparent
Blockchain operates on a decentralized network, ensuring that no single entity controls the data. This transparency fosters trust among all participants, including students, educators, and institutions.
Open access to educational credentials and records allows for easy verification by employers and other institutions without requiring intermediaries.
Publicly Accessible Information
Information stored on a public blockchain is accessible to anyone with internet access, promoting inclusivity and transparency.
Educational resources, research papers, and learning materials can be published on a blockchain, making them accessible to a global audience without restrictions.
Open Source Development
Many blockchain projects are developed as open source, encouraging collaboration and innovation within the educational community.
Educational institutions can collaborate on developing blockchain applications, share best practices, and improve existing solutions for educational use.
BCT enables secure and transparent mobile payments for tuition fees, course materials, and other educational expenses.
Students can make payments from their mobile devices, simplifying the financial aspects of their education.
BCT can store and verify student identities securely, allowing for easy access to services and resources.
Students can prove their identity and access educational resources and services from anywhere without needing physical documentation.
Blockchain as a Service (BaaS) democratizes access to blockchain technology, enabling businesses and developers to leverage its benefits without the complexities of managing the underlying infrastructure. By providing a cost-effective, scalable, and user-friendly platform, BaaS fosters innovation and accelerates the adoption of blockchain across various industries.
Blockchain of Things (BCoT) represents a powerful synergy between blockchain and IoT technologies, addressing key challenges in security, transparency, and efficiency within IoT networks. By leveraging the strengths of both, BoT enables more robust, scalable, and reliable IoT ecosystems, paving the way for innovative applications across various industries.
Estonia's implementation of blockchain technology across various government services sets a benchmark for digital governance. By enhancing security, transparency, efficiency, and accessibility, Estonia has demonstrated how blockchain can revolutionize public administration, fostering a more resilient and trustworthy government. This pioneering approach has positioned Estonia as a leader in digital innovation, offering valuable insights for other nations looking to modernize their government services.
France's government has adopted a supportive and proactive stance towards blockchain technology. By establishing clear regulations, providing funding and support for innovation, and exploring public sector applications, France aims to become a leader in the blockchain space. The government's efforts to balance regulation with fostering innovation are central to its strategy, promoting the growth and integration of blockchain technology across various sectors.
The Energy Web Foundation focuses on accelerating the energy transition through blockchain technology. In relation to educational blockchain, their initiatives could offer insights into blockchain applications for energy management education, real-world case studies for students, and resources for understanding decentralized energy systems. They provide practical examples of blockchain enhancing transparency, security, and efficiency in energy sectors, which can be valuable educational content for students learning about sustainable technologies and blockchain’s role in industry transformation.
Plastic Bank is an organization focused on reducing ocean plastic while improving lives. It empowers communities to collect and exchange plastic waste for money, items, or blockchain-secured digital tokens, creating a circular economy. This initiative supports environmental conservation and provides economic opportunities for people in impoverished regions. The Plastic Bank platform ensures transparency and traceability in the plastic collection and recycling process.
Blockchain technology (BCT) helps supply chains ethically by enhancing transparency and accountability. Platforms like Bext360 use blockchain to track products from origin to consumer, ensuring that all transactions are visible and immutable. This promotes fair wages and working conditions for producers, as every step is documented and verifiable. Additionally, blockchain helps prevent fraud and ensures that products are sustainably sourced, fostering trust and ethical practices throughout the supply chain.
Bext360 leverages blockchain, AI, and IoT to enhance supply chain transparency and efficiency, particularly in the agriculture and forestry sectors. Their platform tracks products from origin to consumer, ensuring fair wages for farmers and promoting sustainable practices. By providing real-time data and secure transactions, Bext360 aims to create more ethical and efficient supply chains.
Steemit is a blockchain-based social media platform where users can create, share, and monetize content. It uses the Steem blockchain to reward contributors with cryptocurrency (STEEM) based on community voting and engagement. This system incentivizes quality content and active participation, offering a decentralized alternative to traditional social media platforms.
CryptoPunks are a set of 10,000 unique digital collectible characters stored on the Ethereum blockchain. Each item in the collection is a 24x24 pixel, 8-bit-style portrait with a unique set of attributes.
With all of this ongoing activity on the BCT, it is clear this technology is not going away. While BCT is a "spectacular technology that has gone past peak of hype and now in plateau" (Vogt, 2024), its potential is yet to be realized. Once it is, it is important that the infrastructure of equitable distribution to a global population be standardized. While UNESCO has identified OERs to be one vehicle to solve global disparity and the digital divide, will education be the shining light to solve the Prosperty Paradox of the rich getting richer and the poor staying poor despite having the technology to potentially solve these issues on a global level?