10 Ways Blockchain Technology Can Be Applied in Education

Technology has become the driving force of our lives and it is no different for education. The use of technology in education can be traced back to ancient times, but it was not until the 20th century that we saw a significant increase in its usage.

Blockchain is one of those technologies that have been around since the beginning of time, but only recently have people started taking notice of it. It’s a distributed ledger that can record transactions between two parties efficiently and in an encrypted format. In other words, it uses cryptography to protect data while allowing said data to be tracked on the blockchain. This means that everyone who sees the transaction will see how it happened without being able to alter it.

The benefits of using blockchain technology range from better education systems, more transparent governments (as well as more accountable governments), fighting spam, fighting fake news, improving the way we pay for things, making sure the products that we buy are safe and much more. These are just some of the potential applications of this new technology. In this article, I will discuss 10 ways blockchain technology can be applied in education.

1. Student Records

The first-way blockchain technology can be used in education is by storing student records on a distributed ledger. The idea here is simple; every child would have access to their private section of the database where they could store files such as report cards, assignments, etc. If any changes needed to be made to these documents, then the document owner would simply need to update the file on the blockchain. Maintaining accurate records like this ensures that children know exactly what is expected of them at all times.

1. Digital Citizenship

One of the biggest issues with traditional schooling is the fact that students learn about digital citizenship through lectures and classroom discussions rather than through practical application. With the help of blockchain, teachers could give real-life examples of how certain actions online may affect others. By doing so, students would understand why it’s important to treat others with respect when using social media or messaging platforms.

1. Authenticity

One of the major problems with traditional education is that there is very little verification of information. For example, if you want to study abroad, you apply, get accepted, go spend 4 years getting a degree, and finally graduate…only to find out later that none of it was true. Thanks to blockchain, this problem could be solved. All official records regarding your studies could be stored on the blockchain, ensuring that everything is authentic.

1. Grades/Classes

Grades are given based on attendance, homework completion, quizzes, tests, projects, presentations, exams, and many other factors. Since Blockchains are decentralized, each student would have access to his or her grade book which would track all of these aspects. As soon as a student turns in an assignment, quiz, test, project, presentation, or exam, it gets added to the grade book. At the end of the semester, grades are calculated based on the final score of each student.

1. Timetables

Blockchain timetables are already being implemented in schools across the globe. Each timetable would include all of the events that happen during the day, along with the time allotted for each event. Students would also receive a copy of the timetable via email, text message, or even push notification on their phones. This means that no one has to ask “what time does our next class start?” because the answer would always be right in front of them.

1. Attendance

Attendance is often taken into account when calculating grades. However, since Blockchains are decentralized, students will have access to their attendance records. This means that teachers cannot fudge attendance numbers to make it seem like more students were present while knowing that only a few people showed up. In addition, parents could check to see whether their child was absent.

1. Parental Control

Parents play a big role in school life. They decide what subjects to focus on when to hold classes when to assign homework when to collect homework, and even when to punish misbehaving students. Since Blockchains are public ledgers, they provide transparency to all activities in the school. Therefore, parents can monitor all interactions between students and teachers better.

1. Communication

Communication plays a huge part in today’s society, especially in schools. Teachers use communication tools such as emails, texts, Twitter, Facebook, etc. to communicate with students but oftentimes, they do not know who saw the messages until long after the fact. Since Blockchains are immutable ledgers, every interaction between students and teachers would be recorded permanently.

1. Student-Teacher Interaction

Since Blockchains are public ledger systems, both students and teachers can interact with each other freely. If a teacher wants to contact a student about something, he or she simply needs to send a request to the blockchain. The student receives the request, sees it from the teacher, and then responds directly through the platform. No middleman is taking any kind of cut!

1. Financial Aid

Financial aid is important to help those who need it most. Whether it is paying for books, tuition fees, transportation costs, room, and board, or anything else, financial aid helps out students who cannot afford college. Blockchains allow users to access this information easily. All transactions made using cryptocurrencies are stored publicly on the blockchain, so anyone can view them.

Final Thoughts

Blockchain technology is rapidly growing, and its uses in education are just beginning. As new applications emerge, we may find that some of these ideas become commonplace without us ever realizing how revolutionary they truly are. It’s exciting to think about the possibilities!