What are NFTs and what role can they play in K–12?
Nonfungible tokens, or NFTs, have gained popularity mainly among digital artists because they can sell unique versions of their work via the blockchain, which maintains a public record of ownership. The total value of digital art, audio and other NFT sales this year is likely to eclipse 2021’s $40 billion.
NFTs are not in routine use in most K-12 settings today, but some educators are exploring applications for tokens.
“There’s a rapidly growing interest in it,” says Michael Cohen, director of innovation for the Hebrew Academy in Miami Beach, Florida. “Our students are fully engaged with Web3 and NFT technology; they need us to know about it and bring it into learning.”
Cohen, a 2021 EdTech The influencer who is also known as “The Tech Rabbi,” recently co-founded the Ed3 Educator’s NFT Project. The project features some NFTs that serve as resources for educators, including a micro-course that explores Web3, the next iteration of Internet development.
Applications for NFTs in education range from distribution of student-produced animation to NFT textbooks, such as those from educational publisher Pearson. The following are some of the ways K–12 schools are using NFTs.
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K–12 schools can use NFTs to store teacher and student records
One aspect of the blockchain that educators are particularly excited about is the decentralized ledger. This feature may allow schools to log teacher credentials or share students’ cumulative performance.
The data can also help teachers tailor instruction and allow students to identify areas they can work on, said Beau Brannan, a visiting humanities professor at Pepperdine University who has researched and lectured on NFTs in education.
Schools can use NFTs to increase student engagement
Some tech startups, Brannan says, are working to create engagement-oriented systems to allow teachers to issue NFT badges when students complete assignments or gain new experiences.
The K12 Crypto platform, founded by former Los Angeles Unified School District principal Amen Rahh, rewards students for achieving academic goals.
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Rahh says the soon-to-be-launched system encourages students to work on attendance, academic and other goals while teaching them important new technological and financial concepts.
“If we want to prepare our students for the workforce, we need to understand how the future of our economy works,” he says.
Schools can use NFTs to raise funds and support the arts
Schools can also produce digital projects such as yearbooks and offer them for sale on a blockchain, says Cohen. However, he is particularly excited about potential art-related NFT uses.
“You could have an NFT that was created by our students that could be printed, framed and displayed in your business, on your website, on your social platform,” he says.
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