Blockchain for education experts to convene in South Africa this February
The inaugural South Africa Blockchain in Education Symposium, and corresponding hackathon, will be hosted by Stellenbosch University in collaboration with South Africa's National Institute for Theoretical and Computational Sciences (NITheCS) and the Switzerland-based Knowledge Foundation international standards organization.
The special event will take place on February 6th and 7th, during which world-renowned experts will lead a series of public talks and workshops focused on the impact of blockchain technology on education. Select speakers from the 2023 Blockchain in Education Summit held at Oxford University will be joined by international experts at Stellenbosch University for the inaugural South Africa series of public talks and workshops.
A corresponding public hackathon will be held during the symposium, featuring $70,000 (1,279,876 South African Rand) in prizes that will be awarded to the winning participants.
SUMMARY: "Blockchain is a potential game changer in education"
The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) is a specialized agency of the United Nations that contributes to global peace and security by promoting international cooperation in education, sciences, culture, communication and information. UNESCO promotes knowledge sharing and the free flow of ideas to accelerate mutual understanding and a more perfect knowledge of each other's lives.
The following UNESCO Education and Blockchain report excerpts, provided by the Knowledge Foundation, are furnished as informational context for the 2024 South Africa Blockchain in Education Symposium and Hackathon:
Open International Standards (OSI) for blockchain in the field of education will be presented during the 2024 Blockchain in Education Summit, together with select Technology Working Groups (TWGs) for qualified researchers and practitioners. OSI TWGs to be presented include Authentication and Anti-fraud TWG (AAF.TWG), Protecting Learner Data TWG (PLD.TWG), Artificial Intelligence in Education TWG (AIE.TWG), and Analytics and Visualization TWG (AAV.TWG).
Based on the success of the $40,000 (732,479 Rand) hackathon held during the 2023 Blockchain in Education Summit at Oxford, and the $75,000 (1 373,398 Rand) United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) Coding4Integrity Hackathon recently held in Qatar, a similar hackathon will held in Stellenbosch. Form your team or compete solo, join us at Stellenbosch University (or online if you can't join in person), and compete in the 2-day blockchain hackathon for a chance to win awards and an opportunity to work in the field of blockchain for education.
The inaugural South Africa Blockchain in Education Symposium is open to the public, but space is limited.
Researchers, teachers, trainers, students, exhibitors, sponsors and other individuals interested in participating are invited to review recent and previous Blockchain in Education Summit events and then register for the 2024 South Africa Blockchain in Education Symposium:
Special conference sessions address open international standards related to Knowledge Token® and blockchain in the field of education that are developed through Working Groups (WGs) and Technology Working Groups (TWGs) chaired by faculty, administrators, and researchers.
First introduced at IMMERSIVE ITALY 2017, Knowledge Tokens can be considered to be intellectual currency and, as such, may be used to pay for goods and services such as mobile phones, tablets, computers, games, textbooks, tuition and more. Sessions at Oxford provide attendees with in-depth instructions on how to utilize and distribute Knowledge Tokens with their own classes and training activities.
New to Immersive Education Initiative conferences and events? Please refer to the PAST SUMMITS , EXPERIENCE and AGENDA menus for an idea of what you can expect when you join us in Stellenbosch this year, including professional networking and social activities.
The conferences convene 06 and 07 February, 2024, at Stellenbosch University in South Africa.
Please refer to the EXPERIENCE and AGENDA for details, including professional networking and social activities.
Please refer to the AGENDA for details on the speakers, topics and schedule for this special 2-day event.
Titles and organizations at time of speaking
Founding Director of the Immersive Education Initiative (iED) and Boston College faculty
Asst. Director General, United Nations Educational, Scientific & Cultural Organization
Director, Office of Educational Tech, U.S. Dept. of Education & Immersive Education advisor
Chief Ranger, U.S. Dept. of the Interior National Park Service (NPS) and Immersive Education club advisor
MIT Media Lab Associate Director and Massachusetts Institute of Technology Prof. of Media Arts & Sciences
Harvard Graduate School of Education Timothy E. Wirth Professor in Learning Technologies, Harvard University
Fellow of University College, Oxford, and Director of University College Oxford Blockchain Research Centre
Director of New Media & Technology, Smithsonian and Immersive Education Initiative Arts and Culture co-chair
Co-creator and co-director, Massachusetts Institute of Technology Media Lab and Media Lab Asia
President, Federation of USA Scientists & Immersive Education advisor
Lead Researcher, National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) Learning Technologies
Professor of Learning Research and Director of MIT Okawa Center & Lifelong Kindergarten group
Faculty, Stanford University and Co-Chair of the Immersive Education Initiative Open File Formats TWG
Stereoscopic Supervisor, Disney Animation Studios and Academy Award®-winning film "Frozen"
Senior Principal SRE/SWE (Site Reliability Engineer and Software Engineer), Google
Futurist, Intel Corp. and professor at University of Washington & California College
