In November of 2022, TinyTap, a subsidiary of the Web gaming giant and venture capital firm Animoca Brands, launched its first collection of NFT courses created by teachers from around the world. The collection sold out quickly, with the highest grossing single NFT — ‘Learn English with Gabi’ — generating 22.9 ETH, or about $37,600 in sales.
TinyTap is a company that helps teachers create compelling gamified digital courses, and its debut NFT collection ultimately sold for around $350,000, and was shared with 12 teachers. Furthermore, teachers who created the courses, like Gabi Klaf, who has been educating students around the world for three decades, will also earn royalties off secondary sales of the NFTs for as long as they sell.
At Rarity Sniper, we know we owe a lot to our teachers, but we also know that teacher are all-too-often underpaid and overworked. So, we get pumped when we see non-fungible tokens supporting something that’s inherently good — like education. And TinyTap’s NFT launch is just one example of a non-fungible token project putting a spin on education. Let’s take a closer look.
NFTs in Education
We’ve reported on NFTs in music, film, sports, fashion, gaming, and entertainment. But one sector that tends to fly under the radar is education. Perhaps it’s because education doesn’t tend to generate very many celebrities or profits. At the end of the day, geometry will probably never be as cool as Formula 1 or Gucci.
Also, unlike other sectors like film, education isn’t known for innovation. But that doesn’t mean education can’t or won’t change. And NFTs and Web technology could be here to help it do so.
From putting college diplomas on the blockchain to immersive classroom experiences in the metaverse, NFTs and Web3 technology could reshape the world’s educational landscape in unprecedented ways.
What is an NFT in Education?
To begin, an NFT is unique, digital asset that lives on a blockchain, a global, decentralized network. NFTs certify digital ownership and authenticity, and can take the form of images, digital art, videos, music, audio, and other types of content like a complete college course. And they can do much more.
NFTs can open doors to experiences and products or serve as keys to digital and physical worlds. NFTs can be used in metaverses — 3D virtual worlds where classes can, and are, being taught. Say goodbye to students falling asleep in Zoom class. Say hello to 3D, interactive space-learning where avatars float through a life-like virtual Milky Way led by Neil de Grasse Tyson.
The future of education could be more digital and immersive, and if that’s the case, NFTs will play a massive role.
How are NFTs being used in education?
Below is a list of different ways NFTs could infiltrate education. By no means is the list exclusive. The role of non-fungible tokens in education is still developing and is only limited by the creativity of developers, schools, educators, and the company’s working in the space.
Documents & Credentials
Ever called your high school, college, or university’s bursar’s office to request a diploma or some other piece of paperwork? Frustrating, time-consuming, inefficient, and expensive are a few words that come to mind.
NFTs could be used to mint any degree, diploma, or academic achievement on the blockchain to be accessible and verifiable for life. This could be huge for employees (me), and employers (my boss), who would no longer have reason to doubt the authenticity of credentials.
Digital certificates in education have advantages over traditional paper methods because they are tamper-proof, stored forever on decentralized networks, and can be easily shared. Whether a college diploma or a credential that represents specific knowledge areas or skills, NFTs could reshape how we store our educational documents and credentials.
Fundraising
NFTs can be used in a myriad of ways to raise funds for educational projects. Selling student art projects as NFTs or creating Decentralized Autonomous Organization (DAO) geared around specific goals or subjects, like exploring outer space or extra-terrestrial activity, is a fast-growing way to fund educational projects.
Virtual Learning
An NFT can be a ticket into an interactive virtual learning space. As technology improves and metaverses become more popular, immersive, interactive courses will be taught in these worlds. Projects like TinyTap also offer independent teachers the chance to create gamified digital NFT courses and benefit from sales.
Research Data and Records
Recording student’s records over decades isn’t easy for schools and universities. Even digital documents have the risk of being lost, stolen, or forged. However, NFT-stored documents are secure, and can be stored and exchanged with other entities, teachers, and institutions easily. Students will also always have access to them. From thesis papers to scientific studies, blockchain technology and NFTs could change how we store educational data and records. This could have a big effect on students who come from war-torn areas or conflict zones.
Rewards
Students could be rewarded with NFTs for achievements, which they could collect and add to their digital resumes throughout their schooling years and career. By collecting micro-credentials on the blockchain, they can display their skills and accomplishments easily. It can also be fun.
Textbooks
Textbooks can be sold as NFTs, benefitting both authors and students. Authors would have the chance to earn on secondary sales, and students could resell books once they’ve finished using them on secondary markets.
Access
NFTs can be used as tickets or keys to access free course materials, courses, lectures, and other events.
As we’ve seen time and time again, NFTs are dynamic and versatile, so they can infiltrate sectors in a myriad of ways. Education is no different.
NFT Education Projects
At Rarity Sniper, we’ve covered several NFT projects happening in education this year. Here are some of the top headlines about NFT projects in education from the past 12 months:
- Japan to Provide Metaverse Classes to Curb Absenteeism
- Wharton Business School Launches 6-Week Metaverse Course
- University of São Paulo Builds a Metaverse Research Lab
- ViewSonic Brings Education to the Metaverse
- Oxford University Hosts NFT-Focused Conference
- Tokyo University Launches Metaverse Engineering Classes
- TinyTap to Auction 2nd Set of Publisher NFTs
- Morehouse College to Teach Black History in the Metaverse
- Ja Rule Donated $25K in NFT Proceeds to HBCUs
NFTs and Web3 tech are being used more and more in education, and top colleges and universities around the world have put NFTs, crypto, and blockchain courses on their syllabus.
Even if NFT education projects don’t garner as much attention as some of the flashier sectors involved in Web3, we suspect the trend to use NFTs in education will only grow stronger.
Final Thoughts
At Rarity Sniper, we had the good fortune to catch up with Gabi Klaf, the English teacher who sold her first NFT course less than a year ago with TinyTap. She said that when TinyTap approached her, she had no idea what an NFT was. But by trusting them, she was able to earn more from the NFT than she made in one year from all her other teaching jobs combined.
TinyTap “guided me through the whole thing. They were kind and patient and generous. And so proud of my success,” she told us.
Gabi used her NFT success to open her own business called ‘English with Gabi,‘ which has worked with the Israeli government and has plans to expand to other regions around the world, potentially Dubai and South America.
When we asked if she would do another NFT class, she responded, “Yes, I would!”Then laughed, and said, “I’m not available to do it now though, I’m too busy trying to run my own company.”
Gabi added that she thinks her success with NFTs could be imitated by teachers around the world, as every individual teacher has something special to offer. At Rarity Sniper, we think Gabi could be right.
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