This blog is about two of my interests coming together around Learning: People Analytics and Blockchain.
People Analytics
I promised myself years ago a summer course at MIT when the children are out of the house. This summer the moment is there: I’ll visit a course on People Analytics course. http://professional.mit.edu/programs/short-programs/people-analytics
Learning is becoming more personal, not only at school but also at work. Data are used to make this possible. I wanted to know more about it. But the only thing I found was about "Red Panda" https://www.ht2labs.com/red-panda/ and I didn’t understand that. That’s why I’ve decided to follow this course. Alex "Sandy" Pentland and Ben Waber are the lectures. I had never heard of both men, but since I’ve subscribed I notice their names often in the social media. Ben Waber links data in the work environment to productivity. This gives you an insight into your behavior and you learn from that. The best known example of this are the badges that he had employees carry. http://www.chicagotribune.com/bluesky/technology/ct-humanyze-employee-badge-20160907-story.html
Blockchain
You can find the word Blockchain more and more often in the context of Municipalities. I work at a housing organization and in that environment I heard little about it. But that will probably not last long . That was why I decided to dive in it. I bought some crypto coins; if you want to spend your money well, you need to get knowledge on the subject (intrinsic motivation pushed by extrinsic :)). So said, done that way. I am now the owner of various crypto coins.
In the crypto world I suddenly came across the name of "Sandy" Pentland again. He is involved in the Blockchain project Enigma. https://www.fastcompany.com/3054976/mits-new-blockchain-project-enigma-wants-to-let-you-share-your-data-on-your-terms Obviously, I bought the corresponding coin (ENG) immediately. Later I saw his name appear again at the crypto coin io Endor. In a video, in which Pentland explains what the goal of Endor is, the term "Social Physics" passes. Social Physics is about the relationship between the ideas that are shared in a group and the results achieved by that group. In an experiment, in which they gave students money to trade in shares on Etoro, it appeared that directed information flows lead to a better result. https://qz.com/53779/mits-1-million-test-to-see-if-social-media-can-make-investors-money/ Call it learning :)
Blockchain is also encountered in a different way when it comes to learning. The core of Blockchain is that the "third persons" or institutions disappear from transactions, for education it is the institute "school", the initiative Odem is an example of this. https://odem.io/what-is-odem/
Blockchain is also a means of tracing transactions to the origin. And then you come to the field of certificates of authenticity and diplomas. Here, too, there are examples in the education world, Cardano is one of them. https://bitcoinmagazine.com/articles/cardano-blockchains-first-use-case-proof-university-diplomas-greece/
People Analytics and Blockchain will have a huge impact on the way we learn. We are on the eve of interesting developments.
