Happy Friday and happy early Juneteenth!

This week's article is a call to arms. 💪

Web3 will create lasting and meaningful change when it provides solutions in the worlds of atoms and bits - online and offline.

We are at a critical moment.

If someone’s only exposure to web3 is a scam or negative news headlines, they’ll be less likely to consider these new possibilities. If we wait too long or move too slow, the opportunity for reinvention may pass.

Now is the key moment to bring the ethos, technology and ambition of web3 to the real world to solve human problems.

In short: it’s time for web3 to equitably build.

I'll share a few highlights below. I hope you'll enjoy the entire article below ⤵️

It’s Time for Web3 to Build - Creating Real-World Impact with Web3 — www.ed3.gg

The impact of Web3 comes when we move from bits to atoms - from digital world building to physical world changing. It’s time to equitably build.

Primitives and Solutions

Numerous projects are underway right now shaping the future of education in the physical world using web3 technology - fondly referred to as ed3.

These projects fall into two broad categories: primitives and solutions.

Primitives are the building blocks of ed3. These are the standards, systems and infrastructure needed to power ed3.

Solutions are the specific tools, products, and methods being developed that create change in the world.

Ed3 Primitives

Currently, numerous primitives are being built and developed, including:

• Decentralized Identifiers (DIDs) - This W3C standard identifies a subject, such as a person, organization, thing, without the need for a central registry.

• Verifiable Credentials (VCs) - This W3C recommendation standardizes credentials that are private and secure.

• Open Badges 3.0 (OBv3) - The OG digital credential (with a soul) originally developed by Mozilla and now managed by IMS Global Learning Consortium®. Version 3.0 aligns Open Badges with the Verifiable Credentials model.

• Universal Wallet - This proposed specification creates a portable, interoperable home to sign, send, store, and verify your digital goods like credentials, cryptocurrency, etc.

• Soulbound Tokens (SBTs) - These non-transferrable tokens are stored on the blockchain and can be used as credentials and identifiers for an individual online.

• Trust Registries - A networked service that identifies who can issue credentials. This work is currently being done by IBM, ToIP Foundation, T.R.U.S.T Hub, and others.

• Talent Marketplace - A system that could validate credentials or qualifications to partially automate admissions, job acceptance, etc.

• Skills Libraries - A classification database of skills, or competencies, that could map to courses, job requirements, and more. Current efforts include ESCO in the EU, EMSI, Rich Skill Descriptors from OSN, CASE

• Learning Employment/Experience Records (LERs) - This emerging recommended practice seeks to create machine-readable records with employment, academic, and other experiences.

• Comprehensive Learner Records (CLRs) - This IMS Global Standard is to make learning and employment records interoperable. These CLRs enable automate machine-readable actions.

• Internet of Education - A vision and set of protocols based on open standards (e.g. IEEE, W3C, ISO, etc.), shared, public good utilities (e.g. Trust Registries), and a network of networks (LEF Co-Labs, E3RN, T3 Pilots) that enable lifelong, personalized, competency-based learning at the scale of the Internet. Learn more on the Web YouTube, LinkedIn, Twitter, Facebook, and view their Inventory.

• T3 Innovation Network - Network of over 500 organizations working to build an open and decentralized public-private data ecosystem to connect jobs with employees based on skills and experience.

Ed3 Solutions

These primitives are only as good as the solutions built upon them. After all, we need solutions with a soul.

Numerous efforts are underway to turn these primitives into actionable tools that connect the worlds of atoms and bits, including:

• Disco.xyz - creating a “backpack” for your data that can be used for digital and physical data

• Credential Finder - translating current credentials into skills and competencies

• Ed3 DAO - certifying educators in web3 so they can teach their students

• MyGrants - training asylum seekers high demand skills and matching to job opportunities

• Open Credential Publisher - An open source initiative designed to enable issuers to publish verifiable CLRs to digital wallets.

Building Requires Builders

The influx of talent into the web3 space makes it an exciting industry. However, more talent is needed to build additional primitives and solutions that equitably help online and offline communities.

You could be that talent. No permission is needed.

Helping find and connect that talent is one way this newsletter and blog can help. To that end, I'm excited to share a few announcements!

🔨 Ed3: Builders

Starting Monday, I'm launching Ed3: Builders.

The Ed3: Builders series will introduce and highlight founders, contributors, and builders working to scale education with web3 technology.

Through these interviews, we hope to facilitate new collaborations and inspire new primitives and solutions. Contact me if you know someone we should feature.

🎤 Ed3: Podcast

Starting today, you can now listen to Ed3 articles and the Ed3: Builders series via podcast.

If you're like me, you might be folding laundry, rocking babies to sleep, and, once in a blue moon, going for a run. I hope this podcast will help you explore the opportunities in education without having to be in front of a screen.

Listen and subscribe here (or in your favorite podcast player).

📽 Ed3: Video

Starting next Thursday, I'll be sharing video essays and Ed3: Builders interviews on YouTube. This will be a bit shorter and more conversational version of the articles we share on the blog.

Hopefully they will be easy to share with potential builders who should learn more about the intersection of education and web3.

Subscribe now to get the first episode next week.

The Destiny of Web3 is to Build

The impact of Web3 will truly be felt when we move from bits to atoms.

By attracting talent and showing what is possible, web3 can move from digital world building to physical world changing.

If you take one thing from this week's newsletter make it this: it's time to build. 🙌

It’s Time for Web3 to Build - Creating Real-World Impact with Web3 — www.ed3.gg

The impact of Web3 comes when we move from bits to atoms - from digital world building to physical world changing. It’s time to equitably build.