If you’re passionate about technology or just like to keep up to date, you have most probably heard about cryptocurrencies or bitcoin. But … do you really know what technology is behind this innovative virtual currency?
We’re talking about the blockchain technology, named by many experts as the most revolutionary technology after the arrival of the Internet and whose destiny is to change the world.
What is true in all this? Would you like to know what blockchain technology is and what uses it has in the educational field?
What is blockchain technology or block chain?
Blockchain technology is based on an algorithm, that is, a set of operations halfway between mathematics, computer science and cryptography. Its function is to register digital transactions, just as databases would do.
For you to understand it better we will tell you that your task is similar to that of an accounting book, with the difference that the operations you save are virtual, public and shared in real time by all the nodes (computers or connected chips) of the network.
Like all algorithms, it works without any kind of human intervention. Here lies the true revolution of blockchain technology. As pointed out by the study “Blockchain in education” published by the magazine EDUTEC”: “The main promise of this technology is a world without intermediaries”.
Thus, the security of the transactions that are made using the blockchain technology is not in the hands of the people, but the algorithm itself.
These transactions are registered and verified synchronously by the nodes, which group them into blocks. To identify the blocks they are assigned a cryptographic value and incorporate a reference to the previous block.
The chain of blocks is formed in this way, and contains information that is difficult to modify, since, for this purpose, it would be necessary to change the cryptographic value (hash) of each block, and this would lead to a failure of links between blocks.
In short, block chains allow to certify the authenticity of all types of data without the mediation of any person or institution.
The blockchain technology or block chain is still incipient and continues in development. We are not yet aware of all its possibilities. We must bear in mind that it was born just a decade ago.
The financial sector has been the first to start implementing this revolutionary technology, but this is not the only application. Within education, the documents and acts susceptible to the application of blockchain technology include accreditations, academic records, exam grades, intellectual property management, or the payment of fees, among others.
What uses can blockchain technology have in education?
The use of blockchain technology or block chain can bring numerous advantages for students and teachers in the academic field. These are some of the processes that you can modify within the context of higher education in a relatively short period of time:
Students can verify and validate their certificates automatically through this technology without having to contact the institution that originally issued the certificate. This way, the need for academic organizations that ratify will be less and less with the consequent saving of resources.
Blockchain technology can be applied to the registration of intellectual property by facilitating the tracking and storage of all those publications and works with their corresponding original architects in a secure manner. This way, the author will have a virtual certificate that will show that this publication is proper and authentic. With all this, it will be possible to control irregularities and abuses in intellectual property rights.
The degrees cannot be altered by positively affecting not only the student, by eliminating competitors with falsified curricula before a job, but also by companies that will be sure that the documents contributed by the applicants are accurate.
Block chain will facilitate both documentary and financial transactions related to the academic world.
These are just some of the applications that the block chain will make available to students and academics. The possibilities of this science are still unimaginable. Only the passing of time can determine the importance that blockchain technology can achieve.
Tell us! Had you heard about the blockchain? Did you already know what blockchain technology is?
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