This Is Blowing Up, Slowly
The Inversion of Education
In 1999, bo blanton, Michael Vav, and Nadav Zeimer foresaw the inversion of radio through podcasting. Now, that same disruptive force is transforming education. Principal Nadav Zeimer, a former physics teacher and robotics coach, has long contemplated this potential. While hands-on learning and human connection remain irreplaceable, the digitization of educational artifacts like grades, student work, and performance records opens up a world of possibilities for meaningful, authentic assessment which is also high-stakes for colleges and universities to trust.
These thoughts simmered in the background as Zeimer focused on his work as a high school principal and parent. But then, Bitcoin happened — a wake-up call to the transformative power of digitizing value.
During a restorative leave in Japan, he delved deeper into these ideas, ultimately publishing his notes as “Education in the Digital Age: How We Get There.” The potential for digitized high school credits, mirroring the digital ownership of assets like Bitcoin, was a game-changer.
Enter hs.credit.
Now, Zeimer and his team are on the brink of launching a software platform that inverts high school credits. Demand is high, but building something this groundbreaking takes time.
What is Inversion, Anyway?
Think of it like this:
Traditional model: Slow start, frantic end with stressful assessments.
Inverted model: Stress up front, ending with student-led creation.
Let’s break down how hs.credit inverts the learning process:
The Stake: Students select a rubric, review content, and choose a teacher to evaluate their work. They stake their attention on the topic at hand before they take an initial assessment to prove their commitment and understanding.
The Pitch: Students collaborate with their teacher to create a media pitch outlining their final project, which can be a 10-minute audio or video segment.
The Mint: Students upload their finished creation for validation by credit experts. Approved work is showcased on the platform, offering a transparent and strengths-based approach to high-stakes assessment.
Key Features of the hs.credit Platform:
Stress up front: The most challenging part happens at the beginning (focus attention to study a topic), leading to more successful student work.
Strengths-based: Celebrates student achievement, work that is not approved for publication can be edited and resubmitted (no more than one submission per student per month allowed).
Performance-based: Focuses on what students can create in one month, not just what they memorize allowing for thinking on topics with no clear right/wrong answers.
High stakes: Expert evaluations by four adults ensure the value of hs.credit credits for college admissions.
Inversion in Action:
The hs.credit platform embodies the principles of inversion seen in other digital marketplaces. It shifts the power from traditional gatekeepers to student creators, empowering them to take ownership of their learning and showcase their unique talents.
Just as Airbnb disrupted the hotel industry and Uber transformed transportation, hs.credit is poised to revolutionize education. By inverting the traditional model, it’s creating a future where learning is driven by passion, creativity, and student agency.
This is just the beginning. The potential of inversion in education is vast, and hs.credit is leading the way. Join us on this journey as we build a more equitable, engaging, and student-centered educational landscape.
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