Smart classrooms aren’t too far off, and blockchain technology may become an integral part of schools all over the globe in a few years. But how will this system help administrators and students?
智能教室已然不遠，區塊鏈技術有望在近幾年內成為全球學校裡不可或缺的一部分。但是，這個系統將如何幫助學校管理員和學生呢?
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編譯 | 黃玉葉
HOW WILL BLOCKCHAIN TRANSFORM THE EDUCATION SYSTEM?
Bitcoin is the most well-known virtual currency in the world, at one time reaching a value of over $19,000 per coin. Its biggest legacy, however, has nothing to do with its value, but with the type of network it uses.
比特幣是世界上最知名的虛擬貨幣，一度價值超過1.9萬美元。然而，它最大的饋贈與其價值無關，而是在於它使用的網絡類型。
The blockchain, which has gained fame over the last few years for its superior cybersecurity capabilities, has begun to see use in a number of industries that take security seriously, including finance and healthcare. The potential uses for the blockchain, however, extend far beyond its current applications and could make a big difference in classrooms one day.
過去幾年裡，區塊鏈因其卓越的網絡安全能力而聲名鵲起。如今，它已開始在重視安全的行業，譬如金融和醫療等領域得到應用。然而，區塊鏈的潛在用途遠遠超出了它目前的應用，有朝一日勢必給課堂帶來重大影響。
Education is a sector that is just as important as healthcare and finance, and there are lots of areas within this sector that could be improved using technology. The market for edtech is growing quickly, and is estimated to reach $93.76 billion globally by 2020. Already, tools like virtual reality and personalized learning with artificial intelligence are helping to improve learning outcomes for students at all levels.
教育與醫療和金融同等重要，在教育界有許多領域可以利用技術加以改進。教育科技的市場正在迅猛增長，預計到2020年全球市場規模將達到937.6億美元。諸如虛擬現實和個性化人工智能學習等工具已經在幫助各個層次的學生提高學習效果。
Smart classrooms aren’t too far off, and blockchain technology may become an integral part of schools all over the globe in a few years. But how will this system help administrators and students? To understand the potential impact of blockchain in the education system and predict how this technology will impact teachers and students, it’s helpful to know how other sectors have used it to improve their processes—and how schools might one day follow in their footsteps.
智能教室離我們不遠了，幾年後區塊鏈技術可能會成為全球學校不可或缺的一部分。但是這個系統將如何幫助學校管理員和學生呢?為了瞭解區塊鏈在教育系統中的潛在影響，並預測這項技術將如何影響教師和學生，我們首先得知曉其他部門是如何利用區塊鏈技術來改進他們的工作流程，如此一來學校才能追隨他們的步伐。
01
Banks and Hospitals Paving the Way for Better School Security
Globally, people are understandably worried about their privacy and the security of their data. Parents are especially protective of their children’s data, and schools have to take the threat of data breaches seriously as online records become more common every year.
從全球來看，人們擔心自己的隱私和數據安全是情理之中的事情。家長對孩子的數據保護尤為嚴格，隨著網絡記錄的日益普化，學校不得不嚴肅對待數據洩露的威脅。
Schools can follow the lead of industries like finance and healthcare and use the blockchain to help keep student data safe in the coming years. These industries have been paving the way for years and the infrastructure that will allow schools to secure their data with blockchain technology is finally being built, thanks to the successful tests and experiments conducted by healthcare and financial organizations.
學校可以效仿金融和醫療等行業的做法，在未來幾年裡利用區塊鏈來確保學生數據的安全。多年來，這些行業一直在為此鋪平道路，多虧了醫療和金融機構進行的成功測試和實驗，支持區塊鏈技術的校園數據保護基礎設施終於得以建立。
Banks and financial institutions are understandably security-focused, and have been pioneers in using blockchain technology. Although the process of updating the blockchain’s distributed ledger can be slow, it is much faster than many other digital means of transferring value.
銀行和金融機構理所當然以安全為中心，是使用區塊鏈技術的先鋒。雖然更新區塊鏈分佈式分類賬的過程可能較緩慢，但它比許多其他數字價值傳輸的方式要快得多。
In healthcare, blockchains are being used to help reduce the impact of cybercrime and data theft in the industry. An astounding 1 out of every 4 breaches targets the healthcare sector, affecting 1 in 13 patients in the United States. Healthcare data is extremely valuable to hackers because it is so personal, permanent, and detailed. To help fight off cybercriminals, many healthcare organizations and insurers are either using or considering using blockchain technology. The transparency of the system, combined with the fact that nothing is truly deleted, makes it much more difficult to steal patient data undetected.
在醫療保健領域，區塊鏈被用來幫助減少網絡犯罪和數據盜竊對行業的影響。令人震驚的是，每4起攻擊事件中就有1起針對醫療行業，在美國每13名患者中就有1人受到影響，醫療數據對黑客來說價值連城，因為它是如此的個人化、永久性和詳細周密。為了打擊網絡犯罪，許多醫療機構和保險公司正在使用或考慮使用區塊鏈技術，系統的透明性，加上不刪除任何內容的事實，使得黑客想在不被發現的情況下竊取患者數據變得更加困難。
02
大學校園的安全問題和學位認證
Security Concerns and Degree Verification on College Campuses
Unfortunately, education isn’t far behind finance and healthcare when it comes to data breaches. After these two industries, education experienced the most data breaches of any sector in 2017, making up 13% of all breaches. Student data, although it might seem worthless since most young children and teens have limited financial information, is actually becoming a hot commodity among cybercriminals.
不幸的是，在數據洩露方面，教育並不比金融和醫療樂觀多少。繼這兩個行業之後，教育行業在2017年遭遇的數據洩露事件是所有行業中最多的，佔所有數據洩露事件的13%。學生數據，雖然看似毫無價值，因其大多數兒童和青少年的財務信息有限，但實際上正在成為網絡罪犯的熱門商品。
Security and verification are becoming a major concern both on college campuses and after students leave to enter the workforce. Data breaches target student records and steal information that can be used to create fake identities or be sold by hackers. Protecting records with the blockchain could make these attacks ineffective, protecting students’ identities and school records. As more schools from kindergarten to university go digital, this could be key in ensuring student privacy.
信息安全與證件核查正在成為大學校園和學生離開校園進入職場後的一個主要問題。數據入侵的目標是學生記錄，竊取可以用來偽造身份或被黑客出售的信息。使用區塊鏈保護記錄有望抵禦這些攻擊，從而保護學生的身份信息和校園記錄。從幼兒園到大學，越來越多的學校開始數字化，這可能是確保學生隱私的關鍵。
Employing blockchain security protocols in higher education has its other uses as well—namely defending employers against people who claim to have a degree, but really don’t. Unfortunately, people have been known to lie about their degrees and qualifications to employers, claims that are difficult (if not impossible) to verify under current systems. When students enter the workforce, blockchain could also be used to help assure employers that potential candidates fresh out of school have the qualifications that they claim on their resume, by storing that information in a secure ledger.
在高等教育中使用區塊鏈安全協議還有其他用途——即保護僱主免受那些謊報虛假學位的欺騙。不幸的是，大家都知道，人們會向僱主謊報自己的學位和資格，在目前的制度下，這種說法很難(如果不是不可能的話)核實。當學生進入職場，可以運用區塊鏈將學生的學位信息存儲在一個安全的分類賬中，以幫助僱主確保剛畢業的潛在求職者擁有符合簡歷描述的學歷資格。
03
區塊鏈技術在教育領域的潛在應用
Potential Uses for Blockchain Technology in the Education Sector
By looking to other industries that currently use blockchain technology, we can start to make predictions about how these networks could be used in an educational setting. While the number of potential uses in education is very large, there are a few that are the most exciting.
通過觀察目前使用區塊鏈技術的其他行業，我們可以開始預測這些網絡將如何在教育環境中應用，雖然教育的潛在用途非常多，但也有一些是最令人興奮的。
04
備考與學習
Test Prep and Learning
Russian platform Disciplina is the first platform to harness the power of blockchain technology solely for education and recruiting. TeachMePlease, one of the Disciplina applications, is a higher education marketplace, bringing teachers and students together.
俄羅斯Disciplina平臺，是首個教育和人力資源區塊鏈平臺。TeachMePlease（“請教我”）是其中的一項應用，它是一個將教師和學生聯繫在一起的高等教育市場。
Another blockchain platform that’s emerging in this space is Opet Foundation’s chatbot app to help students with test prep. It answers questions and recommends resources while keeping track of student progress in the blockchain.
在這個領域出現的另一個區塊鏈平臺是Opet Foundation聊天機器人應用程序，它能幫助學生準備考試，這款應用可以回答問題並推薦（教育）資源，同時利用區塊鏈跟蹤學生的學習進度。
05
圖書館及資訊服務
Library and Information Services
Because it is easier to keep track of and store information, the blockchain could be used to enhance library and information services in schools. Though few libraries have started experimenting with blockchain technology, at least one school has received a substantial grant to begin the discovery process.
因為更易於跟蹤和存儲信息，區塊鏈可以用來加強圖書館和學校的信息服務。雖然很少有圖書館已開始嘗試區塊鏈技術，但至少有一所學校已經獲得了一筆可觀的資金來啟動這一發現過程。
06
交通
Transportation
Getting students to school is an important part of educating them. In the future, ridesharing apps resting on blockchain technology could be used to organize carpools for students with special needs. This will be particularly important as roadways become more congested and carpooling becomes a necessity. Using the blockchain in this way would also take the burden off of parents and ensure that all children get the safe transportation they need.
接學生上學是教育他們的一個重要部分。未來，基於區塊鏈技術的拼車應用可以用來為有特殊需求的學生組織拼車。隨著道路變得更加擁擠，拼車成為一種必要，這一點尤為重要，這種使用區塊鏈的方式也可以減輕父母的負擔，確保所有的孩子都能享受到他們需要的安全交通。
07
展望未來
Looking Toward the Future
Because blockchain use in the education space is still very new and unexplored, there are a lot of unanswered questions. What is clear, however, that the possibilities are endless. As school administrators look to the future, they would do well to think about how to harness this powerful technology.
因為區塊鏈在教育領域的應用還算新，缺乏探索，所以仍有很多待解問題。然而，有一點是明確的，那就是區塊鏈的可能性是無限的。當學校管理者展望未來時，他們應該好好想想如何利用這項強大的技術。
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