Exploring Blockchain Technology in the Digital Society Classroom: An Example of Guided Inquiry using Concepts (Part 2)

Key ideas

• Using concepts to understand new technologies
  • Starting with broad concepts and drilling down to subject-specific concepts
  • Developing vocabulary and key terms
  • Discovering generalisations and making connections
• Using collaborative visible learning strategies
  • Working in groups
  • Sharing protocols
  • checking for understanding

Introduction

In part 1, I outlined my backwards design approach in designing a series of learning engagements where my starting point is the goal (where I want my students to land) and then work backwards to breakdown the engagements that build on each other to achieve the goal.

The goal I offered was an AO3*examination style question that may feature on the Standard Level Paper 1: 

Discuss the potential benefits and challenges associated with implementing blockchain technology in the food supply chain for tracking product origins.

To respond to this question, students need to have an understanding of blockchain technology. Some students will have come across this in a computer science class or through their own interest and curiosity and may have some understanding about how blockchain technology might work from a technical viewpoint.  Nevertheless, when considering blockchain technology in the context of Digital Society, students must not only comprehend its technical workings but also examine its application in a particular context and its impact and implications for different stakeholders. 

One approach might involve beginning with a technical definition and subsequently relating it to the situation. However, such an approach could potentially overwhelm many students right from the outset. Presenting them with something like the following might be excessively daunting for some:

Blockchain technology is used to enable secure, decentralized, and borderless peer-to-peer transactions without the need for intermediaries

OR 

Blockchain technology is a decentralized, secure, and transparent digital ledger system that records and verifies transactions across a network of computers.

To understand blockchain technology, there are many technical terms as well as concepts and ideas that students need the students to grasp which may include:

• Decentralised
• Peer-to-peer network
• Secure
• Transparent
• Authenticity
• Immutable
• Integrity
• Digital ledger

On top of this, students need to develop critical thinking skills, as well as organising and communicating ideas once they have unpacked the exam question.

However with a diverse range of learning in our classrooms, how can we organise the learning so that is both engaging and accessible for all students and move them all to the goal?  How do we get our students to to a level of understanding in oder to respond to an unseen situation?  And most crucially, as with many new and emerging technologies, a blockchain may not be a technology that we as Digital Society teachers have not taught before.

My proposed approach is to start with practical use cases that students can potentially connect with, unpack and organise into ideas or by concepts. This way, they can collaboratively and organically build their own understanding, which they can subsequently apply to new scenarios. 

My approach would be to organise the learning into a series (and variety) of engagements in two stages.

• Stage 1 is about students using concepts to unpack, develop knowledge and understanding of blockchain technologies using a collaborative, constructivist approach
• Stage 2 is about students digging deeper and developing critical thinking skills.

Learning Sequence

Learning Intention

To unpack the potential benefits and challenges associated with implementing blockchain technology in a range of contexts.

Success Criteria 

1. I can share 4 examples of where blockchain technology is used.
2. I can outline at least 4 general characteristics of blockchain technology.
3. I have a working definition of blockchain technology.
4. I can identify the steps used in blockchain technology.
5. I can describe some advantages of blockchain technologies in specific applications and in general.
6. I can describe some of the disadvantages in specific applications and in general.

Preparation

Prepare class sets of four different use cases for blockchain technologies to show the variety of applications in society as follows (paper or digital copies work):

• Set 1 – a set of the four use cases that are outlined in simple, lay terms that are easily accessible for all students
• Set 2 – a revised set of the use cases with more details. These describe the use cases using more technical terminology and concepts that are appropriate for a Digital Society student. 

One way to prepare the use cases is to use ChatGPT to generate 4 use cases for Set 2. Then for Set 1, you can use the following prompt to make the set more accessible to students in ChatGPT may be: “Rewrite this in lay terms”

Prepare class sets of the following (paper or digital copies work)

• Step-by-Step “How blockchain technology works” – sorting activity 
• Definitions of Concepts and Terms – sorting activity/Quizlet (to be created)

You are welcome to use the sets I have created and linked above.

Step 1: Tuning In – Unlocking ideas using broad concepts

What you want students to do:

Read through the use cases, discuss and respond to a guided list of prompts and questions design to unpack Set 1 by looking for patterns and connections between the use cases

How you want students to do this (behaviour): 

In groups, students collectively organise their thoughts using a collaborative mind map created on butcher’s paper or whiteboards. Suggest one student is a scribe and another leads the questions. 

Questions/prompts might be:

For each use case:

• What is the purpose of the blockchain
• Who are the stakeholders?
• What are the advantages?
• What might be some of the disadvantages?

Using concepts to make connection  – looking for insights

1. Can you see any patterns between the use cases?
2. What might they all have in common?
3. Can you organise ideas/patterns into concepts/categories?
4. What are the main connections are between the use cases?

The following is a list of simple organising concepts (think categories) that you can use as prompts.

These questions can be used to initiate discussions and encourage critical thinking about each concept in the context of digital technologies.

Outcome:

Students are engaging in discussions and beginning to foster their comprehension of blockchain technology by seeking out shared concepts and themes among the various use cases.

Step 2: Digging Deeper by moving to subject-related concepts

What you want students to do:

Introduce Set 2, the technical versions of the use cases. Ask students to:

1. Revisit the questions/prompts and see if they can see more patterns, concepts and connections.
2. Consider concepts such as: security, integrity, immutability, globalisation, transparency.
3. Develop a definition of blockchain technology.
4. Compare their definitions with others. 
5. Revise their definition. 

How you want students to do this (behaviour): 

Students continue to work in groups. Student roles may change to have other scribe and leader. 

Outcome

Students have co-constructed a definition of blockchain technology on butcher’s paper or white boards.

Groups have shared their work and taken ideas from other groups to revise their definition.

Step 3: Extending the vocabulary 

By now students have engaged with a number of concepts connected to blockchain technology. Now it may be time for students to engage with a curated list of terms associated with blockchain technology.  I often use Quizlet and have students play in teams.

Once they have a grasp of the terms, have the students find examples of each term in the use cases. Note that these terms may be present in the use cases in a different form.

Terms to find examples of may include:

1. Decentralised
2. Peer-to-peer network
3. Secure
4. Transparent
5. Authenticity
6. Immutable
7. Integrity
8. Digital ledger
9. Encryption

How you want students to do this (behaviour):

1. In groups, students annotate Set 2 to show examples of each term. Suggest one scribe and one leader.
2. Students may go back and revise their definition of blockchain technology.

Outcome 

Students have found links between technical terms and use case and indicated on the printouts of Set 2. They have revised their definition.

Step 4: Understanding the system

Now it’s time for students to try to work out how blockchain technology works.  One way is to provide some stimulus material, such as diagrams as a starting point and then have students engage in a sorting activity. This sorting activity is organised in this document.

An alternative way would be to find YouTube videos that explain the process.

Outcome

Students have a working understanding of the step-by-step processes in blockchain technology.  They have revised their definition.

Step 5: Analysing

At this point, now that students have a foundational knowledge of where the technology is use and how it works, students may be ready to dig deeper.

Questions/Prompts for students to discuss in groups:

For each of the four use cases:

• Outline the primary stakeholders and they relationship to the solution
• Discuss any advantages and disadvantages of using this technology on each of the stakeholders.
• Rank the advantages and disadvantages in order of importance from most to least. 

Now have students look for generalisations by having the groups collate a generalised list of advantages and disadvantages of blockchain technology.  

Outcome: 

A general list of advantages and disadvantages of using Blockchain technology

Step 6: Sharing and consolidating the learning

Use a sharing protocol, such as a gallery walk, to allow students to share their ideas and work.

Then individually or in pairs, have students consolidate their learning by write up their own responses to the activity in their notebooks or online personal spaces.

1. Identify (AO1*) four examples of where blockchain technology is used.
2. Outline (AO1) four characteristics of blockchain technology.
3. Define (AO1) the term blockchain technology.
4. Draw and label a diagram to identify (AO1)  the stages of a blockchain transaction
5. Describe (AO2) three advantages of blockchain technologies.
6. Describe (AO2) three disadvantages of blockchain technologies.

Concluding Statements

Sequencing: Using this sequence of activities,  students are defining and redefining their understanding of a new technology. Each class is different and you may not need to use all the steps or you may use the steps in a different order. It depends on your students. Some students may learn more quickly than others as some may need to spend more time unpacking. Therefore the collaborative nature of the process allows students to work together to discuss and construct their own understanding.

Use of concepts: There is overlap with the concepts (using the lower case c) and the Digital Society concepts. Students start with broad concepts that they are familiar with then these are layered with more subject-specific concepts.

Now what? Now that students have a working knowledge and understanding of Blockchain technology, they are now ready to tackle the question, Learning engagements to support students through this stage are in Part 3 of this series (coming soon).

*Command Terms Assessment components in the course use specific command terms that direct students to demonstrate learning across multiple levels of increasing complexity. Command terms are scaffolded according to assessment objective levels from AO1 to AO3 (Page 69 of the guide).

Why the keys? The use of keys can be seen as a metaphor for concepts – used to unlock understanding by organising and unpacking complex ideas, promoting abstract understanding, and facilitating the transfer of knowledge across different contexts and subjects.

Features of a constructivist approach to learning

• Knowledge is constructed.
• Learning is a social activity.
• Learning is an active process.
• Learning is contextual.
• People learn to learn, as they learn.
• Learning exists in the mind.
• Knowledge is personal.
• Motivation is key to learning.