A few days ago, I asked the students in History5151 to take a couple of minutes and reflect on where we are and where we’re going with this Crypto-Experiment—a project designed to turn collective engagement about public history into resources for Philadelphia’s historical community. As expected, we got a lot of deep thinking.
Looking South from Temple University to Center City Philadelphia (Source)
Using Steemit for this Crypto-Experiment:
“The best part about it is that we are required to produce something every week on a platform that is new and interesting.”
“I admire the way in which we are challenged to think differently about how history is written and shared.”
"This course project has got me thinking more about the power dynamics of the nonprofit world and how issues of representation in leadership and narrative construction are directly tied to funding."
“I am game to continue the experiment through its endpoint, and then to assess its success and scalability.”
"I am intrigued by the cryptocurrency/blog experiment, [but] I'm wary that the assignation of value (mainly upvotes by key people at key times) is not really based on objective standards of quality or merit. Unfortunately, I think this is a reality of publication and promotion via the internet…”
Students of History 5151 considering the course after four weeks. (Source @kenfinkel)
Hopes, Wishes and Dreams…
"I'm still excited by the idea that we can generate income simply by expressing our ideas online. I appreciate how it will force whoever applies for the funding to think digitally, and I think it's a good lesson for us to experience giving out money instead of applying for it.”
“I am looking forward to working to push non-profits to re imagine what they offer the community and how they offer it…”
“There is great potential for good to be done here, and furthermore great potential to inspire an economic, and perhaps along those lines cognitive, shift in the cultural sector, and I have concerns about falling short of such a contribution.”
…Discomfort, Doubts
"This course has presented quite a bit of discomfort so far, but for the most part I think it has been the kind of discomfort that brings about growth. I'm optimistic about the path this course can take and I think my colleagues are getting into some interesting territory. "
“I feel that innovation and cutting edge presentations do not seem to be a strength of the cultural sector, despite having a lot of creative people. I am curious in looking into how such connections between innovators and actualized improvement are missed and why that is the case."
One student admitted it “feels like stumbling in the dark” but sees an upside “in that it has gotten many of us to a point where we're thinking about opportunities for investment beyond the established institutions…”
… and Outright Worries
“It seems like [making grants to] established institutions will be at best a non-ideal compromise. They might take our money, but our grant won't change the way they do business.”
“Even if we transition to a cultural sector run on cryptocurrency, we will still need to contend with an increasingly money-driven model that breeds monopolies…”
“…one of my fears is that we will reach the end of this project only for the crypto-market to crash, leaving us with nothing to offer.”
Bell Tower at the heart of Temple University's campus (Source)
The Importance of Moving Online Discussion to the Real-life Classroom:
“I really want to talk about each other's writings/ideas in class.”
“I'd appreciate some class discussion time for us to react to each other's posts in person. People have been engaging in some interesting dialogues in the comments section that I think could benefit from more in-person conversation."
And Suggestions to Stimulate More and Better Classroom Discussion:
Pose questions, “both ethical and practical… discuss these issues frankly and openly amongst our classmates...”
“I'd love to have more class time to engage in discussion” about the readings.
“…step back a little bit and prod discussion (and wait out the uncomfortable silence), we might have some interesting conversations about where we want to be in the Steemit ecosystem and how we want to do it."
And so, as the fifth week approaches, we anticipate some pretty robust conversation, online and off.
Interested? Join us!
100% of the SBD rewards from this #explore1918 post will support the Philadelphia History Initiative @phillyhistory. This crypto-experiment conducted by graduate courses at Temple University's Center for Public History and MLA Program, is exploring history and empowering education. Click here to learn more.
