I received a lot of positive comments and feedback from my previous posts about an education platform on Steemit:
@plushzilla/evolution-of-education-systems-can-steemit-be-the-first-blockchain-based-education-platform
But of course as many of you have recognized, learning extends beyond an education system or institution, so the concept of a life long learning platform on Steemit seems to be more appropriate:
@plushzilla/steem-for-life-an-idea-for-blockchain-based-learning-platform
Of course, we can wait for designers and developers to build a website or application to help connect people that want to teach and those that want to learn, but I think we already have all the people and resources we need to make this happen! I know that there are many people who post on @steemiteducation, @steemstem and use tags for #education, not to mention all the Steemians out there who are teachers, artists and people with various knowledge and skills just wanting to share it with the rest of the community.
With your help I want to create a listing of people and the knowledge that they are happy to share, and through this network I hope that we can encourage life long learning for people who are eager to teach and learn from each other.
But I don't want to create a 'typical' learning platform where we are restricted to the topics and subjects that you would find anywhere else. This is Steemit and we have lots of wonderful people who are multi-talented in ways we don't normally realize, and I want to give everyone who can see the connections between subject matters to help guide others who want to learn this way. So my tentative proposal for a learning network here on Steemtopia is to create 'learning circles' and list people in each area so that you can reach out to people who are interesting in teaching/sharing knowledge in these areas. You may choose to learn from them or exchange your own skills and knowledge in return. There is no right or wrong way to do this on Steemit, it is up to us to shape this learning network the way we want to utilize it.
LEARNING CIRCLES
- STEEM- this is where you can help teach other people anything about the Steem blockchain, how Steemit works and cryptocurrency related topics. I can see someone like @pennsif fit right into this area.
- TRADITIONAL - this is where all the physical and traditional arts & crafts can be taught, from someone like @mitchhunter with his awesome models to all the sketchers, painters, sculptors, origamists etc. This also includes things like history, music and fashion etc. I know that someone like @dissfordents would be a wealth of knowledge for people wanting to learn about history & art for example.
- DIGITAL - this is where all the 'modern' skills that involve computers & technology can be taught, from digital artists, graphic designers, 3D animation artists and programmers. Many of these people also work in both traditional and digital medium and would be able to bridge the gap between for those that want to make the transition or learn how to do things the traditional way. This is something that might be of interest for the @steemmakers as well.
- LINGUISTICS - I already know so many #polyglots on Steemit and for people like @techslut, @wentong-syhhae, @donovanpage and others out there I know that we can do something quite interesting if we share our knowledge and experience about working with different languages and cultures to connect different communities together.
- SPIRITUAL/LIFE SKILLS - there are so many people I have connected with on Steemit that are very knowledgeable about the mystic and spiritual side of things, such as @amariespeaks, @mihail.tsvetkov and @edward.maeson and they combine this knowledge with other areas such as photography, writing and other arts to enhance the quality of their work. Thanks to @mountainjewel for the feedback about life skills and also topics that can be covered in nature and environment.
- NATURE/ BUILT ENVIRONMENT - I don't like to make a distinction between the arts and sciences, but this areas is for those of us that like to admire the beauty of nature, so people like @amavi and @holothewise that work with animals, people who work with plants, and those of us that like exploring nature in its various shapes and forms. Not only that, those that want to create a better environment through homesteading and sustainability measures can also share their knowledge here.
NEXT STEPS:
- I am looking for feedback to see if I have covered the main topics of interest on Steemit and how we can improve on this concept
- I am looking for self-nomination or referrals to people in each learning circle(s), especially if you are already teaching or helping other Steemians and would like to do more of it
- I am looking for collaborators to build this learning network because I only have a very limited number of followers and I would like to grow this further
I will update progress with a draft of the learning circles and Steemians involved in these circles in my next post about the Steemtopia Network of Learning (yes, I have been watching a few old episodes of SNL if you were wondering).