As Bitcoin and other cryptocurrencies continue to gain in acceptance, a debate has risen over whether or not schools should embrace Bitcoin education for their students.
Debates about Bitcoin and cryptocurrencies is nothing new. A lot of people initially brushed off virtual currency as a gimmick. After the remarkable bull run last year, a lot of people are taking cryptocurrency more seriously even though some financial grognards still dismiss it. Now there’s a growing debate on the implementation of Bitcoin education within the school system.
Crypto in the Classroom
The overall debate on the legitimacy of cryptocurrency is spilling over into the notion of Bitcoin education. There are some in the financial old guard who are up in arms over the notion, but there’s a growing consensus that teaching students about blockchain technology and virtual currencies is a smart choice.
Timothy Breza, a teacher in New Jersey, said that he added cryptocurrency to his Business and Personal Finance course. The curriculum is designed for students between the ages of 16 and 18. Breza said:
If one student’s talking about it, many of them are talking about it. So I figured we needed to include it.
Another point made by pro-Bitcoin education individuals is that such coursework promotes an interest in coding. Mandala Exchange CEO Nate Flanders sums this up by saying:
What it really comes down to is, continuing to push coding generally into the school system.
Java, C++, python – these are just some of the languages blockchain platforms are being built on.
With the current push towards integrating the fundamental programming languages into school systems, blockchain should become a complimentary area of study with the possibility to major in it or specialize.
It’s Already Here
While people like Warren Buffett may huff and puff about cryptocurrency, the reality is that it’s here to stay. Quite a few educators have taken note, and Bitcoin education has already been incorporated into a good number of schools and universities.
The University of California is now offering a class on cryptocurrency. Arizona State University has launched a blockchain research lab in collaboration with the Dash cryptocurrency. Stanford University began offering a Bitcoin class two years ago, and Fordham University started teaching students about cryptocurrency a year before that. Cambridge University is now including blockchain education as a core part of their Masters in Finance degree program.
The reality is that an increasing number of universities are starting up Bitcoin education classes, and this push is starting to filter down to high schools. Students, on a percentage basis, are much more well-versed in the cryptocurrency sphere than older generations (such as their teachers), so it makes perfect sense that there’s an increasing demand for such education to be implemented on campuses.
At what age do you think students should start learning about cryptocurrencies? Let us know in the comments below.
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