Preparing for the future with ODEM’s top three habits from Stephen Covey

Stephen Covey’s 7 Habits of Highly Effective People is a timeless map for finding success in professional and personal relationships, and ultimately in your career. In his book, Covey helps his readers understand the pillars of productive behavior, outlining how each habit will impact our effectiveness in life.

While all seven habits are very much worthwhile, three of his habits particularly resonate with us because they highlight ODEM values: begin with the end in mind (habit #2), think win-win (habit #4), and seek first to understand, then to be understood (habit #5). These three habits also provide a strong foundation for new graduates. Here’s why:

Habit #2  |  Begin with the end in mind

This habit is about acting with your desired outcome in mind. With each decision you make that takes you further down life’s path, consider whether the action will drive you towards your end goal. To do this, you must know what you want the ‘big picture’ to look like. What are you striving for? What would you like to achieve?

Perhaps you would like to narrow your professional focus so that you can serve a niche within the market. Maybe you’d like to switch careers for the job you’ve always dreamed of. Understanding what life looks like after you’ve put in the hard work gives you a road map to follow. Big and little decisions should be made with this big picture in mind. Stephen Covey explains it as having a vision for our lives and determining what values will guide us towards that vision.

Beginning with the end in mind is a habit focused on serving self. Learning to evaluate choices based on whether the various outcomes support your personal objectives is a big step towards independence. This is a guiding principle at ODEM, in which we evaluate each of the courses added to the Platform for their unique content, what the student experience will be like, and whether the course will give the student an industry advantage. Only the courses that serve these objectives are added and made available to you at ODEM.

Habit #4  |  Think win-win

Win-win situations favor both parties involved; instead of one person winning and the other losing, both people feel that they have a successful outcome. This habit builds communication skills, collaboration and teamwork.

Thinking win-win becomes natural when you have a mentality of abundance rather than scarcity. Abundance means that there’s room for all to enjoy success, whereas scarcity means there’s only enough success for one. Thinking in terms of abundance provides opportunities to better the outcome for your peers, colleagues, friends and family. Ultimately, it’s a mindset that will serve you well both in practice and reputation.
Mutually beneficial outcomes strengthen relationships which creates alliances between parties. ODEM was built on this concept, providing a platform that equally serves students and employers. Students receive the continued learning experience they seek, while employers receive well-trained employees who understand the needs of today’s job market.

Habit #5  |  Seek first to understand, then to be understood

Before providing guidance to a peer, a recommendation to a client, or a product to the market, seek first to understand the nuances of the problem you’re looking to solve.
Habit five is about deeply understanding the people who we seek to serve. Listening achieves this, and while it seems a simple solution to a successful outcome, it isn’t. Too often we prepare responses that serve us rather than the person or group we’re engaged with. Empathetic listening and prioritizing the concerns of others, leads to true understanding, a better connection, and an opportunity to provide a meaningful solution.

We seek to achieve this habit in our work with students, educators, and employers. What is it that students want from online courses and continued education? What do educators wish to provide their students, and what do employers require from online courses to ensure success in the workplace? Our mission at ODEM is to ensure that each of the courses we provide serves the needs of students while simultaneously meeting the needs of employers and educators. We engage industry professionals, company executives, and teachers to understand how we can provide a valuable solution. With this in mind, we develop our course offerings for the Platform.

Two more from ODEM

We’d like to take the liberty of adding two more recommendations to the list: follow your passion and stay hungry.

Passion makes everything worthwhile. Following your passions in life makes everyday more enjoyable, and notably makes work not feel like work. But life’s demands can get in the way of passion-filled pursuits, and work can be a necessity rather than a pleasure. This is one of the reasons why we believe in online courses; they’re an effective way to specialize your expertise so that you may pursue the career you’re passionate about.

Figuratively, staying hungry means to continuously seek out new opportunities that may better your circumstances. A hunger for more, or for better, propels you forward to strive for your goals and create the life that you want. Without this motivation, we may not achieve what we desire for ourselves — it’s an important ingredient in the recipe for success.

Read all of Stephen Covey’s 7 Habits of Highly Effective People, and join us at ODEM to discover the many course options that can help define your career.

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Last week we published an article discussing the paths you can take after you’ve earned your diploma. In that piece, we highlighted three different paths: furthering education, joining the workforce, or doing a combination of the two with a blended learning platform like ODEM.

We’re passionate about continued education because it gives you the opportunity to tailor your education and apply what you learn directly to your work. Online course platforms also provide the flexibility to get into the workforce and figure out what suits you, what you’re passionate about, and what you’d like to further pursue.

So, if you’re ready to take that first step towards your new career, here’s ODEM’s 5 step guide to landing your job.

1. Prepare your CV

Your CV provides prospective employers with a quick snapshot of your experience, skill set, and abilities. It’s important to tailor your CV to the job that you’re applying for. This effort will show the employer that you’re detail-oriented, thoughtful, and organized. It will also set you apart from the other applicants!

Tailoring your CV means featuring the most pertinent information first and highlighting the skills that are applicable to the job. List the experience you have that supports your ability to do the job, whether that’s employment, volunteer work, or personal experiences, like travel. With each listing, provide context for your reader by explaining briefly why that experience is relevant to the position.

While you want to showcase everything you have to offer, brevity is important. Aim for a CV that is 2-3 pages in length. That’s enough to include your work experience, skill set, education, and listed references. If it’s not, consider what you can remove — being concise will be viewed as an asset!

2. Write a cover letter

Because we live in a digital world, some people say that a cover letter is outdated and no longer needed. Critics may point to the many external resources, like social media accounts, that an employer can review to assess you. But, consider that a cover letter is like a personal note to the person who’s hiring. It’s a chance to personally address your potential boss and explain why you’re seeking the position, why you would be a good fit, and why you want to work for the company. These are important pieces of information during the hiring process that social media, or a resume, can’t provide.

In our work preparing courses for companies and liaising with universities, the feedback is unanimous; a cover letter exemplifies a professional and motivated worker.

3. Resources for finding your job

Job hunting starts with job boards. Search through several different job boards to ensure you don’t miss a great posting. Be thorough by using different keywords when performing your search. Submitting an application through a job board may seem daunting, but it’s worth the effort, and you can always follow up personally afterwards.

If you’re interested in working for a specific company, then their corporate website is the place to start. While you’re on their website, try to find who the best person to directly email your CV and cover letter is. While it’s important to follow the instructions in the job posting, which will usually ask you to get in touch with human resources, an added note to the actual person seeking an employee can be very valuable.

Social media platforms like LinkedIn, Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram are also very helpful for finding opportunities. Often, companies will post job opportunities first to their social media platforms because they’re seeking an employee who understand their company and brand.

4. Securing your references

References are important because they give your potential employer an honest opinion about you. Successful references are people who will give an authentic testimonial by speaking to your character and abilities. Make sure to contact your references prior to submitting their names and ask for their permission, as well as for any necessary updated contact information.

5. Strategy

Seeking employment is an emotional ride that requires a solid strategy to better the chances of success. Consider the various ways you can prepare yourself and stand out from other applications:

Reviewing opportunities:

• Create two categories for the jobs you find: first choice jobs and second choice jobs. This gives you a plan of action for contacting employers.
• Identify the roles and responsibilities that you aren’t suited for so that you can quickly filter through jobs not suited to you.

Securing the interview:

• If submitting your application online doesn’t work, find a connection to the company and ask for an introduction.
  Get noticed: Follow the company and your interviewer on Twitter and like a few of their tweets. This gives you name recognition, an advantage when your CV is being reviewed.
• Follow up, and then follow up one more time!

At the interview:

• Suggest an on-the-job plan: “Here’s what I can and have done to solve similar problems, and here are potential outcomes.”
• Confidently ask for fair compensation. Do this by reviewing salaries beforehand for comparable jobs as well as the market rate in your field and geographic location.
• Ask your potential employer what’s most important to them about the role and in their new employee.

Job hunting is an exciting time full of unknown possibilities. As you take on a new role, immerse yourself in the company and learn as much as you can from your colleagues. Each position you hold will provide valuable experience that can propel you to your next role.

As you develop in your job and career, ODEM courses can support you along the way, preparing you for the next job you want, or a promotion in your current position.

Tweet to us! We want to know if this guide helps you secure your next job!

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Earlier this month, at the Southern Alberta Institute of Technology’s (SAIT) convocation ceremony, ODEM made it possible for graduating students have their diplomas also available on the blockchain. It was a first in Canada, and with 4,800 students in the 2019 graduating class, the biggest ever number of students eligible to claim their credentials on the blockchain.

During graduation celebrations, ODEM Marketing Director Ashley Chen chatted with SAIT Registrar, Neera Arora and Chief Information Officer, Michael Barr about why SAIT sees blockchain technology as part of their future.

Ashley Chen  |  Before we talk about blockchain and diplomas, please tell us more about SAIT.

Neera Arora SAIT’s mandate is applied education with hands-on and experiential learning. We take great pride in aligning ourselves with a range of industry sectors so that our programs are relevant and students gain real-world exposure, ultimately leading to high graduate employment rates. Programs at SAIT range from certificates to degrees, with an applied learning and research following the polytechnic mandate.

Over the last decade, higher education has undergone massive change and evolution due to various factors like technological advancements or digital disruption, student demography, economic environment and government funding. Technology is playing a very big part in how we want to stay operationally efficient and evolve as an organization.

Chen  |  How is SAIT using new technologies to prepare students for a world that is constantly changing and developing?

Arora  SAIT works closely with industry to stay abreast with trends and new technologies, and integrate these changes into our programs using our program review and renewal process. For example, following our successful pilot with Blockchain technology that got prompted by students during a capstone project, we wanted to pursue this further with all the graduates during spring 2019.

The Office of the Registrar is responsible for accepting and reviewing applications and supporting documents from domestic and international students. As we deal with a more diverse student population, assessing credibility and authenticity of transcripts is vital to ensure the applicants meet the admission requirements of highly competitive programs. This ensure they have the foundational requirements to be successful in the program they are registered in.

We used Blockchain technology to issue digital credentials to all our graduates this spring. This enables the graduates to have access to their credential at all times, and they are able to share the same with employers without having to request a copy from SAIT. This would put our graduates at an advantage and help them with their employment efforts.

Chen  |  How is SAIT addressing technological change and student diversity?

Michael Barr Students are more complex than they used to be and diversity means we handle things in different ways than we used to. Catering to a wider demographic of students is part of what drives us to consider new technologies that will help to advance and implement our ideas.
Experimentation is important because it takes you to new places. That’s what SAIT is really good at: research, experimentation, development, and activation, or accepting when something doesn’t work.

Chen  |  Why did a blockchain-based solution resonate with you and other SAIT leaders?

Arora We want to make sure our grads have access to credible and timely information so they’re more marketable. If they’re sitting in Sydney, Australia, and they have a job offer, they don’t have to come to SAIT looking for their transcript or credentials, they have access to all of their records directly on the blockchain, available anywhere in the world. So blockchain technology saves time and resources for us and them.

But most importantly, it’s about students owning their own credential. It’s theirs. We’re elevating the trust factor of that credential’s authenticity. Blockchain made a lot of sense for me as a new registrar who came in very interested in piloting new technology to streamline operations and enhance student experience. To implement it, we’ve taken baby steps, and I think it’s working well. We know there’s a lot more potential in this area.

Chen  |  How has SAIT approached the topic of blockchain technology and the protection of personal data?

Barr There’s now an expectation that people can and should have more control over their data. But the world is full of cyber crime, and people are more diligently asking how an organization is going to secure the data that they collect. At SAIT, we’ve set a goal of increasing our current data security practices across the organization by 2025. Blockchain technology may not be the final destination, but it offers a way to encrypt every transaction and claim ownership over personal information.

While the origin of blockchain technology was with people who were performing illegal transactions, the use of the technology proved that it worked. That particular use of blockchain demonstrated that people who didn’t trust each other could conduct a successful transaction.

Working with ODEM is a chance to experiment with a new idea. We may have to pivot and try different things, but in the meantime we’re able to get into the market and create change. We’re looking forward to gathering feedback from the industry and our students who now have digital credentials. For us, ODEM’s platform has provided a great opportunity to learn.

Chen  |  How do you view the problem of fake diplomas and bogus academic records. Is that something you’ve encountered at SAIT?

Arora From the perspective of the Office of the Registrar, we do see one-off cases here and there around transcripts that take us longer to validate. We have about ninety-two countries represented by international students who are studying here. We have credentials coming from all over, and sometimes you do find things that need extra staff to confirm. So we have to have that extra lens of authentication validating those credentials.

Our objective is to ensure that the credentials leaving the organization give the graduate a valid and true source for their record of achievement. It’s important that our grads know that their credential is easily accessible and transferable, and eventually positions them for success.

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Thank you to Neera Arora and Michael Barr for taking the time to sit down with us. At ODEM, we’re thrilled to apply blockchain technology to a solution that will support students in their pursuit of education and accomplishment. Learn more about SAIT, and about ODEM.

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The post Why SAIT’s Registrar Believes Blockchain Technology Supports Education appeared first on odem.cloud.

Congratulations on your graduation! You’ve achieved a major life milestone! All of the time and effort you’ve dedicated to education can now be applied to attaining your personal and professional goals.

With a world of possibilities open to you, what’s next? Will you pursue further education or jump into your career right away?

Both choices have their merits. But you may want to consider pursuing your career and further education at the same time.

Pursuing career

Entering the workforce is exciting. Employment gives you personal satisfaction and the recognition of your talents. Putting your education to immediate use is an appealing option for many who want to apply their education and skills toward supporting a company and its growth trajectory.

In the working world, you’ll have the opportunity to assess what type of employment suits you best and which type of company fulfills your needs. With time spent on the job, you’ll begin to develop relationships and a network of people with the potential to support you in your pursuit of success. Your position will teach you about yourself and what you want to get from life.

Furthering education

That said, now is also a good time to continue your education. You’re already in a school mindset. You’ve developed habits around research and studying that will propel you to the next academic milestone.

Embracing lifelong learning can help to clearly define your career path. Additional education prepares you for a specific career, giving you exposure to projects that will develop expertise in a specific field. Further education can also provide greater credibility, adding rocket fuel toward your career goals. It may also protect you from unexpected shifts in the economy caused by technological change.

Why not do both?

At ODEM, we believe that work experience and ongoing education are equally important. We support students who are ready to leap into their careers but are still committed to furthering their education.

In today’s world of free-flowing information, self-education is easier than ever. Higher learning should be tailored to compliment your knowledge, experience, and previous education. Our ODEM Platform provides the tools for personally customizing courses that will best support career advancement now and into the future. As a less-rigid alternative to traditional learning, our on-demand education approach is ready when you are and allows flexibility in enhancing your professional qualifications.

We believe that lifelong learning provides the opportunity to determine what is best for you as you develop your talents. ODEM’s blended approach to learning makes education more effective, pairing face-to-face classroom time with online courses. It also makes education more affordable. You can choose courses that are right for you rather than committing to predetermined programs and costly fees.

Summer school presents an immediate opportunity to take advantage of course options that can develop targeted skills. Specific technical skills are valued by employers because they prepare you for a seamless transition into your job. For example, a niche education can be invaluable in landing the technology job you want, such as understanding digital finance and the supporting technological infrastructure.

The path forward is full of opportunity and we believe that path should be customized to your priorities. There’s no one-size-fits-all when it comes to learning; what works for you will be different from what fulfills others. Your time, energy, and financial resources should reflect that. All experiences and educational opportunities will support your journey now that you’ve graduated.

At ODEM, we hope to be part of it.

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The post After Graduation, Part 1: Career, Further Education, or Both? appeared first on odem.cloud.

Safety and Security: Your Digital Wallet and the ODEM Platform

On our quest to provide lifelong learners with better alternatives to traditional college education, we’ve sought new technological ways of enhancing the educational journey. Blockchain technology is one such alternative. It’s a form of cryptographic software that enables the tamper-proof storage of information such as diplomas and transcripts on the ODEM Platform.

The Platform, an on-demand education marketplace, is designed for blended learning that brings together online certificate courses with traditional face-to-face instruction. Blockchain technology is a cornerstone of the Platform because it allows you to control your educational experience and records of achievement. It does this by securing your academic credentials and ensures their authenticity; once your achievements are recorded, they can’t be altered.

The Platform is powered by the ODEM Token, a cryptocurrency based on the Ethereum blockchain. Once a registered Platform user, you can use our Tokens to pay for academic programs, showcase your skills, and connect with potential employers. To hold Tokens securely and conduct transactions across the marketplace, you’ll need a digital wallet.

Wallets 101

Unlike physical wallets that we carry around, digital wallets hold digital currencies. Access is controlled by your private and public keys. A private key authorizes your use of the wallet and must be protected. The public key is what you provide when requesting funds or data from other people. Think of it as your home address. A wallet records your blockchain-based transactions and academic credentials claimed on the blockchain.

Choosing your wallet

Your digital wallet ensures the safety of your assets, and so it’s important to understand the type of security that each kind of wallet provides.

• Mobile wallets allow you to transact directly from your mobile phone, making it easy to pay for goods and services with cryptocurrency. Because they’re often simpler in design and easily accessed via an app, mobile wallets are highly prone to attacks by hackers.
• Desktop wallets are only available from the computer that they’re downloaded on and are more secure than mobile wallets. However, if your computer becomes compromised due to a virus or hack, your wallet may be at risk.
  Web wallets allow access from any internet-connected device. While very convenient, web wallets can increase users’ exposure to risk.
• Paper wallets are just a piece of paper documenting your wallet address and private key. They provide greater security because they aren’t connected to the internet, but paper wallets can easily be lost, stolen, or damaged.
  Hardware wallets are the most secure type, storing your encrypted data in a physical piece of hardware. This type of wallet isn’t available to hackers because it’s offline and is immune to viruse.

Articles published on CoinTelegraph and BlockGeeks further explain how mobile, desktop, web, and paper wallets function.

Hot vs cold, online vs offline

Hardware wallets are physical devices, whereas other wallet options are referred to as “soft” because they’re software-based on your computer or phone. This distinction is also made by categorizing wallets as hot or cold. Hot wallets are connected to the internet: mobile, web, and desktop wallets fall into this category. Cold wallets aren’t connected to the internet, a security feature only physical wallets, like hardware devices and paper, can provide. The danger of having your wallet connected to the internet is that you’re vulnerable to hacking and theft. While hot wallets include security features to mitigate this threat, theft is still possible. This is why we advise against solely using a hot wallet; the risk is too high.

At ODEM, we recommend combining a hot wallet with a cold wallet to facilitate easy use of your ODEM Tokens or other cryptocurrencies and to secure your keys to that data offline. A desktop wallet, like MyEtherWallet provides the necessary convenience while hardware wallets like Trezor or Ledger significantly increases the security of your private key.

Once you’ve chosen your wallet, be sure to store your keys offline. With cryptocurrency wallets, once you lose your keys, your wallet is gone. It’s very important to take your security seriously. Make sure to write down your private key and store it in a safe place. This will be your backup in the event of a security breach. Never share your private key by email, or any other unencrypted communication method.

Ultimately, the wallets you choose will be a personal decision based on security features, operational ease, and your personal risk tolerance. Security should always be your first priority.

Ready to participate in the ODEM marketplace? If a MyEtherWallet is right for you, we’ve included an easy-to-use guide for setting yours up:

• Log into the ODEM Platform and go to “My Profile.”
• Select the “WALLET” tab and click on “Create a Wallet.” You’ll be directed to myetherwallet.com.
• Follow the website’s instructions to create a wallet. Need help?: PDF Wallet Guide VIDEO: Setting up your wallet.
• After you’ve created your wallet address, paste it into your Profile in the WALLET tab on our Platform.

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3 Ways Blockchain-Based Records Improve the Hiring Process

Hiring can be arduous; it’s challenging to find the right candidate who understands your organization’s mission, has the necessary qualifications, and is the right cultural fit. What happens if you find that right person, but then find out that their credentials were misrepresented? It’s a headache employers shouldn’t have to deal with, and ODEM is working to eliminate diploma fraud with blockchain technology.

Here are three reasons why blockchain-based education records help future employers:

No more falsified credentials

Fake certificates, diplomas, and degrees have become a global problem. Prospective employees can easily obtain an academic credential from a prestigious or non-existent school simply by purchasing one over the internet. Fake records undercut the integrity of the educational system and make your job more time consuming and challenging. ODEM provides an education marketplace where all students are accredited for their course work. On the Platform, students earn certificates that are institutionally-verified and recorded on the Ethereum blockchain. ODEM also partners with schools to authenticate student credentials with blockchain-based records. These records are validated and can’t be tampered with; they’re a source of educational truth.

Hire with ease

ODEM removes stress from the hiring process; we’ve taken care of the educational background check. Confirming a candidate’s credentials is a time-consuming but vital part of the hiring process. Blockchain-based records create permanent connections between academic achievement and the credential that’s awarded for the work. Instead of contacting educational institutions to verify that a prospective employee attended the school and completed their program, you can simply view the verified record on the public Ethereum blockchain.

Instilling greater trust in the education system

Education is an essential part of our lives, forming a foundation for our network and career. Supporting advancement, the value of education has been understood for centuries. As an integral part of our society, it’s critical that education be respected and trusted. This is what drew ODEM to blockchain technology; the ability to instill digital trust in a vital, age-old system that has the potential to be compromised by fraud. Education records secured on the blockchain are controlled and owned by the student, instantly verifiable by employers, and can’t be lost or altered. With blockchain technology, trust is no longer a consideration, it’s a guarantee.

At ODEM we’re dedicated to supporting students in their pursuit of higher education and rewarding career. We’re proud that ODEM promotes lifelong learning and continued personal development, fostering an entrepreneurial mindset amongst our students and grads. This is something that our students, together with validated credentials, bring with them to the workplace.

Stay tuned for more ODEM developments.

Rich Maaghul,
CEO
ODEM

Our mission is to help you succeed in your educational and career pursuits.

Learn more about our on-demand education marketplace at Telegram, LinkedIn, Facebook, and Twitter.

The post Improving Education with Digital Trust appeared first on odem.cloud.

The ODEM Platform represents a transparent and trusted digital connection for students and educators who use it every day. Through the Marketplace, ODEM helps to make education more affordable, accessible, verifiable, and transferable.

ODEM stands for On-Demand Education Marketplace because users can pursue learning experiences at their own pace. Like other digital marketplaces, ODEM connects buyers with sellers. Buyers seek personalized, continued education experiences, while sellers around the world offer a full range of academic programs. In the same way that Amazon uses artificial intelligence (AI) to recommend products that may interest you, ODEM uses AI to measure student demand for specific program topics and to streamline the market experience. This drives down the cost of education through automation and adds transparency to the process of creating and selecting programs.

The ODEM Platform is different from other marketplaces like Upwork or Fiverr because it’s layered on the Ethereum blockchain — a big advantage for ODEM users. Building the marketplace on Ethereum provides students with a central record of their academic experiences and certifications. It also grants students ownership of their academic credentials; they can claim their verified diploma on the blockchain by registering their achievement on the Platform.

In September, ODEM began collaborating with 10EQS, a New York-based organization dedicated to providing client-specific solutions by matching client companies with niche experts to build successful project teams. Our Marketplace streamlines the process of bringing the right people together quickly.

The ODEM-10EQS “partnership is a testament to our Platform’s ability to champion pragmatic knowledge and training to solve real-world business problems,” says ODEM CEO Richard Maaghul. “We’re empowering students with the tools they need to be employable.”

ODEM is partnering the Southern Alberta Institute of Technology (SAIT) in Calgary, Alberta, Canada, to support its 2019 graduating class in securing records of their academic credentials on the Ethereum blockchain. SAIT, quoting President and CEO, Dr. David Ross: “At SAIT, we’re thought leaders and this is a strong example of how we’re increasing our value proposition for graduates and employers. This is only the beginning as we continue to put the potential of blockchain technology into practice.”

These types of innovative partnerships support ODEM’s mission of providing a meeting place where authentic connections can occur — something that many marketplaces aspire to, but which few succeed. ODEM’s implementation on the Ethereum blockchain ensures authenticity, validating all marketplace participants and securing transaction records to support and improve the user experience.

“We’ve developed an educational marketplace that’s built on trust,” says ODEM CEO Maaghul. “When it comes to learning, you need to feel safe. Everyone dreams of new career possibilities, and education makes those dreams possible. To dream is to be vulnerable and open-minded, so trust is essential to the continued learning experience. We believe in trust, but the blockchain ensures it.”

Stay tuned for more ODEM developments.

Rich Maaghul,
CEO
ODEM

Our mission is to help you succeed in your educational and career pursuits.

Learn more about our on-demand education marketplace at Telegram, LinkedIn, Facebook, and Twitter.

The post The ODEM Marketplace: Defining an Authentic Digital Connection appeared first on odem.cloud.

Supporting educational development, ODEM (On-Demand Education Marketplace), has created a platform that leverages blockchain technology to help students find new opportunities and secure their achievements.

Built as a layer on the Ethereum blockchain, the marketplace runs on the ODEM token, an ERC20 token that facilitates transactions on the platform. Transaction histories are stored to ensure autonomy and accuracy for all market participants, but most importantly to provide confirmation of academic achievement for students. This format allows students to maintain a single record of their educational experiences and certification, regardless of location or educator.

Blockchain, or distributed ledger technology, supports students in their academic careers because it creates a permanent record of achievement that can’t be tampered with. Immutability is one of the specific benefits of blockchain technology; once data is stored on-chain, it cannot be reversed.

Ethereum, a distributed global ledger, provides a valuable source of provenance for certifications, confirming the validity of educational institutions and the authenticity and legitimacy of credentials. The ODEM Platform connects students to the Ethereum blockchain with a clear, step-by-step process that guides them in securing their diploma. Once these steps are completed, an encrypted version of the credential is stored, but not directly on the blockchain.

In order to create an efficient and lightweight process, records themselves are not stored on the Ethereum blockchain. Instead, a record is encrypted and it is this encryption which is stored on a decentralized, off-chain file system called the Interplanetary File System (IPFS). A hash of the timestamp for this record, along with a URL pointing to the IPFS file location, is stored on the open Ethereum blockchain.

Hashes are important because they represent the encrypted data as a series of unintelligible characters, allowing information privacy on a public network. ODEM secures student certificates and academic transcripts with AES 256 encryption technology (the 256-bit advanced encryption standard is the same one used to secure popular cryptocurrencies), to ensure quick authentication of the data. AES 256 is a government standard for the efficient encryption of data, meaning data can be referenced securely and quickly across blockchain-based networks.

IPFS is an important component of the ODEM system because it makes data storage using a blockchain faster and less costly. It provides an efficient file-store solution that enables blockchains to transact and be referenced far faster than if the actual data was stored directly on-chain. This is because blockchains transact slower when there is a larger amount of data to reference, and this processing time to reference data costs “gas,” a term for the cryptocurrency Ether when it serves as the fuel for the network. In this way, cryptographic hashes perform two functions: they secure your information, and act as a compact representation of your information to be stored on-chain.

The process developed to ensure the security of academic credentials is part of ODEM’s intellectual property, an innovation in storing and accessing decentralized records.

Stay tuned for more ODEM developments.

Rich Maaghul,
CEO
ODEM

Our mission is to help you succeed in your educational and career pursuits.

Learn more about our on-demand education marketplace at Telegram, LinkedIn, Facebook, and Twitter.

The post Education Records on IPFS appeared first on odem.cloud.

At ODEM, we’ve been working to make education and the pursuit of lifelong learning easier for students. It’s a mission that our team has been focused on for over 15 years ago, with the addition of blockchain technology in 2017 and creation of our digital marketplace. This technology makes it possible to treat personal records with greater autonomy, giving data owners the power over their records that they deserve.
Today, we’re leveraging blockchain technology in two ways: an Ethereum blockchain-based marketplace that supports the connection of educators, students, and companies who facilitate global programs and the storing of graduation diplomas on the Ethereum blockchain. Placing educational credentials on a blockchain supports students in their pursuit of career and furthered education. Here are four reasons why:

Giving you peace of mind

Your certificate or diploma is your proof of education; it’s the record of achievement that you’ll require in order to move forward. Something so valuable should be safe. While physical copies serve a purpose for institutional records and serve as a meaningful, framed notice of accomplishment, they’re vulnerable to loss, theft, or damage. A digital version provides enhanced security, but a blockchain-based record is the most secure because your educational record can’t be deleted or removed. Distributed ledgers, what a blockchain is based on, are immutable because the ledger of data is hosted across a network of computers. This means that the records stored can’t be changed, and your credentials are safe.

Your records are yours to control

Autonomy of information means control over your data. Blockchain-based records are easily and directly accessed with a private, encrypted key using your phone or desktop computer. With your key, accessible via your cryptographic wallet, only you have the authority to change how your digital diploma is managed and stored.

Combatting diploma fraud

Global diploma fraud poses a problem to us all, reducing the credibility and validity of all diplomas. Fake diplomas disregard the time, cost, and energy that legitimate students devote to their education. Blockchain technology verifies ownership by proving authenticity of provenance; where the diploma came from and who it belongs to. It does this with a global, immutable ledger and your private key. Students can verify the validity of their records by simply sharing the digital address of record, proving which institute granted the designation, when it was issued, and for which discipline.

Innovative solution

Your diploma is designed to prove your education; that you’re equipped to handle the responsibilities of a job and understand the material necessary to be successful at it. Certainly it achieves this, but by placing your diploma on the Ethereum blockchain you demonstrate your abilities. Leveraging blockchain for the secure sharing of your records shows future employers your understanding of a new technology and puts it to use in an innovative and practical way. Let your blockchain-based diploma do the talking for you.
Our mission at ODEM is to support your accomplishments by making them safe and secure. Blockchain technology serves to ease this transition by ensuring the authenticity and validity of your credentials. With a blockchain-based diploma, you’ll be ahead of the curve. Learn more at ODEM.io.

Stay tuned for more ODEM developments.

Rich Maaghul,
CEO
ODEM

Our mission is to help you succeed in your educational and career pursuits.

Learn more about our on-demand education marketplace at Telegram, LinkedIn, Facebook, and Twitter.

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Gaining access to the right knowledge quickly is at the core of ODEM’s partnership with New York-based 10EQS, a leading provider of business insights on demand.

10EQS, which builds custom teams to solve big client problems, is exploring with ODEM how to make discovering and engaging with independent top-tier consultants and specialized industry experts more efficient. Our solution is to tap into underused knowledge to solve specific problems, answer a set of questions about a market, or probe an industry’s best practices.

“It’s all about gaining access to knowledge and insights that are already out there somewhere in peoples’ minds,” says 10EQS Chief Executive Officer Jeff Carbeck.

Going forward, 10EQS will offer its experts the opportunity to have their experiences and credentials validated through our blockchain technology at ODEM, an education and employment marketplace. The idea is to categorize individuals’ expertise as finely as possible, allowing rapid, low-cost discovery of experts credentials as well as validation of experience and capabilities.

“Our fundamental mission is to more efficiently deploy the global brain,” says Carbeck. “It’s an opportunity to apply that knowledge and capacity against some really important problems.”

In the process of generating content, 10EQS will give experts the opportunity to verify their qualifications, experience, and knowledge in the 10EQS network based on their successful involvement in client projects.

“The purpose is to make detailed and verifiable expert knowledge directly accessible,” says Carbeck. “CV summaries on LinkedIn or Xing aren’t sufficiently specific and can’t be easily verified.”

10EQS experts whose credentials and competencies have been verified through the work they’ve actually done, can opt into receiving blockchain-based digital certificates of achievement from ODEM to showcase their specializations.

“Rather than just putting out a resume, a consultant can say, ‘I have a verified certificate of knowledge in this space,’” says Carbeck. “Over time, the certificates will increase in value as more internal checks and verification are completed.”

10EQS is also collaborating with ODEM to encourage its experts to enhance their professional qualifications by taking courses offered on the ODEM Platform.

“One of the things we’re working on with ODEM is understanding how we can characterize knowledge and how we train and certify people to help put that knowledge into the market,” says Carbeck.

When it comes down to it, ODEM’s partnership with 10EQS is about carefully cataloging verified capabilities so that qualified people with untapped knowledge capacity and interest in working on challenging client projects can be found and easily deployed.

Stay tuned for more ODEM developments.

Rich Maaghul,
CEO
ODEM

Join the conversation on Telegram, LinkedIn, Facebook, and Twitter.

The post Accelerating Access to the Global Brain with Blockchain Technology appeared first on odem.cloud.