Ardent Blockchain Education (ABE) - August 2026 Update

August Highlights at a Glance

• HCPS Social Studies Professional Study Day
• Sarasota Schools PD Seminar - Round 2
• ABE Meets with USF’s Stavros Center
• “Blockchain on the Go” Available on YouTube

#HCPS Social Studies Professional Study Day

Leading Lesson One: Training Teachers at Gaither High School

August was a banner month here at ABE, and we had a particularly strong start in Hillsborough Schools at the district-wide Social Studies Professional Study Day. Across four one-hour sessions, I was able to take Social Studies teachers through the first full lesson from our flagship module. The most common sentiment expressed by nearly all teachers who attended was that they know nothing about blockchain technology and digital assets. Due to this lack of knowledge, most of them expressed apprehension about even covering the topic despite student interest.

At the end of each session, teachers were asked to provide feedback both from a teacher perspective as well as a student perspective. This feedback became invaluable because it allowed our curriculum architect to substantially revise the lesson to meet teacher and student needs, and we hope to have all of these modifications in place by late October when we train a few financial literacy teachers to pilot all three of the lessons with their students at Durant High School.

#Sarasota Schools PD Seminar - Round 2

Closing out The Road to Bitcoin and Beyond

Thanks to the coordination of Stella Karas, ABE was able to offer our initial seminar, The Road to Bitcoin and Beyond: A Brief History of Digital Currency, a second time to interested high school Social Studies teachers. This time we had half a dozen teachers attend the one hour training, and it was the first time we revealed our updated slide deck due to recent happenings within the blockchain industry. Like the teachers in Hillsborough, they shared how they wanted to learn more so that they could feel confident driving instruction to help their students who want to know more about this new technology and asset class.

The teachers in attendance appreciated the overview, but the one-hour format made for a cursory overview rather than a more in-depth training. At the conclusion, however, I told all of them that I would happily be a resource for them and provided the link to our updated folder for all of the seminar materials. If you are a teacher or district leader reading this and would like access, please click HERE .

#ABE Meets with USF’s Stavros Center

Peter Trakas, Director, Carrie Frump, Assistant Director, Gus A. Stavros Center for Free Enterprise at The University of South Florida

As a South Florida bull myself, it was an honor to meet with Pete and Carrie from the Stavros Center at USF to see how we might be able to collaborate together. The Stavros Center plays an important role for local school districts in the Tampa Bay region, as they offer professional development to educators that fall outside the normal parameters of what teachers may find within their school districts. From seminars on financial literacy to artificial intelligence, donors provide funding so that educators can attend 3 hour classes in the evening to get the basics on various subjects that have an impact on the business world.

During my visit, I was excited to share ABE’s mission and recent successes with Pete and Carrie. They provided a tour of the facility, explained how the courses are scheduled and carried out, and shared several possible ways we could work together. To start, they invited me to speak on a panel next month that directly touches on blockchain technology, and we may also work on a grant application together that involves “the digital economy.” It was an incredible visit and I am looking forward to our next rendezvous in September as well as potentially planning our first delivery of the seminar in a full 3 hour format.

#“Blockchain on the Go” Available on YouTube

As noted in a previous blog, earlier this summer we recorded 10 one-minute YouTube shorts explaining the basics of blockchain technology and digital assets. For those who have no knowledge whatsoever about either of these, this short series will provide a foundational understanding. Ideally, these easily digestible videos that can be watched in just under ten minutes will pique the curiosity of the viewers so that they may want to learn more. As an educator, these could be shown to a classroom full of students so that they have the requisite background knowledge before delving deeper into these concepts as part of a broader examination of digital assets in the context of financial literacy.

If you’d like to check out the videos, you can click this link HERE and it will take you straight to the page. If you find them helpful, please subscribe to our YouTube channel and feel free to share this playlist with others who may want to learn more.

As always, stay tuned for our next update. We will have more great news to share, including the panel conversation at The University of South Florida!