3.2.1.1 Session: Introduction to Decentralized Coordination

Centralized vs. Decentralized Systems Discussion (15 minutes)

Start with a brief discussion about the concepts of centralized and decentralized systems.
Ask students to share examples of centralized (e.g. government, banking, traditional media) and decentralized (e.g. relocation of the capital city, dividing the country into regions or states, social media) systems they encounter in everyday life.
Highlight the pros and cons of each approach, emphasizing issues like trust, control, and resilience.
Use open-ended questions to spark critical thinking:
- "Why do you think some systems are centralized while others are decentralized?” ⇒ some possible answers: control, efficiency, beliefs, cultural and societal factors
- "What are the potential drawbacks of centralization?” ⇒ e.g. single point of failure, lack of redundancy, dependency on trust, inequality, limited transparency, censorship
- "How might decentralization address these drawbacks?” ⇒ e.g. multiple entities are running the system (if one is attacked the system survives), data and activities can be duplicated

Explanation of Blockchain Network (15 minutes)

In this phase provide a concise explanation of what a blockchain network is and its fundamental purpose ⇒ using slides (2.1-decentralized_coordination.pptx)
Emphasize the role of decentralization in blockchain as a response to centralization issues.
Highlight that a blockchain network consists of nodes that collectively maintain a distributed ledger.
Highlight the importance of information propagation and how it ensures that every node in the network has an up-to-date copy of the data.
Clarify that each individual node in a blockchain network is responsible for verifying the accuracy of records.
Reiterate the central question: "Why is decentralized organization necessary in a blockchain network?” and connect it to the significance of maintaining trust within the network.
Close the session with a recap and invitation to the second session of this module.