Many people saw and still see the Internet as something fun to do. And most people see the Metaverse as a new place for entertainment and a business opportunity. No one can deny that. But there is also a place for education in the Metaverse, both in person and online. Thanks to the Metaverse, we can use tools, multimedia, and immersive educational content to make learning an experience for all the senses.
Even back then, Isaac Asimov’s science fiction stories had images and sounds that moved and made you feel like you were part of the story. These technologies would later be used in education. Thanks to augmented reality and virtual reality, we are getting close to those predictions. Technologies that let us relive historical events, see things that can only be seen under a microscope, or learn about a subject virtually instead of through a standard textbook.
Now we’re at the question that gives this article its name. Should there be a place for education in the Metaverse? We have already done things like this before, and the results were the same. Audiovisual content, video games, robot toys, cell phones, computers, the Internet… Education can’t ignore technology, especially when it can help solve some of the problems that education is having right now. The Metaverse is not the only way to make online learning fun, but it can be a great way to do so.
Blend into the subject you’re studying
Mark Zuckerberg showed off his ambitious Metaverse project last year. And education was one of the things he worked on. This is shown by the video at the top of this text. And it’s a great example of what the Metaverse can do for education, both in person and online. Because of virtual reality, we can make virtual classrooms, share digital space with our classmates and teachers, and learn about any subject while getting a virtual feel for it.
Learn how the human body works by traveling through it. Get to know our solar system by visiting each of the celestial bodies that make it up. Walk through a Roman city to learn more about our history. Here are three ways that virtual reality and the Metaverse can be used to help teach.
Education has always been limited in what it could teach. And we have been able to get past those problems. Slides, transparencies, videos, drawings, visits to museums and information centers, and field trips… But with virtual reality, you can learn about any subject from afar and/or from anywhere in a way that has never been seen before: in a way that is immersive and interactive.
We should try not to take the easy way out. It’s not about doing the same things in the Metaverse as you would in a regular classroom. Exactly, one of the best things about the Metaverse is that we don’t have the same limits. So, it is possible to go beyond the physical plane and offer educational resources that are different from the ones we are used to. On the other hand. It’s also not about replacing the teacher or the current lessons with three-dimensional experiences that are just for show. Or, use lights, shapes, and colors to wow your students. The Metaverse must be another way to get things done. Teach the student and give him the best chance to learn. The important thing is to start with that goal and make our interactions with the Metaverse fit that goal, not the other way around.
A whole world to find out about
The Metaverse is like a whole world in a lot of ways. Also from the point of view of education. Obviously, all of the things we’ve talked about so far require a lot of work before they can be put into 3D content that is both entertaining and educational, as edutainment suggests. It doesn’t help to be able to teach online in the Metaverse if all we do is copy the real world.
So teachers and people who make content have a great chance. Chance to provide education with interactive tools that make learning both fun and useful. In part, it’s a return to our roots, when we learned on our own through play and experimentation when we were young. Exactly, the best way to learn is to find out about yourself. This is what we now call “active learning.”
Classrooms do not have to be replaced by the Metaverse. But they can add to face-to-face learning and make distance learning better. There is still a long way to go, but virtual reality headsets are getting us closer to being able to teach and learn by immersing ourselves in the subject. These headsets are starting to show up in the electronics market at prices that will go down as they become more popular.
Since a long time ago, online education has shown the world that technology can be used for good. Yes, as long as we know where we want to go. Teachers and students can reach their goals by using video calls, screen sharing, virtual whiteboards, and sharing videos and other multimedia resources. When it comes to learning, the Metaverse will be like a quantum leap.
And if we want to take advantage of everything the Metaverse has to offer for education, the teachers of today and tomorrow need to be ready. In other words, they have to know how to use these pieces of technology. Part of the reason is that they might spend a lot of time in this virtual world tomorrow. And in part because it’s important now because it’s going to be popular in the next few years. As much as knowing how to use social networks, mobile apps, or how to shop online.
