Remember all the hype about the Metaverse in education?
Just two years ago, the 3D virtual realm in education seemed imminent. Facebook changed his name to Meta to signify his big bet in the VR space and started TV ads showing classes taking place in the new immersive world. Several college campuses, with some funding from Meta, have begun building replicas of their physical campuses in VR space.and The think tank had published a report on how to make the most of VR space in education. (EdSurge receives philanthropic support from the Chan Zuckerberg Initiative, co-owned by Meta’s CEO. Learn more about EdSurge’s ethics and policies. Supporters.)
Particularly when it comes to the idea of setting up a shared virtual space like the one envisioned by the science fiction writers who coined the term metaverse, the buzz has all but disappeared.
So what happened to the early education experiment in the Metaverse? What are people observing this universe thinking next?
To find out, we spoke to two experts on this week’s EdSurge podcast. These are the same people who guest starred on Metaverse two years ago at the height of his boom. Our guests are Greg Heiberger, associate dean for academic and student success at South Dakota State University, and Kathy Hirsch-Pasek, professor of psychology at Temple University and senior fellow at the Brookings Institution.
“I’m actually okay with a lot of the topics drifting elsewhere, because I think it helps us focus on what’s really important to us, rather than shiny objects. “,” Highberger said. A meta that creates a campus in VR.
But he admits there are downsides too.
“What’s heartbreaking is that there was money, money flowing directly from meth into education…and that faucet was turned off pretty firmly, and I think that’s tough,” he says.
Hirsh-Pasek points out that although VR hasn’t received as much attention, there have been important developments. For example, she praised Apple’s recently released Apple Vision Pro product, saying that the technology is improving by allowing users to choose to see the outside world even when wearing a headset. He says he has solved an important problem. While testing the device, she said she felt truly immersed in the demo, where users appeared to be walking among dinosaurs. “But basically she’s watching an Imax movie,” she said of the device’s strengths. “When it comes to education, we need more. We need interactivity. And it has to be social.” What she gets at the moment is that the device is “made for entertainment. But her “dream” is to be able to add more social aspects later.
Both experts still believe that important applications of VR in education and concepts like the Metaverse will eventually emerge, bringing more experiential learning to students. It is calling on technology companies to seek input from educators and education researchers as they continue to develop the hardware that makes these virtual worlds possible.
Hear their experiences and predictions for this week’s episode.please listen apple podcast, cloudy, spotify, stitcher Listen to podcasts anywhere or use the player on this page.