The Metaverse has been a popular topic over the last year and is becoming integrated into every area of our lives; from digital art, fashion, virtual events and now also education and training. Schools are welcoming adopters of new technology as it elevates the learning experience, fosters communication and overcomes challenges. The EdTech market is one of the fastest growing of its kind, expected to surpass $288.4Bn by the end of 2031. The educational situation during and post-pandemic has given both teachers and students a new understanding of how to use technology for learning. This has allowed effective development of strategies for dealing with limitations.
Now that Metaverse technology is more accessible, it has been introduced as an additional educational tool, offering a new approach to educational processes, providing interactive and immersive experiences. This has been deemed a successful approach in teaching, with 90% of educators in agreement that VR technology is an effective way of providing differentiated and personalised learning experiences for students. The Metaverse has been described as “a virtual version of everything you can do in real life. It is interoperable, owned by no one, and allows a lot of different platforms to live within it” by Vriti Saraf, founder and CEO of k20 Educators.
Currently, resources represent a legacy model of the Metaverse, and we are experiencing just a glimpse of the future of the new iteration of the Internet, Web 3.0. However, large companies such as Facebook are investing in education within the Metaverse. They plan to invest $150 million in virtual reality learning experiences. Roblox offers ISTE-aligned lesson plans for a variety of subjects and age groups. They also provide grants to education-focused organisations including Project Lead the way; creating online learning experiences on their platforms. Furthermore, Microsoft launched Microsoft Mesh in 2021, promoting the adoption of Metaverse technology by offering it to educational institutions. As the world leaders of Web 3.0 experiences, BrandLab360 are early adopters of technology that can be easily accessed and implemented in all industries: including education for students and even consumer experiences.
Facilitating learning through Web 3.0 experiences provide educative gamification pieces and constant access to educational material for students. There are several technologies that can be implemented in education; Virtual Reality provides an immersive, digital experience enhanced with gamified learning tools allowing students to answer questions in an interactive way and complete educative tasks to achieve rewards. Additionally, Augmented Reality allows learners to scan pages of their textbooks, bringing their learning to life and supporting their understanding of the topic and Artificial Intelligence provides the ability to measure performance of learners. BrandLab360’s unique technology can be integrated seamlessly with existing teaching frameworks to accelerate learning, simply within a web browser.
There are several benefits to utilising Metaverse technology in education, including realistic environments that replicate real-life locations, experiences and physical interactions; promoting safety and providing flexibility to educators. The technology eliminates the need to learn complex subjects through text and diagrams, by either supplementing or enhancing these resources with immersive experiences. For example, students can study astrophysics and planets more closely or transport back in time to an event in history via a virtual environment. Content retention is also vastly improved, with students retaining 90% of the material delivered to them if it is learned through experience. However, it is argued that we must make the technology and equipment more affordable and accessible.
Although Web 3.0 is still in its early stages, it is definitely here to stay. The EdTech industry is eager to improve learning experiences by creating different environments that promote a better understanding of specific subjects. Metaverse experiences facilitate learning by providing tools that enable students to easily learn, comprehend and implement knowledge.
Have you experienced learning online? Did you find it engaging?