IN the face of multiple information sources, teachers are facing a complex battle in trying to impose the traditional “chalk and talk” methodology with the new generation of tech-savvy students.
Besides, with the increasing focus on the Fourth Industrial Revolution, there has been a shift towards Education 4.0, which has seen the redesigning of learning spaces with 21st century pedagogies, the implementation of an organic curriculum, the emergence of innovations and new areas of knowledge such as artificial intelligence, machine learning and big data, and the incorporation of the latest learning and teaching technologies.
This has also led to the rise of the metaverse – a computer-generated universe that has been referred to as a collective space in virtuality, the embodied or spatial Internet, and a mirror world.
The term, however, does not really refer to any specific type of technology but rather, a broad and often speculative shift in how we interact with technology.
And it is possible that the term itself will eventually become just as antiquated, even as the specific technology it once described becomes commonplace.
The metaverse presents a brilliant method of virtually interacting with others from all around the world.
Anyone anywhere can put on a virtual reality headset or utilise their web browsers to log in to a virtual space and communicate with others face to face.
It is best to think of the metaverse as a virtual recreation of the real world – a world where users and developers can customise everything to their hearts’ content and build anything, from virtual sports arenas to a metaverse school on properties they own.
In a world that is becoming geographically divided due to pandemics and disasters, it represents a way for families and friends to interact in ways unlike anything ever seen before.
A persistent alternate reality presents endless possibilities, with an especially large potential impact on education. Let’s envision one of the possible virtual reality classrooms.
Imagine a classroom full of students eager to learn history. These students are based in various countries, and their teacher is a traveller who is constantly visiting new places to increase his or her historical knowledge.
Thanks to the metaverse, both the teacher and the students can meet regardless of their real-world locations. These widely travelled teachers can call upon their first-hand knowledge to educate their students.
Not only can these teachers talk about their discoveries, but they can also present lessons in an immersive three-dimensional environment where desks and chairs make way for in-person reenactments of history.
Students can explore as they wish, asking questions and supporting their learning with first-person experiences.
No longer will inquisitive children have to sit bored in a sterile classroom.
Instead, they can get excited about learning and benefit from an up-to-date curriculum, thanks to the power of virtual worlds.
TATCHANAAMOORTI PURNSHATMAN
Senior lecturer
Computer Engineering and Computer Science DepartmentManipal International University
Nilai Campus
