It is possible that these last weeks you may have heard or read about the concept of metaverse somewhere. Since Mark Zuckerberg talked about it and decided to change the name of his famous business Facebook for Meta, it has been quite difficult not to stumble upon news or posts related to this concept. A concept that, although is not new, has been considered rather futuristic until now. And this is because, now, Zuckerberg is not the only one; Microsoft, Google and other large technologhy businesses are also strong supporters of this virtual world.
However, despite this deluge of information about metaverses, Facebook, and all that this can involve, many people still do not really know what a metaverse is and what are its functionalities. And we do not blame them.
In this article we are going to give an answer to the main questions about metaverses and we will analyze how can we apply it in education.
What is the Metaverse?
Metaverse refers to the next internet generation. It is a universe compound of a network of virtual environments, in which you are able to have an immersive online experience. In this universe, users are represented by avatars and can interact with other people or elements that are also in that same space.
As Alex Rayón, vice rector of International Relations and Digital Transformation at University of Deusto, explains in the podcast #EmpowerEducation, “The metaverse is a construction such as Second Life was, an environment where we live digitally“.
In order to live digitally in this virtual space it is necessary to have certain devices, which vary depending on the type of metaverse where we are connected. As of today, there are simpler versions, such as the one mentioned before, Second Life. A virtual environment where you can access just with a computer or smartphone with internet connection.
However, it is clear that, with the digital tools that we have today and with these large technology businesses that invest in it, the metaverse is transforming into something more complex, which will offer an absolute immersive experience and will allow us to have an almost digital life.
Therefore, using other tools such as virtual reality glasses (increasingly used these days) or other augmented reality devices, we will be able to teleport to a new world inside the metaverse. A world that, as large technology businesses see it, will be kind of an alternative reality in which we will be able to carry on with our day to day life without even moving. Can you imagine being able to be at the office, interacting with your co-workers, without the need of going through a traffic jam or having to get to a train during rush hours?
What are Metaverses for?
Metaverse utilities can be many. The first thing that comes to our mind is the entertainment and, of course, video games. In fact, Minecraft or Fortnite could be considered the beta version of this metaverse field.
Moreover, we could quickly think of the workspace; specially after the pandemic, which changed the way of working for many people when doing remote work. It is relatively easy to imagine a virtual version of our workplace, where we communicate through video calls, ¿right?
At Classlife we already have our own small metaverse
But it goes much further than that. The metaverse can be really useful, for instance, in the healthcare sector. How? With virtual consultation services, phobia treatments, application for disabled people, meditation and stress management, augmented and virtual reality for trainings, and much more. But, let’s take a look at the interesting part…
Metaverses and education
As in every relationship it is risky to stick the neck out, but in Classlife we consider that metaverses and education could be, at least, really great friends. And we are not alone. Several experts consider that this virtual universe has big potential in its application in education.
With the creation of a metaverse, your educational institution can create a LMS or a copy of your institution in a virtual version. With its classrooms, canteen, faculty lounge… Thus, students, teachers and staff members of your institution will be able to communicate and interact quickly, as if they where on person, also through video calls or video conferences. It is something perfect for institutions that are based on e-learning and offer all their trainings online because it will allow them to humanize the educational experience, even though it sounds contradictory.
Therefore, thanks to the metaverse, educational institutions will be able to offer a 360 experience to students and workers and, of course, they will have much more flexibility and adaptability in case of unforeseen events.
Now, let’s go one step further. And let’s go back to the version that Facebook – my fault, Meta – wants and let’s unify metaverses with augmented and virtual reality. The combination of all these elements in the educational field allows you to work the immersive learning as was never done before. It will be possible to take the lessons’ gamification to another level and to travel without even moving to discover the history and culture of other places, and students will be able to learn the laws of physics on a large scale to enjoy science as they have never even imagined.
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What does the future hold?
While we do not know if this metaverse premium version will soon become a reality or not, at Classlife we do believe that something is changing. And we are not the only ones. In fact, at this very exact moment, we are starting to see specialized metaverses courses carried out by universities such as La Complutense of Madrid, who work to evolve at the same time as their environment does.
That’s why at Classlife we are already working to unify our all-in-one educational management platform with the metaverse and, soon, we will be able to connect both worlds, so that the institutions that work with us can offer the best experience to their students.
