Reading Assignment - Part A

 I anticipate the Metaverse will be an arising topic of interested in my teaching that will be an important topic to develop a better understanding of. Metaverse spaces targeting children are already created and, I expect, will continue to be created. As educators, I believe we need to be on top of these emerging technology trends to ensure we provide students with the tools and strategies they need to be safe and appropriate. While the idea of the Metaverse makes me uncomfortable, I would like to step out of my comfort zone in my research to learn how I can support other teachers in meeting this developing issue with lessons on keeping students safe in the Metaverse. Miller and Bass’ statement, “school isn’t the only place where values are created. Hobbies and interests that aren’t valued in school are often highly valued in other areas of the community” (2019, p. 61) reminds me that avoiding the technology that makes me uncomfortable, such as the Metaverse, in school doesn’t mean that students won’t be accessing these technologies. By reaching out of our comfort zones as educators, we can ensure we are helping students to be safe and respectful digital citizens within the Metaverse. 


I also would like to extend past online safety and look for the potential benefits of the Metaverse within education. “The choices we make about the tools and resources that we provide to students and teachers must be intentional and deliberate” (Miller & Bass, 2019, p. 46). I would like to learn more about the educational opportunities within the Metaverse and evaluate whether they are worthwhile exploring and truly add value to student learning. I have used Virtual Reality with my grade 3/4 students in the past as we explored Ancient Civilizations in Social Studies. The VR headset we used was similar to Google Cardboard and I placed my phone in the headset while students explored on the app “Egyptian Pyramids Virtual Reality”. I found that this VR experience engaged students more deeply into our student of Egypt. The Metaverse is much more advanced than this, which means that it will come with challenges, but also has potential for amazing learning opportunities. I wonder about virtual field trips within the Metaverse and the opportunities to learn from experts from all over the world in an immersive experience. This could have connections to all areas of curricula. For the purpose of this assignment, I plan to focus on how the Metaverse could be used within the Manitoba Curriculum Grade 4 Science Unit “Habitats and Communities” as I think it would be interesting to learn how students could immerse themselves into habitats they have not had the opportunity to experience in their lives. 

As I explore the safety risks and potential educational benefits of the Metaverse for elementary-aged children, I will search keywords such as:
• Metaverse safety 
• Metaverse risks 
• Metaverse education
• Metaverse elementary 
• Defining Metaverse 
• Online safety children 
• Digital citizenship Metaverse 
• XR (VR, AR, MR) in Education 
• Virtual Field Trips Metaverse 
• Habitats Metaverse 

I will also need to research the cost of headsets and to learn what types of technologies are required for educational engagement in the Metaverse (e.g. are subscriptions required to access educational content?). 

Resources:

Miller, S., & Bass, W. (2019). Leading from the Library: Help your School Community Thrive in the Digital Age. International Society for Technology in Education.

Comments

  1. D.McNeeMay 24, 2022 at 5:30 PM

    This is a good first post. You have a clear focus for further reading and research. I look forward to seeing where your learning takes you! For your next post, I encourage you to include additional multimedia elements (hyperlinks, images, videos). These add another layer for your reader.

    ReplyDelete

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