Within the last year, I’ve noticed buzz about the metaverse beginning to grow. Admittedly, my first response was to role my eyes at the concept of meeting in virtual spaces rather than face to face. I was especially skeptical of the thought of integrating metaverse technologies into my elementary school classroom, as I believe that in-person social interaction is what children both need and want in a post-lockdown world. Despite my initial skepticism, the metaverse within education has certainly piqued my interest. As a hopeful future teacher-librarian, I want to be a digital leader and support my colleagues in any emerging technologies that interest them, or that I think will benefit our students. An important part of this role of a digital mentor is to assess the value of emerging technologies and determine their education value. As explained by Miller and Bass (2019), “the choices we make about the tools and resources that we provide to students and teachers must be intentional and deliberate” (p. 46). With this in mind, I decided to approach the topic of the metaverse with an open mind. I decided to begin with developing a better understanding of the metaverse by defining it. Then, I began to explore why metaverse technologies may be beneficial to integrate into an elementary classroom. While keeping our “why” in mind while exploring innovative approaches in education is essential, it is important to consider how these technologies can be integrated. Finally, student safety is imperative to consider when exploring technology, so I sought out information related to keeping children safe within the metaverse.

 

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.