What is the Metaverse?
As the metaverse is an idea about how the internet will be used in the future, rather than a singular product or device, experts define it in many ways. Some experts prefer to refer to the metaverse as the xverse (How the Metaverse and Gaming Can Transform Education, 2022). The following quotes were helpful in developing an understanding of what metaverse means and to help start to consider what the metaverse could look like in education:
“to conceptualize the xverse just imagine a network of virtual worlds that are highly immersive and allow for a very compelling virtual presence but also allow people to move between them easily, democratically, and share content and engage in not only the virtual world, but the real world, too” (How the Metaverse and Gaming Can Transform Education, 2022, 5:48).
"The metaverse of the future is likely to fully support augmented and virtual reality, artificial intelligence, and the connectivity to link all worlds" (Hirsh-Pasek et al., 2022).
While some definitions of the metaverse focused primarily on virtual reality (VR) and augmented reality (AR), Suh and Ahn (2022) explain that,
“the metaverse consists of a VW, a mirror world (MW), life logging (LL), and AR” (p. 3),
broadening our understanding of the metaverse and helping to recognize that while the metaverse is the future of the internet, we are already accessing metaverse technologies.
BBC News' video, What is the Metaverse was helpful in developing an understanding of the metaverse in clear language and visuals:
Resources:
BBC News. (2021, December 20). What is the metaverse? - BBC News [Video]. YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V6VsxcVpBVY
Hirsh-Pasek, Z. J. K. M. (2022, March 9). A whole new world: Education meets the metaverse. Brookings. https://www.brookings.edu/research/a-whole-new-world-education-meets-the-metaverse/
How the Metaverse and Gaming Can Transform Education | ASU+GSV 2022. (2022, April 12). [Video]. YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kGBTEz_vhkQ
Suh, W., & Ahn, S. (2022). Utilizing the Metaverse for Learner-Centered Constructivist Education in the Post-Pandemic Era: An Analysis of Elementary School Students. Journal of Intelligence, 10(1), 17. https://doi.org/10.3390/jintelligence10010017