Ed3 Weekly Issue #52: Hello Metaverse My Old Friend
Immersive platforms remain relevant despite all the talk about AI and LLMs
Hello web3 and education frens,
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Lots of talk about the metaverse this week. Here are summaries of four different resources on the metaverse covering a wide variety of topics. In this issue you’ll learn about:
✨ The role of immersive technology in redesigning learning in our classrooms
✨ A university presentation on Ed3 that discusses blockchains, DAOs, and NFTs
✨ What will the future of branding be in the metaverse?
✨ The changes in our privacy protections in a metaverse-driven world
Immersive Technology in Education
This extended article in Medium explores the combination that immersive technologies and artificial intelligence (AI) can have to revolutionize the education and training industry. For example, by using AI, a teacher can design a virtual environment to deliver a lesson tailored to the needs of individual students.
Language learning, in particular, can benefit from AI, as it can process and translate multiple languages simultaneously. When combined with immersive technologies, it can immerse students in a foreign city or a Paris café and offer real-time feedback on their pronunciation.
The metaverse offers new opportunities for teachers to connect with and inspire students. Ultimately, skilled teachers who know best how to inspire their students will be essential, and governments need to provide teacher training and ensure that all schools have access to these technologies. Some governments have already made progress in introducing immersive technologies to their curriculums, but there is still much work to be done.
Summary of a Presentation on Ed3
Getty Images
Dr. Ryan Straight, Honors/Associate Professor of Practice Applied Computing and Cyber Operations at the University of Arizona, recently presented at the OLC Innovate conference. He shared about the topic of Ed3, a movement that seeks to integrate education with internet technologies that focus on decentralization, learner sovereignty, and verifiable credentials.
The movement incorporates the use of blockchain, Non-Fungible Tokens (NFTs), and Decentralized Autonomous Organizations (DAOs) to create a more inclusive and student-centric education system. Dr. Straight's presentation aimed to explore the opinions, attitudes, and concerns of those interested in the intersection of Web3 and education through a lab study.
Dr. Straight noted that there is not yet a consensus on how to define the technologies that makeup Ed3. However, he emphasized that the future of education will require re-orienting blockchain technology in education to prioritize human-centered adoption and balance technological advances with the safeguarding of privacy and individual rights.
The Future of Branding in the Metaverse
ITV Studios
This article provides some insight into the future of brand relationships in the metaverse. Despite Disney's recent decision to dissolve its entire metaverse department as a cost-saving measure, brands including Heinz, ITV, and Royal Caribbean are continuing to invest in creating metaverse experiences. While early metaverse builds by luxury brands such as Nike and Gucci focused on the money-making opportunity of metaverse e-commerce, these new experiences appear to focus on offering an experience for players.
Privacy in the Metaverse
Louis Rosenberg using Midjourney
This article discusses the concerns that have been raised concerns over user privacy and data protection in the metaverse. Metaverse platforms will not only track where users click but also monitor where they go, what they do, who they are with, and what they look at, raising unique concerns in the augmented metaverse. As a result, without regulation, the data collected could be used to create emotional profiles and document how individuals react to a range of situations and stimuli throughout their daily lives, creating a privacy concern.
The invasive monitoring expands when considering that behavioral and emotional profiles can be used for targeted persuasion, such as advertising in the metaverse which will transition from flat media to immersive experiences. Two unique forms of metaverse marketing known as Virtual Product Placements and Virtual Spokespeople could be used in targeted persuasion, which could enable metaverse platforms to manipulate user experiences on behalf of paying sponsors without their knowledge or consent.
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