Ed3 Weekly Issue #114: Transport Is Arranged
Exploring and experimenting with students in virtual learning environments
Hello Ed3 Community, welcome back to Ed3 Weekly!
I’ll admit it, the song “Transport Is Arranged” has nothing to do with the metaverse or virtual learning environments. However, I just couldn’t resist naming this issue after a song with the word “transport” in the title, especially considering that immersive learning involves metaphorically moving from one place to another.
This week’s issue does contain a featured article from Getting Smart on virtual reality in schools, in addition, I have a variety of resources from the worlds of blockchain, web3, and AI.
Like the lyrics of a Pavement song that is the namesake of this issue, I don’t have a coherent theme that threads through the resources. They operate like individual ideas that exist on their own, with no connection to the surrounding concepts.
Come take a “waltz through the wilderness with nothing but a compass and a canteen, setting the scenes” and explore some interesting web3 resources this week.
📰 Featured Articles:
Check out the resources linked below to delve deeper into the topics covered in this issue. Each resource is categorized by crypto, blockchain, and AI.
⛓️ Blockchain News
MultiversX Launches Global Blockchain Education Initiative
MultiversX has partnered with eCornell to launch a sponsored Blockchain Essentials Certificate Program for 100 underprivileged college students worldwide, offering free blockchain education, hands-on experience, and potential mentorship and funding for community-focused projects.
🛜 Web3 News
EasyA’s Web3 Developer Community Surpasses One Million and Launches Polkadot Education
EasyA, the leading Web3 education app, has surpassed one million developers and is launching a Polkadot education campaign to teach 40,000 developers how to build decentralized applications, culminating in hackathons in London and Harvard where approximately 100 projects will be launched.
🤖 AI News
The AI Skills Students Really Need
This article reflects on the complexities of integrating AI into writing education, highlighting the varied impacts of AI on different stages of the writing process for individual students and emphasizing the need for students to develop self-awareness of their writing processes to make informed decisions about AI use in their work.
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🤿 Weekly Deep Dive
Virtual Voyages: Augmented and Virtual Reality Point Toward an Immersive Learning Future
Image by Getting Smart
This article showcases virtual learning environments as a contrast to the boring traditional worksheet-focused classrooms of the past. It is a nice summary of the current state of immersive learning and a primer on some of the terminology being used in these fields such as the difference between AR and VR.
The authors also provide some helpful tips for educators, education leaders, and families considering the impending implementation of immersive learning in our schools. For teachers, she suggests that we start simple, level up, and get creative. For education leaders, the suggestion is to have tech boot camps. unleash creativity, ensure accessibility, and have a roadmap.
Finally, for families, the suggestion is to stay in the loop, be balanced, and encourage exploration at home. I thought it was an interesting idea to provide some insights for families on this topic, as they are often let out of these discussions.
Overall this is a nice overview of the current state of immersive learning and a great introduction for those who are considering this technology.
Thank you for stopping by for another issue of my newsletter on emerging technology in education. Link to all my work by checking out my website or give me a follow on the X platform. I also launched a supplemental podcast for each issue, subscribe on Spotify here.