Ed3Weekly: Issue #7 of Web3🤝Education
Welcome to issue #7, let's talk about the metaverse frens! Came across some great resources all about this immersive technology that we are calling the metaverse. At the top of this list is an amazing study by educational psychologist Richard Mayer. What's super cool about this study is that it is thorough, vetted, and provides some beneficial insights about the potential impact of immersive learning experiences in our classrooms.
I first came across this study in EdSurge, one of my favorite online magazines about the futue of learning. This is important because EdSurge has built a strong following for its coverage of a variety of contemporary issues in education from mental health, technology, the role of higher ed, and much more. They've remained balanced in what issues they cover and how they speak about them. And the actual article is pretty short. It basically just points to the actual study and lets you decide for yourself.
Instead of summarizing my thoughts in this intro, I have included a link to a tweet thread I posted. I share my impressions about the study in this thread and my reasons for why I think it is important that educators familiarize themselves with this research. To restate my position simply, because the metaverse is coming it is our responsibility to educate ourselves about how to implement this technology with the highest level of intentionality possible.
To stay in the metaverse theme I also shared a podcast with metaverse "expert" (he even said he doesn't like being called that) Matthew Ball. I have also included a link to an upcoming online event about the metaverse with the folks from Getting Smart. And it woudln't be a dagan.eth newsletter without some contrarian crypto coverage from the mainstream media!
I hope you enjoy this issue, and as always your likes, Tweets, and Retweets really help spread awareness of this newsletter. Also, if you have any interesting web3 articles, news, or events feel free to share in my DMs, I am always looking to learn more about what is going out there!
Articles
Here's the EdSurge article that contains the link to the study on the impact of immersive experiences on learning. This is a must-read for any and all educators. My main goal is that educators keep themselves abreast of the technology and how it is being used to support learning in our classrooms.
Can the Metaverse Improve Learning? New Research Finds Some Promise | EdSurge News The metaverse is the latest tech frontier, with Facebook (now called Meta) and other tech giants rushing to build a parallel social and professional ...
Here it is, my mainstream news contrarian article of the week. I think I might need to turn this into its own section. LOL, actually I love including these because it forces us to rethink our positions and take it in from all angles. As I've said before, if you can't do that, then it is time for you to do some more research!
Opinion | What Is Happening to the People Falling for Crypto and NFTs - The New York Times — www.nytimes.com Web3, billed as the future of the internet, might create more problems than it solves.
Tweets
This is my Tweet in which I cover the study referenced in the EdSurge article. I know it's kinda weird linking to my own Tweet in my newsletter, but I did spend a lot of time reflecting on the article and the findings.
Events
Great opportunity for learning with my friend and thought-partner Mike Peck from the Ed3 educators NFT and DAO.
Ed3 Master Class with Mike Peck Co-founder & Tech Director of Ed3 Educators and Co-founder of Ed3DAO. Link to calendar event with Zoom link here.
Really excited for this one. Getting Smart is another well known online education publication that is starting to give the metaverse some coverage. Really curious what this discussion will cover and who will show up!
Welcome! You are invited to join a meeting: What on Earth is a Metaverse?: The Next Frontier of Engaging and Learning. After registering, you will receive a confirmation email about joining the meeting. — us02web.zoom.us On this Getting Smart Town Hall we’re entering the metaverse… or at least, we’re talking about it. Chances are, you’ve seen a lot about the metaverse in the last six months. You’ve also probably heard a lot of other terms at the same time… NFTs, block chain, crypto, Web 3. We’re hosting this town hall to talk through what these terms mean and, more specifically, what they mean for the future of learning. We’ll explore some of the following questions: - Is the metaverse technically on “earth”? - How far away is this from being a reality? - What does this mean for teaching and learning? - What about equity and accessibility? - What about the power of place? Much of this will be speculation and hypothesis but we can’t wait to have you along for the journey through realities old, new and imagined.
Podcast
I can listen to read about Matthew Ball all day. He is quite prolific in his thinking about the metaverse. I have his new book on the metaverse on pre-order and look forward to reading it this summer. This is from an investing podcast so they diverge a little into the investing part of the metaverse. But it is definitely rooted in the technology behind this emerging "reality."
Metaverse: Unlimited Potential, Very Real Constraints - Motley Fool Money | The Motley Fool — www.fool.com
The future of the metaverse is murky, even if its present technical challenges are clear. But there may be a few trillion reasons why investors should keep their eyes on this new frontier. Venture capitalist Matthew Ball is the author of the upcoming book, “The Metaverse: And How It Will Revolutionize Everything.” Asit Sharma talks with him about: - The technical challenges in bringing the metaverse to life - A murky future for all involved - Why Nike may have meaningful exposure to the metaverse To learn more, click here - https://www.fool.com/investing/stock-market/market-sectors/information-technology/metaverse-stocks/what-is-the-metaverse/ Stocks mentioned: RBLX, FB, NKE, U Host: Asit Sharma Guest: Matthew Ball Producer: Ricky Mulvey Engineers: Dan Boyd, Brandon Gentry
Thanks again for reading, you can read my blog on the decentralized blogging platform Mirror, sign up to receive my Substack, or go old school and read my bloggy blog. They all link to the same content 🤪