Publish at March 27 2023 Updated March 28 2023
The change of course of Facebook to Meta in 2021 by Mark Zuckerberg was welcomed with a lot of skepticism by Internet users and his collaborators. Facebook precisely needed this rejuvenation in order to ensure its survival in an ever-changing virtual universe. Whether it's a playful virtual space or a learning one, it's up to everyone to make the metaverse what they want according to their expectations. But what exactly is the metaverse?
Derived from the English word "metavers", it is the association of two terms "meta" and "universe", whose addition refers to a universe beyond reality. This means that the metaverse is a virtual reality space in which all aspects of real life are integrated. Considered as a "hypothetical evolution of the Internet", looking into this question by making the link with education seems to be an interesting undertaking. Especially since the metaverse would offer an exceptional virtual experience with a strong educational impact. Therefore, in what way would the metaverse be the educational tool of the future? This question allows us to identify certain aspects that make the metavers an asset for teaching.
In science majors mainly, the existence and life in the laboratory is an important phase of learning that reinforces the information received in theoretical classes. But, in an environment where laboratory facilities are almost non-existent if not absent, the acquisition of skills in such an environment is impossible. To be clearer, let's take the example of a medical student who would like to extract a tumor from a guinea pig. Unfortunately, in the absence of equipment, it is agreed that his knowledge will remain a mere theory. As a result, he will find it difficult to take on highly technical tasks. He will therefore be a doctor in theory and not in practice. One does not even dare to imagine what could happen to a patient who would be under the care of such a doctor!
And yet, the metavers gives the learner the opportunity to practice this time not on a simple guinea pig, but on a human being obviously in virtual reality. This experience offers learners a chance to have practical lessons that are closer to reality. This advantage of the metaverse has no effect on reality. However, the student can see his or her progress as the exercise progresses. It can be seen that the metavers is becoming an essential pedagogical tool in certain fields such as medicine, particularly for certain sub-Saharan African countries where the lack of laboratory equipment is glaring. In addition to addressing the lack of a technical platform for students, metavers puts an end to language barriers.
We've all needed to learn something new in our lives either to be able to deliver a coherent speech in front of specialists in a field, or to add a new string to one's bow and be versatile. But several obstacles made it difficult, and we ended up throwing in the towel and "coming down to earth". Indeed, the quest for knowledge is a path strewn with pitfalls that requires the learner to be open-minded, which unfortunately not everyone has. This open-mindedness implies polyglossia. Learning a new language is not always easy, even if it depends on the will and the objective of the learner. In any case, the language, or at least its lack of mastery, can be an obstacle to learning and accessing knowledge. Indeed, if the most spoken languages in the world are English, Mandarin, Spanish and French, which are translated by translation software such as Google translate or Deepl, 20% of the world does not speak any of these languages. As a result, communication, the transfer of knowledge is made impossible.
Thankfully, the metavers is designed in such a way that the language barrier cannot be an obstacle for learning. In fact, the Meta project imagined by Mark Zuckerberg makes "oral translation instantaneous without having to go through the written word, which would avoid the latency effect, unlike the already existing translation services requiring a mandatory written retranscription before translation into the target language." As you can see, with this brand of originality, metavers has the potential to become the learning tool of the future. A future that is increasingly interconnected. This reality allows us to announce the next aspect which is that of the decentralization of knowledge.
The pandemic in Covid-19 has brought the indispensability of the internet back into the open. Its ability to reduce distance, the ease of access to knowledge while remaining at home, such are the assets that the internet offered during this pandemic. Understood as the Internet of the future, the metaverse does not remain outside this movement. This tool guarantees the circulation of knowledge. It goes against the traditional conception of the classroom, which is concentrated on a single teacher who has positions on a certain number of subjects. Which stances sometimes do not fit with those of the learner.
The metaverse in this framework, then, is an opportunity to have multiple viewpoints on a given issue. For, here, the learner can get in touch with other teachers from various geographical areas, moving from one lecture room to another, thanks to his avatar and virtual reality headset.
He thus ends up, getting a global idea on the issue by training himself. We are thus witnessing a decentralization and delocalization of knowledge. This represents a learning opportunity for people seeking knowledge, regardless of their geographical location. This learning through experience favors memorization, comprehension and the anchoring of knowledge in virtual reality. We realize that metavers can be a practical pedagogical asset, decentralizing knowledge and dissolving language barriers. However, it is necessary to strengthen security firewalls to avoid cases of identity theft, harassment.
References
- Fabre Emilie, 2023, "What is the Metaverse? How does it work?", online https://urlz.fr/l9po
- Mocogni Clara, 2022, "Meta: Toward the End of Language Barriers Across the World Thanks to AI", online
http://decodagecom.be/meta-vers-la-fin-des-barrieres-linguistiques/
- Terrier Marie, 2022, "The metaverse was supposed to save Facebook, but Mark Zuckerberg is struggling to convince," online
https://www.huffingtonpost.fr/international/article/le-metaverse-devait-sauver-facebook-mais-marc-zuckerberg-peine-a-convaincre_209442.html
- Tortorici Stephanie, "Is the Metaverse the Future of Education?", online
https://www.magicmaman.com/metaverse-education-avenir-professeur,3705977.asp
You might also like:
Reform of training and the nursing profession in France
Nursing training and the nursing profession in France are being reinvented, with university education, nursing science and digital health all on the agenda. An ambitious reform to shape the nurse of tomorrow, a reflective professional with a developed critical and scientific mind, well-versed in new technologies and a key player in a fast-changing healthcare system.
The will and desire to learn tested by scientific facts: key points
Ten beliefs about the desire to learn in the light of scientific knowledge on the subject. What does the will to learn really depend on? How can we create the best conditions?
Interdependence and synchrony are terms that refer to the realities of highly complex ecosystems. How should we approach them? What form should they take, and how can we make them positive?
Mothers and daughters learning together
When organizing educational itineraries, we've noticed a craze for mother-daughter pairs. How does this form of accompanied travel transform learning? In a context marked by the fragmentation of experiences, what are the effects of these shared experiences?
How far should we disobey to learn?
Learn to disobey and disobey to learn. Learn to recompose the meaning of the world and produce new realities acceptable to everyone.
