Middle School Students Learn About Future Careers on the Metaverse
William and Aida Jackson, VR Certified Educators and Advocates for STEAM+M Educational engagement on the Metaverse is teaching students about the career opportunities, building galleries, developing technology skills that help students learn. Along with the Metaverse is Podcasting and gaining experiences and knowledge to prepare for the future.
Students in middle schools across Jacksonville have been learning about future careers that the Metaverse will be offering. Using videos, open discussions, learning how the Arts are viable career options, role playing and using Oculus’s (digital headsets) William and Aida are taking students on educational and professional journeys that will change students’ visions for their future careers.
Students from Twin Lakes Middle, Dupont Middle, Charger Middle,
and Lakeshore Middle so far were treated to sessions of what
careers await them as the Metaverse influences education,
economics, and digital ecosystems.
Mrs. Jackson a certified VR educator with Victory XR shares
that students are playing Roblox and Minecraft they are
already experiencing some portions of the Metaverse.
That role playing in games (gamification) can teach
valuable skills for critical thinking, collaboration and
understanding how virtual worlds can work in the
real world. This will prepare them for the future as
critical thinkers and innovators.
Using the Oculus’s that are provided, brings students
deeper into immersive worlds and potential businesses,
career opportunities and how the Arts are important in
digital and virtual worlds. Mr. Jackson shares that
students must look at their choices for the future.
They can either be under-employed, un-employable or
left behind if they are not willing to learn digital skills
that are important. Coding, programming, robotics,
digital arts, gamification, storytelling are valuable
skills for the future. Even more so as the Metaverse
grows in influence and integration in the real world
and blending of virtual worlds.
William and Aida have been working collaboratively
with Lakeisha Posey, Program Director at Florida
State College of Jacksonville GEARUP Program,
and I’m A STAR Foundation.
|
Understanding the Metaverse contains digital lands made
by artists, coders, programmers and digital developers.
Digital lands can be created by anyone using software that
is free, accessible and capable of creating worlds where
there is no limit to what a person as an avatar can be done.
An avatar refers to a character that represents an online user.
People create their avatars that represent them in digital
worlds, the user can create anything in their imagination and
engage with others in Metaverse spaces, places and worlds
similar to real life experiences, but with increase mobility,
creativity and digital innovation. So influential is the Metaverse,
there are churches, stores,
schools and global businesses present.
Using the components of Science, Technology Engineering
Arts Math and now the explosion of the Metaverse have
increased influences in how students will be taught in the
future and how business will be run in digital environments.
Using platforms Altspace VR, Spatial, Engage and others,
students are shown that gaming is not the only way to potentially
make money, the ability to create lands, use the Arts to build
digital worlds for people to communicate and collaborate,
travel the world and experience digitally things students may
never be experienced to in person.
Students, with the help of their teachers can travel the world,
visiting far off nations safely, learn about space aboard the
International Space Station, deep dive in the Pacific Ocean,
climb the highest mountains, explore the deepest caves and
other wonderous things and not be in danger of injury or harm.
Educational groups in Duval County Public Schools like
“The Ones, Black Male Collective,” and “Los Unos” have
Metaverse sites to promote Black & Latino Males in
Education and to share resources, mentoring and building
a career as a Black & Latino Male Educator.
https://tinyurl.com/2p9cvuc4
There are so many opportunities for students and teachers
to have positive experiences, to be influenced and inspired
and gain future skills. The time is now to learn and be empowered
for middle school students across Jacksonville.
Students must take advantage of the benefits of learning new
and immerging technologies that are found on the
Metaverse, Web 3 and the Internet.
Video from Rance Adams for TLAM
https://www.news4jax.com/river-city-live/2023/01/03/twin-lakes-academy-molding-future-journalists/