«A Reflection on Virtual Worlds and Their Contribution to Education»

Over the course of the past two decades, I have been fortunate enough to engage in groundbreaking initiatives within the realm of digital transformation in education. Today, as we grapple with contrasting viewpoints on whether the #Metaverse holds promise as an educational tool or is merely a rehashed concept, I wish to offer my insights on the matter.

To me, the #Metaverse embodies a realm where Time and Space engage in a game of strategy, akin to a game of chess. Drawing inspiration from Albert Einstein’s musings: A human is an integral part of the cosmos we term the Universe—a fragment confined by time and space. But so what?

The crux of the matter lies here: the interplay between Time and Space.

Metaverse versus Universe, and Human Being versus Avatars—these interactions hinge on the relationship between time and space.

In the spheres of art and music, artists have fashioned #MetaphoricalUniverses or #EphemeralUniverses —spaces and encounters that are unparalleled, transient, experienced in the present, and then fade away.

Virtual Worlds offer us this same potential but with the power to amplify it manifold into new, boundary-defying dimensions. This expansion reaches individuals and groups who might otherwise never have had the chance to connect in such an environment.

The term #Metaverse, though rooted in technological definition, has acquired a mythical aura and has been employed in ways that fail to captivate. Presently, describing or elucidating the societal advantages and opportunities afforded by #ImmersiveTechnologies presents a challenge. This is due to the term’s misappropriation and dilution by entities possessing an insufficient grasp of the profound intricacies and context of the technology at hand.

In 2003, I embarked on a transformative journey that led my past company, eLearning Consulting, to evolve an eLearning platform into a cutting-edge virtual educational platform known as «Edutopia.» This ambitious endeavor marked my foray into the realm of 3D worlds and virtual reality, bridging the gap between schools, educational communities, and innovative technology. Edutopia introduced avatars, interactive games, and an array of tools tailored for teachers, students, collaboration, monitoring, and evaluation—accessible from any PC.

My dedication bore fruit as thousands of students in Spain gained free access to this groundbreaking platform, supported by funding from the Ministerio de Educación, España.

Over two decades, my commitment to innovation in education extended to active involvement in classroom innovation programs and collaborations with prominent publishers. This commitment also manifested through investments in Research and Development programs under the aegis of the European Commission, resulting in the realization of several globally renowned projects.

In 2013, my endeavors expanded beyond education as we developed pioneering simulators and digital twins for the industrial sector. Subsequently, in 2017, I launched the #SmartEducationLabs initiative for the Ministry of Education in the United Arab Emirates (UAE). This groundbreaking project championed advanced education and the digital transformation of classrooms.

This legacy persisted through 2022-23, marked by my instrumental role in establishing Advanced Labs and a Virtual Campus for Madrid’s gaming industry. This Virtual Campus is uniquely focused on nurturing entrepreneurial skills within the realm of video games and immersive experiences, ultimately fostering innovation within the gaming sector.

If you want to know more, please visit #MetaMinutes with my friend Rene Schulte here: https://lnkd.in/d5WXRf3P

If you want to know more about #SmartEducationLabs, visit
https://lnkd.in/dZciTDGa

Carlos J. Ochoa Fernández ©