Here is a video I shared on Twitter last week: A couple of thoughts: 1. Traditional practice does not equal bad practice. We can’t use the terms interchangeably. 2. Innovation…
Connected Principals Posts
It’s that time of year again for hiring and job searches! Whether you are conducting an interview or being interviewed, I have found some common expectations anyone should have when walking into an education interview. If you are looking for sample questions specific to principal interviews, let me encourage you to check out the post, […]
Read More PMP:Encore027 Ten Tips for Interviewing for an Education Opening
I recently had an interview with NASSP on a myriad of topics (the whole interview will be available soon), and one of the questions I received was on “engaging parents”…
Read More On Inviting Parents and Students to Professional Learning Opportunities
I recently had an interview with NASSP on a myriad of topics (the whole interview will be available soon), and one of the questions I received was on “engaging parents” in education. I advocated for having both parents and students invited and involved in professional learning days so that they can understand and have a … [Read more…]
Read More On Inviting Parents and Students to Professional Learning Opportunities
 |
| This post is sponsored in partnership with Metaverse. |
I’ve been experimenting recently with the Metaverse app, and I think it’s a fantastic learning tool for teachers and students. Metaverse allows users to create augmented reality experiences without having to write any of their own code. The possibilities are literally endless for the types of creative projects you can develop.
So how does it work? The Metaverse Studio provides a drag and drop interface to build your experience. You simply select different components to add to your “storyboard” and then you link them together.
There are all sorts of components to work with. You can even embed your own videos or select videos from YouTube.
After you create an experience in the studio, it can be shared in a variety of ways. You can use a link or QR code, send them through email, or even embed them in your website or Learning Management System.
To interact with the experience, the user will need the Metaverse App (Android/iOS). Once you’ve downloaded the app, you can tap the link or scan the code to get started. It’s really fun and easy.
Teachers and students are creating all sorts of amazing things with Metaverse. You could make a breakout game, create a trivia/review game, develop a scavenger hunt, interactive story, and much more.
One school even used Metaverse to create a tour of their school for incoming freshmen. And students were the ones who developed the experience for their peers.
Just recently, Metaverse added a new feature to allow teachers to see all of the projects their students are working on, in one place. It’s called Collections.
While collections is a paid feature (Metaverse is otherwise FREE), this addition makes Metaverse even more powerful as a student creation station.
So here’s what I love about Metaverse…
1. It develops creative thinking.
Students need more opportunities to use creativity in the classroom. Metaverse provides a platform with endless options for creativity. Students can demonstrate their learning in new and interesting ways. They can make their own game, scavenger hunt, or story to show what they’re learning.
2. It develops reasoning skills.
Metaverse has a “storyboard” format that requires lots of if/then logical thinking. To create an experience, students will be using basic thinking skills used in coding, only without the coding. Everything is drag and drop. My cognitive reasoning skills were getting a good workout as I experimented with the tool.
3. It motivates learners.
Metaverse is a fun way to learn. I showed it to my own kids and they were immediately interested in how it worked and all of the different components that could be linked together. It definitely has a coolness factor that many other education apps lack. Students could work on their project individually or in teams.
4. It helps learners apply what they know.
It’s been often said, “No one cares what you know, they only care what you can do with what you know.” Metaverse is a great way to have students do something with what they know. There will no doubt be deeper learning when students create something that demonstrates their learning.
5. It’s a great alternative to traditional paper/pencil assessment.
Metaverse projects are a great way to assess learning. The teacher could develop a rubric for the essential learning outcomes and how those will be assessed in the Metaverse experience. As students work on the projects, the teacher could provide ongoing feedback. And students could provide feedback to each other too.
Overall, Metaverse is a great way to shift instruction from learning as a delivery system to learning that is a discovery system. The opportunities for engagement and creativity using this tool are unlimited.
Question: Have you tried Metaverse yet with your students? If not, you should give it a try. Right now you can try out Collections for free for one month using the following code: ARforEDU. Let me know what you think. Leave a comment below or respond on Facebook or Twitter.
Related Stories
- Technology PD with the Digital Decathlon
- A Surprisingly Beneficial Way to Think About Motivation
- 3 Classroom Tips for Stronger Digital Learning
Read More 5 Reasons Metaverse is the Perfect Way to Bring AR to Your Classroom
The word “technology” was in my title for a large part of my career as a teacher, with the hopes that I would work with colleagues on finding meaningful ways…
Read More Empowering Students in the Day-To-Day Operations of Our Schools
The word “technology” was in my title for a large part of my career as a teacher, with the hopes that I would work with colleagues on finding meaningful ways to implement technology in meaningful ways within the curriculum. Yet, simply having “technology” in my title meant to many others on my staff that I … [Read more…]
Read More Empowering Students in the Day-To-Day Operations of Our Schools
The word “technology” was in my title for a large part of my career as a teacher, with the hopes that I would work with colleagues on finding meaningful ways to implement technology in meaningful ways within the curriculum. Yet, simply having “technology” in my title meant to many others on my staff that I … [Read more…]
Read More Empowering Students in the Day-To-Day Operations of Our Schools
This article struck me on “self-compassion.” Here is a snippet: Many would jump to the conclusion that academic excellence is bolstered by self-esteem, which can certainly help. But there’s a…
Read More Learning From Mistakes but Not Allowing it to Hold Yourself Back
This article struck me on “self-compassion.” Here is a snippet: Many would jump to the conclusion that academic excellence is bolstered by self-esteem, which can certainly help. But there’s a dark side to focusing solely on helping your child boost his or her self-esteem (as you’ll see in a second). The better way forward? Focus … [Read more…]
Read More Learning From Mistakes but Not Allowing it to Hold Yourself Back
George’s recent post on empowering students was quite similar to a discussion we had at our Administrative Council Meeting last week surrounding Ted Dintersmith’s book What School Could Be. Chapter five…
Dr. Douglas Casa began his study of student athletic safety in 1985 when he suffered an exertional heat stroke while running a 10K race. As he explains, “I was fortunate to receive amazing care on-site from the athletic trainer; the EMT’s in the ambulance; and at the hospital from the emergency room physicians and nurses. […]
Have you ever done a presentation and get overwhelmingly positive feedback but also get the one negative, snarky comment that you just can’t get out of your mind? We have…
Read More Where do you focus your attention for the growth of your organization?
I had a fantastic opportunity to do a student podcast recently, and although the students were there to ask me questions, I took a lot of time to ask them…
I had a fantastic opportunity to do a student podcast recently, and although the students were there to ask me questions, I took a lot of time to ask them about their own experiences in school. Honestly, I would rather hear from them and their perspectives than I would talk so I tried to get … [Read more…]
I received this question and image from David Voves today regarding a passage from “The Innovator’s Mindset“: “Reading today and with personalized pd, I always question what I have in…
Read More Connecting Personalized Professional Learning to a Bigger Purpose
I received this question and image from David Voves today regarding a passage from “The Innovator’s Mindset“: “Reading today and with personalized pd, I always question what I have in orange. Wondering if you could give me insight?” “Personalized Learning” for educators is something that is gaining more traction in education, and rightfully so. If … [Read more…]
Read More Connecting Personalized Professional Learning to a Bigger Purpose
Recently, I had the privilege of talking to Dr. Kyle Palmer about the lessons he has learned in his years as a teacher, principal and district leader. As we talked about the successful professional learning teams his teachers have led, Kyle commented that when our hearts hurts when students fail, then we are willing to […]