Education in a Digital World: Opportunities for Immersive Education and Engagement
We are thrilled to be hosting our sister-nonprofit organization, DATA’s virtual event. Denver Arts + Technology Advancement (DATA) is offering a free live demonstration of our browser-based immersive digital world learning environment, the DATA Campus in Pathos Metaverse, on Thursday, October 21, 2021. DATA will welcome guests into the browser-based event at 3pm MST for networking and avatar customization before the speaker’s program begins. Register here.
As schools and universities reopen their doors, DATA has been developing solutions designed to launch us into a new world of learning beyond video calls. COVID has mercilessly exposed gaps and weaknesses in all aspects of our lives. People of all ages and backgrounds flocked online to seek the human connection, sense of purpose, and safe environments that the pandemic had so suddenly taken away. The potential of digital meeting and learning spaces is clear. Yet what can be done about the equally clear problem of online fatigue and disconnection – and the lost learning that resulted?
Now, over a year into the pandemic, major changes need to be made in the way we teach and learn. The impact to students is severe (McKinsey, July 2021):
- K–12 students on average 5 months behind in mathematics & 4 months behind in reading by the end of the 2020-21 school year
- Students in majority Black schools left with 6 months of unfinished learning; students in low-income schools with seven.
- May lead to students earning $49,000 – $61,000 less over their lifetime; potential impact on US economy is $128 – $188 billion every year (McKinsey, July 2021).
DATA has embraced extended reality (XR) technology as the solution to inspire meaningful engagement that is at the heart of a good education and transformative learning outcomes. In Pathos, all learners can create their own avatars and be transported into an immersive world that integrates the organic nature of in-person networking with an intuitive virtual platform that can be accessed from anywhere on the planet. The digital tools of this immersive world are comparable to those in computer games, yet these engage the learner in different ways – ways that are fun, enjoyable, and accessible. In addition, immersive digital tools are designed to promote cognitive development and learners’ ability to retain what was learned – similar to educational modalities, like field trips or planetariums.
DATA’s work complements and supports the digital integration of these and other classroom innovations that will be fundamental to achieving good learning outcomes and surviving and thriving in a challenging world ever-changed by the pandemic. In Pathos, DATA will convene leading educators, institutions, and community members to explore how to re-energize global accessible learning and shape a brighter future for our youth beyond COVID-19 pandemic.
We welcome you to come to hear our esteemed panelists speak about immersive worlds and education.
Panelist:
Christopher Lafayette, Emergent Technologist
Rosario Casas, Co-Founder and CEO of XR Americas
Karen Alexander, Director of XRconnectED
Hassanatu Blake, DATA Board Member and Creator/co-Host of TwinFold with Hassa and Hussa
Moderator:
Gavin Culbertson, DATA Board Member and Sr. Project Manager, Wunderman Thompson
Master of Ceremony:
Ethan Bach, CEO at Alt Ethos
Don’t miss the free live demonstration of our browser-based immersive digital world learning environment, the DATA Campus in Pathos Metaverse, on Thursday, October 21, 2021. We hope to see you at DATA’s ground-breaking Pathos demo event, Education in a Digital World: Opportunities for Immersive Education and Engagement, on October 21, 2021. Register here.
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About DATA (Denver Arts + Technology Advancement): Our mission is to develop the best and brightest digital creatives using immersive arts and technology programming to assist learning, retain information, and achieve a higher level of consciousness. www.denverartstech.org