Digital Equity within the Metaverse

Digital equity is and should continue to be a concern in education. We are fortunate to be in Vermont where the per pupil spending ranks second highest in the nation, as of last year. Report Outlines How Vt Education Spending Stacks Up. However, even within Vermont you can see dramatic differences in school budgets. Tax payers vote on their school budgets annually and some towns have had their budgets voted down many times over the years, while others pass easily. Over time, this has created a large gap in resources between schools.

My group spent time learning about the Metaverse over the last few weeks. It is easy to get excited about the educational possibilities that the Metaverse offers as seen in the commercial below. 

The Metaverse will be able to offer virtual experiences like traveling back in time during history classes, completing a dissection without killing a frog, practicing a foreign language on a virtual trip to another country, and even traveling through space. In some ways, these virtual experiences could create more equity in experiences if all these promises come to be. 

The problem, of course, is that the cost of new technology can be outrageous. For example, an Oculus headset was selling for $599 in 2016 but costs $430 today. Though the price has dropped dramatically, it is still difficult for many schools to afford a class set. However, a VR headset is not the only way to access some of the simulations available through the Metaverse. The following article was helpful to me to think about how to consider equity and accessibility when using the Metaverse in education.  The Accessability and Affordability of the Metaverse in Education Right Now It is easy to get swept away by the flashy images in the meta commercials, like the one above, but this article cautions teachers to consider the learning goals and take a targeted approach to adoption.

Here is the link to our project on the metaverse.