Transcript 0:00 [gentle music] It's already here. Let's not just get all hyped up about it. Oh, hey, hey, the metaverse. Really, what is it? 0:06 I mean, let- let's, let's define it early and not just wait another 10 years before we start talking about it. We need to be prepared for it in whatever form it takes. That's what we need to understand. 0:19 We need to do our research for really how we're going to embrace it for everyone, I mean, 'cause I think that's critical. 0:28 [upbeat music] Welcome to The Peggy Smedley Show, the podcasting voice of IoT and digital transformation, with your host, Peggy Smedley. 0:47 Hello, listeners, and welcome to today's edition of The Peggy Smedley Show. I'm your host, Peggy Smedley. If you've been wondering what big tech comes next after smartphones, I have the answer for you. 0:59 Many of the technology giants are betting big on augmented reality and virtual reality. In fact, as the rumor goes, Apple is planning to replicate the iPhone with AR within the next 10 years. 1:13 With all this in mind, I would like to focus on my discussion today around the topic of AR and VR. On this first segment, I will look specifically at how this technology will impact education. 1:28 The future is bright for AR and VR in education. 1:33 In a s- 2020 study, respondents named education as the second most likely sector to be disruptive by immersive technologies in the near future, only coming behind healthcare. 1:47 Yes, it will impact K through 12 education, but it will also affect education in our businesses as well, and I will give you examples of both on this first segment. 1:58 But later on in the show, I will always have some amazing guests I will be interviewing. 2:02 I'll be talking with Bin Li, associate professor of Pennsylvania State University, and he has a lot to talk about when we are talking about AR and immersive technologies. 2:11 And then I'm gonna wrap up the show with Brian Burton, CEO of Burtons Media Group and professor of digital entertainment technology of Abilene Christian University. 2:22 So I hope you'll stick around, because we've got a lot to talk about. So let's get started. In 2022, Apple is reportedly expected to announce a high-end headset that mixes virtual reality and augmented reality. 2:35 Now, how many of you have already heard this? Apple certainly isn't alone. Google, Microsoft, and Meta are all looking to compete in this mighty space. The metaverse certainly, for all of you who know this, isn't new. 2:52 Of course it's not new. Digital simulated environments leveraging AR, VR, and mixed reality have been around for several decades. It certainly helps us... What do we say? How has it helped us? 3:06 It's been around since the '70s. And why is it so exciting now? Yep, it's helped us because Mark Zuckerberg has put a stake right in that metaverse ground, having renamed his company simply Meta at the end of last year. 3:21 But the pace in which companies are, and industries are tapping into the metaverse is certainly picking up the pace. 3:31 According to Emergen Research, the metaverse has the potential, now this is it, the potential to become an $800 billion space by 2028. 3:43 2028, which means a 43% annual growth between now and then. Now let that just sink in for a monent- moment. I mean, it's crazy, right? $800 billion. I bet you're all wishing you had a piece of that, right? 3:58 Today, let's look at the one specific industry that could change and could stand out to benefit the most from this technology. And what did I say at the start of the show? And that's education. 4:12 AR and VR technology can enhance a classroom experience. It can expand opportunities at all levels of learning. 4:22 A report released late last year from the Information Technology and Innovation Foundation shows how much innovation in this area could transform the field of education. 4:35 But first, let's do what I always like to do, and let's look back to look forward. 4:42 Researchers have been exploring the potential of immersive, immersive technologies as an educational tool since at least the 1990s, maybe even earlier, like I said, the '70s, but here's the caveat. 4:57 The technologies only recently became affordable and user-friendly enough to gain more widespread adoption in our classrooms. 5:07 So going forward, the opportunities, as we always like to say, are endless for AR and VR in education, both in the schools and in our businesses. So let's take a closer look here. 5:20 First, let's examine some of the opportunities virtual reality offers. Now, we know virtual reality is a computer-generated environment with scenes or objects that appear to be real. We've all talked about this. 5:36 We all know this, that technologies can fully immerse users in a virtual environment. This can lead to hands-on learning that simulates real-world experiences. 5:49 Now, let's w- kind of walk through a few examples, just for the, the sake of understanding it. A student can view, let's say, a microscopic objects in 3D. 6:00 Another is being able to stand in the middle of a physics simulation.Imagine being able to move around in that type of an environment. It's pretty cool, right? 6:13 Users can also enter a pre-recorded three sixty degree visual kind of experiences. These are just, ah, may- let's say a handful of ways we can immerse students into virtual environments. 6:29 But as we always like to say, there are so many more possibilities, and we like to think that our imaginations can go wild with possibilities here because there's so many, and many we haven't even thought of. 6:43 Think of what you could solve with the idea of letting us go to places and, and, and solve problems. What could we do? Now let's consider some of the opportunities for augmented reality in, in education. 7:01 We've talked about virtual, now let's consider augmented reality. 7:05 At its core, augmented reality is the interactive experience of a real world environment where the objects that reside in the real world are enhanced by computer-generated information. 7:21 So here, as users, we can interact with the virtual objects that appear within their kind of physical surroundings. 7:29 An example would be, let's say, students following digital overlays of an instructions for complex activities. 7:38 Now this can include tasks such as learning how to repair a complex machine or conducting a medical procedure, so like if we're trying to teach students how to be doctors. 7:50 This might include placing a virtual model of a sculpture or a historic object in a classroom or overlaying additional text or images on a historical site. 8:04 So I'm trying to give you some imagery here so you can understand what we're talking about. Now the report suggests this is the most beneficial when the object itself holds, holds the most educational value. 8:20 For me, here's what I like the most about this particular report. It urges policy makers to get involved. 8:30 We can all talk about how cool AR and VR i-is and what we're all thinking about, but what I like about this report is we're asking policymakers to get involved. 8:41 It suggests government can play a huge role in accelerating adoption and encouraging innovation in order to realize the full potential of both AR and VR technologies in education. 8:57 The report actually recommends Congress should direct the Department of Education to help bridge existing knowledge and content gaps by, let's just say, number one, investing in research into the best practices to mitigate health and safety concerns for young children and providing guidance on age-appropriate use. 9:21 We always need to think about that, right? That's gotta be first and foremost, and I really think that's important when we're looking at all this technology. 9:29 Number two in this report is providing resources and opportunities for educators to develop the skills and the knowledge needed to successfully deploy these technologies 9:43 while, while also developing, I think, resources and guidance to integrate AR and VR technologies into digital literacy initiatives to reduce the learning curve for all students at all levels. 9:58 I mean, that's really important. Everybody's gotta get it. Everybody's gotta understand it. 10:03 And I think finally, number three, accelerate the development of the quality, relevant, and age-appropriate immersive educational content by investing in government educational content for AR and VR. 10:19 I mean, basically this means all expanding AR and VR innovation in colleges and universities. And finally, number four, supporting the initiatives to expand access to an AR, VR devices and, and applications. 10:36 I mean, it's great to talk about it, but if you can't afford the devices, what does it matter? 10:41 So I mean, we've gotta make it so it's equitable and everybody's doing it, and we're spreading this knowledge and education so that we can do it a- when we're young to when we're older and, and we're all enjoying the experience together. 10:56 So when I look at all this, here's my opinion for today, and I want you to have some takeaways from this. What I really like about this report is that it's recommendation for best practices. 11:09 I think this is something every individual, school, company needs to consider. This is what we needed to do all along when we start thinking about tech. Explain the Metaverse. Really? 11:22 I mean, we gotta understand what the Metaverse is, not just another acronym, another word, whatever. The Metaverse is coming, and in many instances it's already here. Let's not just get all hyped up about it. 11:35 Oh, hey, hey, the Metaverse. Really, what is it? I mean, let-let's, let's define it early and not just wait another ten years before we start talking about it. We need to be prepared for it in whatever form it takes. 11:47 That's what we need to understand. 11:50 We need to do our research for really how we're going to embrace it for everyone, I mean, 'cause I think that's critical because we need to implement it in our schools so that all schools at all grades, at all levels embrace it and understand it.And in our companies, not just a few companies, not just the large companies, not the mid-size companies, not just in small, but every size company really uses it, and e-even more importantly, in our lives in, in a way that works best for all of us. 12:26 I mean, that's the really cool part because when we all of us use it in every part of our lives, now we're really, really getting a chance to see how cool the technology is and how important the technology is at every aspect, work, live, play, the whole concept that we talk about. 12:44 So I guess here's my tip. Don't leave that $800 billion opportunity on the table. I mean, we talk about it and now we're saying the analysts are saying that $800 billion on the table, is it really gonna be $800... 13:01 $800 billion? At what point? You know, is it 2028? W-When? Is it truly gonna be that? Is it gonna exceed that? 13:09 And, and what does the number really mean if we're not really gonna leverage it to an educational point that makes sense? 13:17 Consider the value of AR and VR in your business because we can say big numbers, but big numbers mean nothing if we're not capitalizing on it for our business's bottom line, for the growth of our country, for the growth of everyone. 13:34 Will it attract new employees? That's what we're talking about. You know, we're, again, we'll use the old, the term that everyone's throwing around, the great resignation. Oh, please. 13:44 Let's find out how do we get new employees with it. That's the most important thing. Will it train employees? 13:51 Because every technology's great, but it's not great if it's not leveraging how do we train these employees with it. How will employees benefit from it? That's what we need to do with it. 14:02 Will it attract, most importantly, new customers? We want our employees, and those employees are trained enough to help us get new customers. They all go hand in hand. But are we thinking about it? 14:15 Because that's important, because at the end of the day, what opportunities might it offer? That's how we have to look at AR and VR and, and we can't keep saying the Metaverse, the Metaverse. Who cares? 14:30 The Metaverse means nothing if the Metaverse isn't bringing us the opportunities. Maybe it is an educational tool, but it's gotta be a valuable educational tool. Maybe it is for immersive simulations. 14:47 Okay, but what does the immersive simulations mean? Maybe it's for something else entirely, but are we considering the value for your business? Seek out the right technologies, and that's what you really need to look at. 15:04 Discover the right partners that are gonna help you leverage that. Again, everything we talk about is all about collaboration, and then identify those best practices for how to move forward. 15:17 At the end of the day, that's what we need to really accomplish because here's what I know. 15:24 As I've already stated, analysts have predicted that it's going to be nearly $800 billion opportunity by 2028, and we know that they never get it wrong because they're like the weather men, you know? 15:39 Well, okay, maybe they overshoot sometimes. I'm not gonna pick on them. Regardless, the trend is here, 15:46 and though it's charged and making the move and we're all excited about the Metaverse, here's what we have to think about. 15:55 If you aren't considering how augmented and virtual reality will impact your business in the years ahead, then you're likely going to be left behind. That's pretty much a fact. 16:06 Whether it's gonna be $800 billion market, who knows? 16:10 But much like previous trends you might have dragged your feet on, well, don't go kicking and screaming into the night into this because you need to determine how to accelerate adoption in a way that is both beneficial and safe. 16:26 And guess what? With all this in mind, ask yourself today, how will I implement AR and VR into my business? The future is now, and I guess the question is, are you ready for it? 16:40 All right, that's all the time I have for this segment today, so but you know what I want you to do most importantly? I want you to tweet at me. Tell me what you think. Tweet at me at Connected World. 16:51 All right, this is all the time we're gonna take, but I want you to take a quick commercial break, and remember, check out our website at connectedworld.com, our show website at thepeggySmedleyShow.com. 17:00 And again, send me your thoughts on Twitter at Connected World. 17:04 All right, again, this is The Peggy Smedley Show, and, uh, as always, we have a new tagline that says, "The Peggy Smedley Show, your voice for our connected world." 17:15 Remember, with great technology comes great responsibility. We'll be right back. [upbeat music]
