A new VR gadget brings the ocean to the Prairies
It never occurred to the two grad students from the University of Saskatchewan graduate that their final project, a metaverse, would win a competition and be presented to the UN.
For their Sustainability Teaching and Learning Through Design & Technology course, Nicole Lamoureux and Kristin Moskalyk had to come up with a means to educate about one of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) of the United Nations (UN). The pair decided on SDG 14: Life Below Water, which aims to preserve and manage marine resources and the oceans in a sustainable manner.
The two former teachers sought to discover a means to help people in landlocked countries gain empathy and support for SDG 14, despite the fact that they had no previous expertise developing virtual environments.
In a recent interview, Moskalyk expressed the opinion that because many of the university’s students are landlocked from the plains and have never seen the ocean, it’s possible that they are unaware of the true nature of the situation there. There is a belief that creating engaging chances for pupils and attempting to be creative in their methods are crucial tasks for educators and others working in educational development.
Users will encounter educational resources, such as activities, games, and movies, while exploring the virtual environment.
According to Moskalyk, the Frame VR technology they used was easy to use, which let them concentrate on the metaverse’s content.
The only challenging part was figuring out how to include such resources and arrange them so that students could easily utilise them.
Moskalyk and Lamoureux’s professor urged them to enter the Metaverse for Sustainable Development Goals Global Prize and Virtual Reality Competition once they completed their research.
Paula MacDowell, assistant professor of curricular studies, felt they would make a great application after watching the contest. The STGs are horrifying, and it shows a very high degree of student participation. These are all the concerns and difficulties that the planet is facing.
Out of 257 teams from 70 countries, their team—dubbed Techy Teachers—was chosen as one of the 15 winning teams. They were awarded a $10,000 level two finalist prize.
According to Nicole Lamoureux, it is actually such a really big success, as the team didn’t imagine its project would go this far whatsoever. She highlighted that it only served as evidence of the dedication and hard work she and her colleagues had put in.
At the UN’s Science, Technology, and Innovation Forum last year, the team gave a presentation on its metaverse. They provided delegates a tour of their virtual world after meeting with them.
It was favourably welcomed, according to Moskalyk. People expressed excitement about the chance for pupils to participate in this kind of learning.
She wants access to additional VR headsets to provide to schools and hopes that educators would utilise the resource in the classroom.
