OEB Global 2022: Education in the Metaverse

2022-10-19

Online Educa Berlin, the annual global, cross-sector conference and exhibition on digital learning and training since 1995,, which will take place in Berlin from 23-25 November, hosts the  annual OEB Debate. It is a highly spirited, provocative, yet good humoured parliamentary-style Plenary session on a relevant and topical theme, which allows for a lively exchange of views as it brings two opposing sides to the stage. This year’s motion is "This House Believes Education Should Move to the Metaverse".

Will the metaverse enable more education for more people: an opportunity for greater democratisation in education, a fairer society, greater empowerment of peoples in hard-to-reach communities and societies, greater social mobilisation and more? Or will the metaverse cause more problems than it solves: perhaps leading to a more divided society for those who are 'connected' and those who are not; will it lead to greater social problems adding fuel to the technological challenges that society is already grappling with?

Astrid Jaeger, OEB Event Director: “The metaverse has been described as the next evolution of the internet or Web 3.0. It offers an ‘extended reality,’ in which people can socialise, work and learn. Mark Zuckerberg, its most prominent champion, believes ‘the metaverse is the next chapter for the internet’. Do edtech professionals buy into this or do they see things differently?”

“Is it the future for education – a brave, new, digital world where every experience is an immersive learning opportunity and students’ grades are higher than ever before? Or is it a dangerous distraction from the essential discipline and structure of traditional education?”

At OEB 2022 the conference will debate the essential issues facing the future of education in the metaverse - its pros and its cons. At an important juncture in education, as the world recovers from pandemic and faces significant social and technological challenges, OEB will provide edtech professionals with the opportunity to help to shape the next phase of education and workplace learning.

The OEB Annual Debate: "This House Believes Education Should Move to the Metaverse" will take place on Thursday Nov 24, at 17:45.

The full conference agenda for OEB 2022 is online along with OEB Conference ticketing and more information about the exhibition, which runs alongside the conference.

Notes for editors