Jina Kim, CEO of Meta (Facebook Korea), is conducting the 'Metaverse Media Briefing in Education' held on the 25th at the Chosun Palace Gangnam Hotel in Seoul.
[Asia Economy Reporter Seungjin Lee] Meta, the operator of Facebook and Instagram, shared its vision for the metaverse and highlighted metaverse technologies currently being utilized in actual educational settings.
On the 25th, Meta held a ‘Metaverse Media Briefing in Educational Settings’ at the Chosun Palace Gangnam Hotel in Seoul. This event was organized to shed light on how metaverse and virtual reality (VR) technologies are currently being applied in educational environments.
"After Text and Video, the Next Step is the Metaverse"
Jina Kim, CEO of Meta (Facebook Korea), said at the event, "We started using Facebook with text in 2004, and then it evolved to images and videos," adding, "Meta has been considering what the next step is, and we believe the metaverse is exactly that next step."
She continued, "The metaverse can be defined as the next-generation internet," explaining, "It is the transition from the 2D internet world to a 3D space, where instead of logging in, the term 'jump in' will likely be used."
Meta is currently putting all its efforts into developing the metaverse. CEO Kim said, "Within Meta, there is a team called Reality Labs that develops the foundation of the metaverse," and added, "Reality Labs are established in 12 countries worldwide, conducting research and development." Meta also released the VR device Meta Quest 2 in October 2020.
CEO Kim emphasized the need to pay attention to the economic ripple effects of the metaverse industry, which is expected to create an economic value of about 3 trillion dollars globally. She evaluated that Korea, as a strong IT nation, is leading the world in the metaverse sector due to its established infrastructure and content capabilities. Furthermore, she explained that the education sector is a high-growth market, playing a leading role by evolving and expanding through various use cases.
Meta held a "Metaverse Media Briefing in the Field of Education" on the 25th at the Chosun Palace Gangnam Hotel in Seoul. The photo shows participants experiencing VrisVR's 'Wheelmaster' using the VR device Meta Quest 2 at the event.
Metaverse Used Across the Board to Bridge Educational Gaps and Support Disabled Education
The event continued with concrete examples of how metaverse and VR technologies are being applied in actual educational settings.
Edutech startup VRisVR provides customized VR educational content by visiting educational institutions nationwide using mobility such as buses and trucks, as well as reaching socially marginalized students with low technological accessibility, career-interrupted women, and people with developmental disabilities.
VRisVR has conducted education for more than 30,000 general students, disabled students, and marginalized students to date. They have developed and distributed VR vocational training content called ‘Wheelmaster’ for people with developmental disabilities, helping them learn wheelchair maintenance, disinfection, and cleaning activities more easily and realistically.
Immersive education specialist AirPass announced that it is leading the implementation of future classroom environments applying immersive technology by showcasing its self-developed VR sports room solution that combines VR and augmented reality (AR) technologies. AirPass started a pilot project for VR sports rooms in 2016 and has since supplied related facilities to over 450 schools, training centers, welfare centers, and national special education centers nationwide.
Yoonkang Jung, head of AirPass, added, “Through VR sports rooms, we will strive to contribute to creating a future-oriented educational environment where students can enjoy, learn, and exercise together.”
Sanggeun Lee, a teacher at Kyunghee Girls’ Middle School, shared a vivid perspective on the educational value of metaverse and VR technologies. He cited the immersive and realistic experiences provided by VR content as its greatest advantage for education. He explained, "It is an extremely effective educational tool that helps internalize knowledge and experience gained through direct experiences such as field trips to global cultural heritage sites that cannot be visited in person, fire and earthquake evacuation safety training, and automobile maintenance simulations."
CEO Kim stated, "Meta will collaborate with all members of the metaverse ecosystem, including companies, developers, and educators, to maximize the infinite potential of the metaverse demonstrated across various fields."
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