The Metaverse is a network of 3-D virtual worlds supporting social connections among its users and enabling them to participate in activities mimicking real life. It merges physical and virtual reality and provides channels for multisensory interactions and immersions in a variety of environments (Mystakidis, 2022). The Metaverse is considered the…

Extended reality (XR) technology and immersive learning are reshaping the future of learning and work. In this paper, Jobs for the Future (JFF) presents a new framework of occupations and career paths created or transformed by XR technology and immersive learning, including illustrative job titles, critical skills, and anticipated training/hiring…

The rapid expansion of new technologies into every sector has contributed to the proliferation of alternative models of education, learning, and skill signaling in global labor markets. From digital badges to bootcamps to learning and employment records (LERs), a wide range of public, private, and nonprofit initiatives and platforms have emerged…

Student access to technology is no longer a privilege: it is a prerequisite for full participation in high-quality education opportunities. While this fundamental right to technology access for learning is nonnegotiable, it is also just the first step to equitable learning opportunities. Society must continue to ask questions about the…

This article draws upon the cinematic, fictional portrayal of Avatars as a metaphor to show how young children are positioned in similar ways in relation to technology and nature. The authors discuss children as digital natives growing up in brave new virtual worlds, but also as vulnerable innocents who are specially attuned to--and in need…

Computers can help the range of ways learners build up their own perception. Students who collect data from the Internet can be self-directed and independent. They can select sources to study and the connections to follow. Relying on the bounds laid down by teachers, the students may be in full control of their subjects and their studies. Students…

Although engagement and learning appear linked, quantitatively measuring this relationship is challenging. New technologies offer a window into studying the interactions among classroom activity, student engagement, and positive learning outcomes in computer-equipped classrooms. A Classroom Behavioral Analysis System (CBAS) was developed to…

This article presents the results of a three-year study of "Gamestar Mechanic" (www.gamestarmechanic.com), a flash-based multiplayer online role-playing game developed for the MacArthur Foundation's digital media learning initiative by the University of Wisconsin-Madison, and Gamelab in New York. The game's objective is to help children…

Online learning is growing rapidly across the United States within all levels of education, as more and more students and educators become familiar with the benefits of learning unconstrained by time and place. Across most states and all grade levels, students are finding increased opportunity, flexibility, and convenience through online learning.…