This article discusses how the term metaverse and the use of virtual worlds is not novel. Beginning with the use of the metaverse for learning starting in the 1990s, the author provides an overview of metaverse, immersion in virtual worlds, their use, and research conducted on them. The article ends with an outline of emerging trends and possible…

There is a knowledge gap in tracing and analyzing historical records (e.g., annual or bi-annual) of educational technology, particularly, exploring emerging technology trends and their uptake in education. This study addresses this gap by reviewing technology adoption in education, based on bibliometric and content analyses of EDUCAUSE Horizon…

This mixed-methods study explored the impact of cinematic virtual reality (CVR) on seventh-grade students (n = 66) in a school library. The research was comprised of two phases, integrating data from questionnaires and student/teacher interviews. The study focused on "The Displaced," a documentary about child refugees, presented in two…

Pedagogical agents are on-screen characters that help facilitate learning in a virtual or mixed-reality setting. The research on pedagogical agents has shifted focus since their creation, from understanding their underlying principles, identifying their potential roles and usage, and recently finetuning their design for applied practice. This…

Virtual reality (VR) in education has tremendous potential in providing immersive and interactive experiences for students. Immersive virtual reality (IVR) technologies and IVR learning experiences have been increasingly used in education settings to support a variety of instructional methods and outcomes by providing experiential and authentic…

Multi-user virtual environments (MUVEs) have great potential for supporting learning experiences with a high social and teaching presence. One particular MUVE of note is Mozilla Hubs, a system of open-source virtual worlds that allow users to join sessions and interact as avatars. To date, prior studies have not examined teaching and social…

As education preparation programs align their instruction to the contemporary technologies used in schools, they may begin to design and deliver virtual reality instruction in the teaching methods classroom. In this study, we examined the experiences of 24 pre-service teachers as they used virtual reality for the first time through the lens of the…

Over the past decade, geospatial technologies have emerged as a tool for developing spatial reasoning and cognitive processes. While the foundational Learning to Think Spatially report from the National Research Center (2006) launched research into the use of geospatial technologies in isolation, more recently, cloud-based simulation software have…

The integration of design thinking with extended reality (XR) and artificial intelligence (AI) offers transformative potential for second language (L2) learning by providing immersive, interactive, and personalized experiences. Despite significant advancements in XR and AI technologies, their practical integration within formal language education…

Augmented Reality (AR) can enhance learning experiences offering many benefits to students. However, its integration in educational practice is rather limited due to several obstacles. One of these obstacles is the absence of AR digital competencies among instructors. Limited research exists about teachers' competence areas in integrating AR in…

This discourse presents TPACK as a conceptual framework for thinking about the integration of Virtual Reality into the classroom. This content introduces the concept of immersion, explores of the possibilities of VR technology, including the hardware, software, and potential classroom uses. This review also provides heuristics for deciding VR's…

The purpose of this study was to investigate how the consumption and production of extended reality (XR) video content impacted elementary student spatial reasoning skills. Third- and fourth-grade elementary students (aged 8 to 11) were given a four-week intervention in which they first consumed virtual reality (VR) video for two weeks. During the…

In this paper we introduce an approach to cybersecurity education and helping students develop professional understanding in the form of a Playable Case Study (PCS), a form of educational simulation that draws on affordances of the broader educational simulation genre, case study instruction, and educational Alternate Reality Games (or ARGs). A…

In this article we make recommendations based on our qualitative inquiry into one elementary teacher's iterative processes of designing and implementing technology-enhanced instruction using virtual reality (VR). The use of VR has gained more attention from educational researchers and practitioners but evidence-based demonstrations of how teachers…

Students deepen their content knowledge and collaborative skills as they interact with others across the globe. In order to deepen early childhood students' awareness and understanding of the world, teachers worked with their classes to develop and share school-based virtual field trips. The researcher sought to (a) identify the steps to create a…