‘Imagine you are in space in 2019. Come to the world after a year and see the face of a man like a monkey. The mask is attached to the face. Schools and colleges are closed. Virtual lesson begins. That means technology has not taken the place of the teacher rather has become a partner. In this ever-changing world, delaying the adoption of the Metaverse means falling behind. However, the use of technology cannot be forced. But it must be accessible to all. Care should be taken to avoid digital divide.
On Sunday in the lecture series held in honor of Anwarul Abedin, the founder chairman of American International University Bangladesh (AIUB), the world famous educational technologist Professor Dr. Badrul Huda Khan thus commented on the adoption of Metaverse.
AIUB Dean of Engineering Faculty Dr. ABM Siddique Hossain gave the welcome address at the beginning of the webinar. Besides welcoming the guests and participants, he said that such seminars will continue to keep teachers and students up-to-date on the use of technology in future education and its adoption.
The webinar was moderated by the director of the Faculty of Science and Technology Dr. Deep Nandi.
Modern e-learning expert Badrul Khan mentioned the 8 demands of students obtained from research in an hour-long lecture for teachers, said that although Metaverse is surreal, its impact is real. So you have to be friendlier in your interactions with students now. The reason is Google or access to information is facing questions for teachers. Interactive learning should be content based within 3 minutes.
‘Covid has brought a new reality after the Second World War’, he added that online teaching is not only fun. Even if there is Metaverse, the role of the teacher is not diminishing at all rather gradually increasing. As despite the metaverse, things have to be taught by teachers. So, they need to know more about the use of technology. If not, Mr. Khan warned that the metaverse too may cause problems.
According to him, language, culture, contest are changing from country to place. So the body language that shows ‘dislike’ in Bangladesh is used to express ‘like’ in America. In this regard, he emphasized interactive decentralization in the teaching method. The educationist reiterated his demand for immediate formation of ‘Bangladesh Metaverse Foundation’ to universalize the Metaverse-teaching process as Metaverse cannot be produced by themselves but has to be imported from different countries. At the same time, he demanded to make available high speed bandwidth and updated devices for students and teachers.