BY DAVID KARIUKI · MARCH 28, 2018
This year’s Virtual World Best Practices in Education 2018 conference, which ended last week in Second Life, was shorter than last year — three days, instead of four — and attracted about 1,100 attendees, down from a high of around 4,500 in previous years. Attendance was up slightly over last year, however, when only about 800 attendees showed up.
In general, interest in virtual world education has been down lately, as educators begin to look ahead at virtual reality, which offers more compelling immersive experience and, unlike virtual worlds, is backed by giant players. In fact, millions of students have already experienced virtual field trips through platforms like Google Expeditions and Nearpod.
Meanwhile, major virtual world usability issues, present in the platforms from the start, still have not been addressed, and make it difficult to get large groups of students and teachers into these environments. By comparison, virtual reality apps already offer an easier, more intuitive experience.
