JALT TYL x MAVR SIGs: Teaching in the Metaverse

The Teaching Younger Learners (TYL) SIG and the MAVR SIG joined forces to co-host an online event in March this year for teachers interested in getting a first-hand experience of the Metaverse. The event was hosted on Gather (https://www.gather.town), a 2-D virtual environment which combines teleconferencing with proximity audio and video. Users on Gather appear as 8-bit avatars and can view the video and hear the audio of those who are in their vicinity. There were about 30 teacher participants joining a Gather space custom-created for this workshop-style event, and they were able to explore the virtual environment and familiarize themselves with its affordances. As part of the event, the participants got to do a collaborative task in breakout areas and brainstormed ideas on how to potentially use Gather in their teaching practice. The event ended with a feedback form.