Language School Guide to the Metaverse: The Basics You Need to Know
You’ve probably heard about Facebook rebranding to Meta. But have you heard about the metaverse and why they think it’s the future of the Internet? We all know how much the Internet and then social media changed the way we do business and marketing, so maybe it’s time to learn about the next digital revolution and think about how you can get ahead of everyone else and use new solutions?
Don’t throw away your Facebook accounts and social media strategies just yet! Moving on to this new era probably won’t happen tomorrow, so it’s still worth focusing on solutions relevant to the current marketing landscape.
Nevertheless, it is something that we might see more and more in different aspects of our lives. So instead of feeling overwhelmed, you might as well try to enter a mindset of a young science fiction enthusiast and come along for this crazy journey!
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What is the Metaverse?
Soo… what is this whole metaverse thing? It’s a concept for what our digital life will look like in the future.
If you think about the Internet before 2009, it was a place where businesses could share information with other users of the Internet. So, the main marketing activity was to create an online business card. This period is called Web 1.0.
Then, the social media revolution happened and now we mostly rely on social platforms and user-to-user connections. This is why businesses concentrate on building and managing online communities around their brands. This we would call the Web 2.0. So, what comes next?
Metaverse can be described as a three-dimensional Internet that is populated with live people. What does that mean?
Many people think that now the Internet will move towards virtual reality and augmented reality. It will not only allow users to connect with each other and with businesses but also to do it in a 3-dimensional space. Think of the famous game Second Life from 2003 (similar to Sims) where people could socialize as their avatars in a virtual world.
The idea is very similar, but now we have exciting new technologies, for example, VR headsets such as Oculus. There are many ideas for what metaverse might include and many companies make an effort to develop their products and services in this direction, and want to be the first to dominate this unexplored territory.
Keep in mind that metaverse is not supposed to be one company or one system owned by a particular brand. It’s supposed to be a series of virtual or augmented realities created by different companies or communities. The big word for this is ‘decentralized’. The idea is that anybody can come up with and build their own way of mixing physical and digital reality.
Comparing Virtual Reality vs. Augmented Reality
First, let’s get the basics out of the way! What are VR and AR?
Virtual reality, often abbreviated to VR, is an experience of an environment or situation completely different from physical reality. This is created by VR headsets in which you can move around a virtual world only you can see. You can repair a spaceship or travel through a jungle all while staying in your living room.
Augmented reality, also called AR, is an experience of the real world that is extended by adding interactive elements that are computer-generated. Think of all these cool action movies where secret agents have special glasses that display information about things and people they see around, such as each person’s name, age, and whether they’re dangerous 😎 In AR you are still present in the physical reality but virtual elements are mixed in with the experience.
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The 5 Best Uses of the Metaverse in Language Schools
What are some potential uses of the metaverse for language schools? As this platform grows (and it is predicted to be an $800 billion market by Bloomberg’s analysts!) it will give more and more solutions and opportunities in which you can use it for language learning or for marketing and running your business. Here are some ideas that are worth keeping in mind and exploring in the future or even right now!
1. Using virtual reality for language learning
It may seem a little over the top at first but when you think about how much teaching foreign languages has evolved in recent years, it doesn’t seem so crazy anymore. If you ask a random person what the best way is to quickly learn a new language the answer will probably be „just move abroad for a year”.
We all understand that language is best learned when it is an immersive experience, not just a list of words on a piece of paper. So why not meet in a virtual reality where you can learn as you explore an environment that would be otherwise out of reach? Even now you can find many interesting places like museums or famous tourist attractions that you can explore in a VR manner.
2. Using existing video games as a teaching tool
The list of video games that are becoming metaverse-like is continuously growing with titles like Roblox and Minecraft at the top. Those video games expand their classic idea and allow for the creation of new worlds with new goals that you can play in with multiple people and make social connections. And they can be used for much more than just gaming!
For example, Lil Nas X has performed a virtual concert fully in a Roblox game that had almost 30 million visits. And Minecraft is used to teach kids how to code because it offers an educational edition where kids can write code as characters in the game and see real-time results in their environment. It allows for a fun and simple introduction to a difficult topic that is programming.
So maybe it’s time to look around and have some fun with video games when you teach foreign languages?
3. Using emerging social networks to promote your school
It’s hard to say what and/or which social networks will be successful in the metaverse. But there are companies that see this as the future of social media. One of those companies is Facebook that has recently started rebranding to Meta. The company already has a project that is a social VR world called Facebook Horizon, where people can explore and interact with each other in a series of virtual worlds that they can also create.
Similar to using social media as a marketing platform, new metaverse social platforms could also find a use to promote your school or to reach your students. Keep an eye on emerging projects!
4. Virtual events
The pandemic has really sped up the progress from traditional events to digital ones. Many conferences and concerts have been held online and they offered more and more features to make the experience immersive and resembling interactive reality. Even Microsoft Teams has started to develop a way to hold meetings in a virtual reality explored as an avatar.
But there are so many platforms that offer this type of meeting environment! Facebook is also promising to offer organizing events in a mixed reality manner with some people attending online and on-site. Events can of course be a great way to promote your school and connect with people!
You can organize a webinar or discussion that might attract potential students, attend a conference to meet other business owners, or create an online party for your students so they can get to know each other! With today’s safety concerns virtual events are an idea definitely worth considering.
5. Augmented reality for language learning
Augmented reality can be a great way to make learning languages easier and more exciting. Imagine if you could point your phone or special glasses at an object and you would immediately see the word translated into the language you’re learning. This concept has been explored by many companies trying to come up with such solutions.
For example, Google Translator has an option for translating text on an image from the camera on your phone. There are also new apps like Mondly AR that show you new elements within physical reality using your phone camera and allow you to interactively learn new words additionally using voice recognition and chat option.
It’s definitely worth looking out for new AR apps and solutions and trying them out because using them might put you light-years ahead of your competitors.
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How Can Language Schools Prepare Themselves for Metaverse?
If you’re still not up to date with promoting your school online, it's time to get your marketing basis in order. Soon we'll enter the new phase of the Internet, and unless you'll have all of your digital ducks in the row - you might be left behind.
We are facing a revolution similar to the one that happened when the Internet appeared. You do not want to be like one of those companies that stayed behind and had a hard time catching up with the technology.
You don't need to make any drastic steps just yet, but you need to keep one eye on the meta revolution all while making sure that your current marketing is up to the highest standards.
Do you feel like you could use some professional help with your current marketing BEFORE it’s time to jump into the metaverse? Check out how we can help you out or schedule a call and find out whether we’re a good fit for you.
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