Dr Toni Pirtle's Blog

Privacy & Safety in the Metaverse

Posted on by Dr Pirtle

When I began teaching social media a decade ago, the issue of online privacy and safety in the social media realm was an important topic to teach in the classroom. I have spent much time talking with students for the past ten years about such things as public profile pictures, geotagging settings, cyberstalking, cyberharassment, and more. I have always stressed in my classrooms and public workshops just how important learning about online privacy and safety is, and have encouraged my students to share what they have learned with others!

It may seem to some reading this that the topics of online privacy and safety are old news, but rest assured, they really are not, in fact, the topics are still very real, and in the news daily! As the technologies we use continue to evolve, it is important to pay attention to them so as to continue securing your online safety and security and that of your friends and family. With that in mind, I want to share with you a few of my own recent experiences while I have been learning how to teleport to different places in the metaverse!

In very public metaverses, people are represented by the avatars that they create. There are many public venues such as areas to see shows, places to hang out, places to visit etc. It is much like walking through a town, you can be there with people you know, and you will encounter people you don’t know too!

I have experienced an adult female avatar with a male voice, who was chatting with a group of other avatars, and who was in the process of admitting to the group that he was a teenage male posing as an adult female. In another area where I was walking through a public museum, a juvenile avatar kept jumping in front of me saying “hi and “hey” and kept repeating it, obviously under no adult supervision in their real environment. It was very irritating!

In another instance, I was heading through a public area toward a planetarium exhibit and was called out to repeatedly by an avatar who kept referring to my avatar name, followed by “hey, old white lady”.

Naturally, I would have preferred not to have experienced any one of those previously mentioned things. I thought the behaviors were rude, but mostly they worried me because while I am adept at managing such situations, I worried for others who are less adept, and possibly vulnerable to harassment and abuse.

Please know that I have had very positive experiences too, I have met many people from around the world, and I have learned a great deal from them. I have learned things from the people I have met that I don’t think I would have ever known if I had not met them! I will save those experiences for another post!

Suffice to say, as I have wandered the metaverse, learning as I go, it resonates with me just how important communication is, and just how important the messages I gave long ago are today! I also recognize that my students today are potentially going to be working in virtual environments for much of their working week while utilizing technologies that may thrust them into public arenas that they need to be prepared for too!

My recent travels in the metaverse have brought to mind the importance of teaching how to communicate effectively in our virtual world of today. I teach Business Communications and my curriculum does not embrace this concept yet, but it will soon! The business landscape is changing and so must we!

Business Education In The Metaverse?

Posted on by Dr Pirtle

I have no doubt that the methods we use to teach our career tech courses, indeed all courses, will be revolutionized by the metaverse, for many reasons!

I stumbled on this article today, called “Deans Predict Metaverse For Business Education” by Thomas Nugent, published on January 18th this year:

I quote “as new technologies like virtual reality promise a refinement of the hybrid learning model, b-school deans see business education tapping into the metaverse in 2022”. Nugent’s article is worth reading 🙂

If you are an educator and wonder about the future of education and if/how it will cope with the immersive learning students will expect, let’s connect and chat more!

In the Metaverse visiting iTeacher and Britain at War

Posted on by Dr Pirtle

Check it out! Yes, that is a Spitfire above my head! Here I am teleporting through the Metaverse using the Spatial app, to iTeacher and arriving at Britain at War!

The possibilities are endless in the virtual reality space, and just being there sends my creativity into a spin! In this video, it is awesome to see a Spitfire above me and to be able to walk around the exhibits. What comes to mind during these experiences is just how much education can play a role in the metaverse!

The exhibit I visited here is a prime example of a classroom opportunity! Immersive learning can happen, can capture the imaginations of our learners, and just make learning so much more fun!

Learning is everything, we grow through learning, and I am learning through growing!

More to come….

Retreat To My VR Classroom

Posted on by Dr Pirtle

I have been traveling the Metaverse, meeting new folks, going to places I thought I would never see again and have tried out places I wish I had tried when I had the chance in the real world! Yes, I have finally rafted through the Grand Canyon, but I am not going to share that virtual trip!!!

So back to some kind of professional virtual reality, showing off my virtual classroom in Workrooms!

More blog posts are coming in which I will share with you more journeys, but as a teaser, I have been home to England, visited my ranch, been to Cambodia with a friend, met folks from all over the world! Such a pleasant new world to be exploring!

Of course, I will blend pleasure with work and continue to share my professional growth with you 🙂

More to come…..

Join Me On My VR Space Station!

Posted on by Dr Pirtle

Words cannot do justice to the experience that I am having in the Metaverse! I have waited a lifetime to be able to teleport and this is probably as close as I will get!

Over the decades, my students sat before me listening to my stories about technologies. I would joke that I was a dinosaur compared to them when it came to how much change I had seen since learning to type on a typewriter that didn’t need electricity! But mostly, I would tell the students that one day, we would be able to teleport and that I wanted to be around when we could!

Well, to all my thousands of past students, here is a shout-out to you – thank you for listening to me over the years, thank you for sharing my passion, and yes, I am pleased to tell you all that I have teleported! – in its first iteration anyway 😉

Here I am teleporting to space!!! Major Tom, thank you!

I am soooooooo excited by what the virtual reality world is bringing us, and how it has endless possibilities! I feel a whole new chapter is beginning, and I am no longer sure what to dream for next?!!!

But for sure, more to come…..

Education In The Metaverse?

Posted on by Dr Pirtle

You most likely have been hearing more about the metaverse recently, the 3D virtual reality universe! The Metaverse will revolutionize education, and as an educator, I view the metaverse as a complimentary digital tool to the teaching-learning process, I think it will revolutionize the way we do education!

The Wall Street Journal reports that between 2018 and 2021, the combined revenue from virtual reality enterprises has risen from $829m to $3.5b, and the prediction is that the revenue will continue to sharply rise to $4.8b by 2023. The COVID-19 pandemic has increased focus on the immersed environment of virtual reality and the metaverse, and currently, 40% of the top 1,000 corporations in the US are using virtual reality for office space. Education is paying attention to the virtual reality space, with several metaverse campuses already in development.

So, what is the metaverse? And what is its place in education?

The metaverse is a huge virtual network space that allows people to interact with one another on the Internet, in 3D. I have recently begun to experience the metaverse myself and I finally now have the opportunity to “teleport” to different places. It is like walking into a school with many classrooms, or a museum with different exhibits and experiences. I have teleported from one virtual place to another – all 3D spaces, all very close to reality, if not closer than I had expected! The metaverse isn’t just about socializing and game playing it goes beyond entertainment and I can create virtual workspaces, homes, and experiences.

Even though the technology is in its infancy it is still amazing to use and experience. When I am in the virtual world with my headset on, I can be there alone or with someone else, I can be there with a group of people who can all see my nonverbal gestures, and I can see theirs. We can talk back and forth in real-time and socialize or work together. The tools within the virtual workspaces are amazing, the ability to move around, draw mind maps, work on whiteboards, share computer screens, and much more, make a complete working environment very real-and dare I say it, in some cases where tools are not available in the “real” world, even better!

Adopting a digital virtual life and becoming familiar with all it has to offer is an important step to take to begin to learn the skills necessary to navigate this new and immersive world. AI and supercomputers will only increase the ability to function and conduct business within a virtual arena, so jumping in and embracing these new tools will help us to develop the fundamental skills we will need. Much like when we moved from DOS to Windows, (yes, I was there), when we began to use a Mouse (I was there too), and when we began to use the internet, there were folks who were hesitant to adopt and adapt to those technologies, thinking they were a fad. As I began to teach social media ten years ago, that too was considered a fad, not necessary for the business world. But, here we are today, all of those things are major daily pieces of our personal and professional lives! Think of this, our experience on the web and on social media will soon be very different because of the influence of the metaverse!

During my experience as a Career Technical Education administer, I soon learned how difficult it was to provide up-to-date and industry-standard instructional resources in a timely manner due to space constraints, and cost constraints. In these fiscally challenging times, with decreasing enrollments, and growing workforce supply demands, we are constantly seeking new ways to meet those challenges and best serve the students’ needs. I think that embracing Virtual Reality as a method of instruction will help with equipment costs, space constraints, and facility costs, and will naturally add to the student experience! There are Universities and Colleges currently embracing the VR space, teaching and learning continue to evolve.

So in between my working life, and teleporting all around the globe and space, I am exploring how best to develop an immersive virtual reality classroom to expand my ability to prepare students for the technical skills that will be required of them to function in the workplace/educational setting of the very near future! More to come….

My Take On The Gov’s Proposed Budget 2022

Posted on by Dr Pirtle

When I was completing training to become an Administrator, I was fortunate to be able to attend the California Governor’s Budget Workshop in Sacramento a couple of times. I didn’t attend during my tenure as a Dean, but since those days, I have kept up my attendance because it is so informative and critical to my area of interest!

This year, the Workshop was held virtually, and while I listened intently to the panel discussion and questions at the beginning, I was anxious to hear this year’s presentation on the economic forecast! Some of those presentations can be quite dry, but more and more I have come to find them so informative and entertaining! – I know, strange right?! So, I will begin this blog post as a feedback mechanism on the Workshop as a whole, will start with the economic forecast, and summarise the budget presentation!

This year’s economic forecast presentation was loaded with charts, supplemented by great explanatory dialog. The presentation helped to clarify what has been happening in our state economy, especially during the COVID-19 pandemic, and where we are most likely going from here. Of course, the presentation provided a foundation on which to better appreciate the Governor’s proposed budget for the California Community College system. Of special interest:

Most educators are familiar with the fact that when unemployment rises, so do post-secondary enrollments! However, less familiar to us educators is the picture presented by the 2020 data that shows a steep rise in unemployment, but also a decline in enrollments.

  • CA real GDP is back above pre-pandemic levels and is forecast to continue on an upward climb well into 2024.
  • Inflation remains elevated, a little higher than originally forecast, however, the forecast is showing we have gone over the hump and are moving down from a current 5.8% toward a 2.8% by the end of 2023.
  • Employment Development Department statistics reflect CA highest job losses during Feb to April 2020 align with the US job losses, mostly 50% losses in Leisure & Tourism, 30% in other services, 18% the Retail Trade, and about 11% in Health Care and Social Services.
  • Migration of people OUT of CA appears to be around 500,000 people between 2019 and 2021.
  • There is a mismatch in job openings and job hires – meaning, there is a demand for people, but a short supply of workforce

And so to the Governor’s Proposed Budget:-

In short, the state is flush, growing revenues from income and property taxes, therefore, a proposed growth in the allocation of funding for education, in particular:

  • $409.4 million to fund 5.33% COLA for apportionments which is applied to the rates within the SCFF (the student-centered funding formula).
  • Of interest is that the Gov did not propose additional funding to the CalSTRS and CalPERS employer contribution
  • the CalSTRS cost is increasing from 16.9% to 19.1%
  • Part-Time Faculty Health Insurance—To support community college part-time faculty, the Budget includes an increase of $200 million ongoing Proposition 98 General Fund to augment the Part-Time Faculty Health Insurance Program to expand healthcare coverage provided to part-time faculty by community college districts.

So, as districts are being held harmless for the loss of funds due to low enrollments, they also have growing staffing costs – above the COLA amount – just a heads up folks!!!

Hope you have enjoyed my summation 🙂

Kudos To My Students!

Posted on by Dr Pirtle

It was the first day of the Spring semester today, and I am giving a huge shout-out to my students – they have demonstrated great virtual teamwork today! You see, these are new students, entering a program of study in an entirely online format. For some, that may not be a new task, but for many, it was today! There is always a degree of anxiety when starting something new when stepping outside our comfort zone, and it is all too easy in the online world to isolate yourself until called on.

Today, my students had an unexpected challenge that I was unable to solve for them, and they found a way to come together and help one another! This shows great courage and determination among a group of strangers – what a great semester we are going to have!

Kudos to my students – you know who you are 🙂

Thoughts: Online Instruction During Covid-19 Pandemic

Posted on by Dr Pirtle

I have been a California community college educator in both face-to-face and online classes for the past two decades. As the Covid-19 pandemic began, the community colleges in my state began the urgent shift to fully online offerings in order to service the needs and goals of our students. Now here we are, having completed three-plus semesters, and moving into a fourth semester under pandemic conditions.

So, what is being written about the online teacher and student experience during the Pandemic? Having an interest in online education, and being a scholar myself, I think it is important to share, if only in a summary form, what is being expressed in the body of literature.

It is no secret that widespread distance learning has increased the workload of teachers. There has been significant training and resources dedicated to supporting instruction to develop their online instruction. Some teachers report emotional exhaustion and burnout. What resources are being dedicated to assisting the teachers in handling the exhaustion and burnout I cannot comment on, I simply haven’t seen the research on that yet! However, stresses reported by teachers have included:

· difficulty in making their face-to-face content fit the virtual setting

· time-consuming creating assignments & prep

· feeling inadequate due to asking for tech support because of technical problems

· redesigning content for the unseen audience

· doesn’t play to their strengths – it is not what they trained for

· concern for how they are being understood

· concern for how the students are coping

· self-recording video lessons is stressful and time-consuming

· the need to be extra motivational to the students

It is reported by many teachers that through all of this they are thankful for the patience and understanding exhibited by the students. It is also reported that support of the faculty by their institution is critical in terms of faculty development programs and incentives. Effective communication among all parties is critical to faculty satisfaction and student success.

Students have also been challenged in this new online world, and some of the challenges reported by students are:

· interaction within the class

· technology difficulties and accessing technical support

· engagement with the instructor

· less satisfied with online than face to face

· time to download resources

My own experience has been positive, but that is mainly due to the fact that I am a technology geek teaching technology in a space that I have been comfortable with for a long time. Meeting the requirements to be an “online teacher” during the Pandemic was somewhat different and more challenging than the requirements pre-pandemic. I am sympathetic to the teachers who have had a steeper learning curve than I. I am very proud of my students who adjusted and succeeded in their fully online environment, but I am confident that they would have been just as successful in the face-to-face classroom. I know though that they welcomed the opportunity that the flexibility of online classes has afforded them.

If you are interested in reading more about this topic, I encourage you to take a look at the research study that has just been published by Elshami W, Taha MH, Abuzaid M, Saravanan C, Al Kawas S, Abdalla ME. “Satisfaction with online learning in the new normal: perspective of students and faculty at medical and health sciences colleges.” Med Educ Online.

The study is loaded with information, analysis, and recommendations 🙂

Is it the end of education as usual?

Posted on by Dr Pirtle

It’s a decade since I read “End of Business As Usual” by Brian Solis (2011). The book talked about the power of the connected customer, and the importance of engagement. Solis was right back then, it was the end of business as usual, Fast forward through a decade that has embraced a few technology spurts, and more recently, an unprecedented pandemic, we are reading much about the impact of Covid on business, but what about education? How is education doing in the big scheme of things? Is it the end of education as usual? We are hoping to emerge from a Pandemic, and a lot has changed!

Enrollments at community colleges in the United States have been in steady decline for the past decade, mainly due to (1) fewer college-age students, (2) the enticement to work, and (3) the desire for four-year degrees rather than 2-year degrees. The statistics speak for themselves. It is no secret that the college system has been grappling with a fiscal crisis for a long time! But, the most recent impact of Covid has led to a further steep decline in enrollments.

Will the college system emerge to a “same as usual” way of operating? What will the college education system look like next? After all, the community colleges adjusted well to the Covid crisis, through the use of emergency funding and the expertise of faculty and staff, the colleges continued to support students in meeting their goals. But, as we emerge from the Pandemic, the decline is still there, how will our colleges cope? Will the staffing structures change? How will our communities be best served to grow our communities?

There is a really good article Catastrophe or Catalyst? Reflections on Covid’s Impact on Community Colleges (Brock & Diwa, 2021)out of Columbia University. The article is full of data and information, if you have the same questions as me, I encourage you to carve out some time to take a read! – the main takeaway for me was the quote “colleges must ensure that their programs are worth completing” (Davis Jenkins and John Fink, 2021). Let me know if you take a read, and as always, your comments are welcome! More to come…..

#highereducation #highereducationleadership #studentsuccess