The Metaverse is here, but how can we incorporate it into our instruction and still ensure that we're following best teaching practices? VR has the power to change our classrooms, but what does that change actually (and practically) look like?
Oh yeah, we'll have some fun with Augmented Reality, too -- because why not?
Donnie Piercey is the 2021 Kentucky Teacher of the Year and teaches fifth grade in Lexington, Kentucky. After graduating from Asbury College and earning his master’s from Auburn Montgomery, he has been teaching in Kentucky since 2007. Donnie specializes in using technology to promote student inquiry, learning, and engagement. Over the past sixteen years of teaching, these interests have given him the unique chance to represent Kentucky and his students around the world. Donnie was the recipient of a National Geographic Teacher Fellowship to Antarctica, and he also represents Kentucky on the inaugural National Geographic Teacher Advisory Council. He is the North American lead for the Google Earth Education Experts Network, and he was the first teacher in Kentucky to become both a Google Certified Innovator and a Google Certified Trainer. Donnie has been invited to keynote and present at schools in thirty-three states and on four continents. In 2017, he co-authored The Google Cardboard Book: Explore, Engage, and Educate with Virtual Reality based on virtual experiences he created for his students. The Bluegrass always calls him home, however, and he regularly leads professional development at school districts around the state.