For award-winning educator Professor William Jackson, imagination and creativity are the cornerstones of teaching.

William is the Education Program Director for the World Metaverse Council. He is also a certified S.T.E.A.M. + M (science, technology, education and math, and the metaverse!) teacher, as well as a certified VR instructor. In addition, he is CEO of My Quest to Teach and MetaverseWP.

In collaboration with his wife, artist/educator Aida Correa Jackson, William teaches both virtual and in-person project-based learning classes. Using WordPress, they instruct students on website construction. And they’re teaching globally, as well as locally. William and Aida have taught virtual classes in Africa, Pakistan and Taiwan, as well as their STEAM camps in Jacksonville, Florida. (Recently, they conducted a two-day S.T.E.A.M. camp where student projects were based on baseball principles!)

In 2023, William and Aida were the recipients of the World Metaverse Award for Global Metaverse Education. Here is a link to the video on one of their virtual classes, in which they taught VR, AR, AI, Metaverse , Ready Player Me and Spatial.io skills to university students in San Jose, Costa Rica,

William talked about his experiences as an educator, explained how he and Aida create virtual worlds, and offered a preview of what’s next.

On this edition of Over Coffee® we cover:

• How William began blending technology with teaching in his creative journey as an educator;

• One of his favorite stories about blending arts and technology;

• How WIlliam and Aida first became aware of the Metaverse as a platform for teaching;

• The next steps in their global-learning journey;

• How William and Aida combine WordPress websites with immersive galleries where users can interact;

• Where William and Aida are currently teaching, and how to find their classes and galleries;

• Ways the Metaverse allows William to empower students for whom the “traditional” model of education isn’t effective;

• A closer look at the ways technology and XR are making a difference in Africa;

• William’s advice for lifelong learners;

• One of William’s experiences, as he learned to use AI;

• How William and Aida first became involved in teaching in Africa, through the Metaverse;

• One of William’s favorite experiences, from these virtual teaching sessions;

• Some of the circumstances of education in countries other than the U.S.;

• How best to support William and Aida in their teaching and outreach.