Disruption and Opportunity

Over Coffee® | Stories and Resources from the Intersection of Art and Science | Exploring How to Make STEAM Work For You

Over Coffee® is on Thanksgiving hiatus. We hope you had a safe and healthy holiday. Please enjoy this rebroadcast of one of our top episodes of 2020. (Photo courtesy of Amy Peck, and used with permission.) How might VR and AR be helpful, as we navigate the holiday season? Amid the turbulence that has been 2020, immersive technology strategist Michelle Excell guides clients in creating a better world through virtual and augmented-reality applications. And those solutions apply both to our current isolation, and the ways things may change, after the pandemic ends. At the time of our initial conversation, in April, Michelle, who is the founder of hybrid consultancy and production collective The Antipodean, had been researching some of the new ways people immersive technologies were facilitating interaction during quarantine. These areas included creative collaboration, effective distance education, and a re-imagining of social events. In her LinkedIn article, "COVID As a Catalyst for Transformation", Michelle offers tips for using immersive technology in daily life, amid our current circumstances. And here is our April, 2020 conversation, in which we discuss trends, resources and applications for digital transformation, as well as Michelle's two new startups. On this edition of Over Coffee®, we cover: The new roles which existing immersive technologies have assumed, during the pandemic; Some current VR and AR resources for virtual collaboration; How immersive technology can facilitate distance education; How a virtual platform allowed Michelle and her husband and friends to create an imaginative social event; Some great suggestions for learning and education (both for adult learning and keeping young students engaged); How virtual platforms can combine immersive learning and social catch-up for everyone in the family; ;The most powerful tool you can use, when starting to work with immersive technology, and a perspective to keep in mind; Why immersive technology may actualy create more value online, for small businesses, than in-person interactions; How attitudes have been changing, towards immersive technologies–and where we could go from there; Some of the exciting new free AR tools; A look at Michelle’s two new startups, VOIIJER and Quartet Agency, and what’s currently happening at The Antipodean.