Lessons Learned during COVID-19 and Future Perspectives for Emerging Technology

The COVID-19 pandemic brought unprecedented challenges to the education sector, forcing schools at a worldwide level to quickly adapt their activities to remote learning. Despite the obstacles and challenges, the pandemic also represented an opportunity for reflection and innovation in education. A survey with 558 teachers from primary and middle schools in several regions of Italy was carried out to analyse challenges and lessons learned by Italian schools, aiming to improve the quality of digital education. The lessons learned highlighted the importance of developing strategies to address challenges such as the necessary infrastructure, digital skills, student engagement, collaboration, and personalised online learning. On the one hand, government-initiated interventions, like the National Recovery and Resilience Plan, aim to bridge the digital divide and improve education quality. On the other hand, the potentialities of immersive technologies like the Metaverse can provide exciting opportunities for interactive and engaging learning experiences, encouraging interaction and collaboration among students.