Latest education updates from around the world
‘Alex and the Jets’ Brings Mixed Reality Dogfights to Your Living Room Next Month
HOOP-O Studios, a new indie creating mixed reality games, announced its remote-controlled dogfighting game Alex and the Jets is coming to Quest 3 next month.
As a casual arcade flying game, Alex and the Jets lets you take control of Alex the Squirrel and their tiny fixed-wing propeller plane.
Aerial enemies from ‘The Jets’ gang pop in through portals in your walls, forcing you to gun them down while racing through the eye of donut-shaped goals, which feature weapon powerups and health boosts.
In addition to combat, the game is said to include a […]
McDonald’s Japan Launches Official ‘VRChat’ World, Tapping Into Japan’s Massive VTuber Trend
When you think of corporate brand engagement in VR, Meta is typically the prime suspect. In the past, they’ve brokered exclusive deals with Wendy’s for a Horizon Worlds social experience, and KFC for its finger-lickin’ weird escape room. Now, McDonald’s Japan has opened its own little slice of brand engagement heaven in VRChat, underlining just how big the social VR platform has become in Japan.
Available from now until June 17th, the official McDonald’s Japan world isn’t particularly […]
Mil-sim Shooter ‘Onward’ is Getting Its “biggest update ever” in 2.0 Release Next Week, Trailer Here
Onward (2020), the mil-sim shooter from Meta-owned Downpour Interactive, announced its big 2.0 update is coming next week, promising to be its “biggest update ever” since the game’s early access launch in 2016.
Coming March 25th on all supported platforms, Onward’s 2.0 update is slated to include a “remastered fan favorite map”, a brand new map, over a dozen new weapons, and the ability to select and customize an Operator before going into a match, the studio says in a Meta blogpost.
With the 2.0 update, Downpour […]
Lessons from an online teacher: Supporting phenomena-based learning
Key points:
- Phenomena-based learning can help boost student engagement
- How to choose the right digital courses for your students
- Online learning programs increase student access, engagement
- For more news on online learning, visit eSN’s Digital Learning hub
I have worked in many different states and in many different learning environments throughout my 19-year career as an educator. For the past 13 years I have been honored to teach at Agora Cyber Charter School.
Established in 2005, […]
Using Chatbots To Create Personalized Learning Experiences
Ever sift through endless amounts of information without finding what you are looking for? Wish a program could help you? Let’s talk about chatbots and how they can do just that.
SEN Teacher: How to Use It for Special Needs Education
SEN Teacher is a well established online resource for special needs teaching.
Despite Years of Reports to the Contrary, PC VR Just Won’t Die—In fact, It’s Growing
The XR landscape has changed significantly over the last five years with the flourishing of standalone headsets and new entrants like Apple and (soon) Google. Despite all of that, the PC VR platform has continued a slow but steady growth.
So much has happened in VR in last five years that if you had told me back in early 2020, I’m not sure I would have believed you.
After all, you’d have to say that Facebook is no longer called Facebook. And that the company […]
Meta Releases Quest Camera Access for Developers, Promising Even More Immersive MR Games
Meta has finally released the long-awaited Passthrough Camera API for Quest, which gives developers direct access to the headset’s passthrough RGB cameras for better scene understanding—kickstarting the next generation of more immersive mixed reality experiences on Quest.
Until now, Quest’s passthrough cameras were mostly locked down, limiting what developers could do beyond Meta’s built-in functionalities. The company mentioned back at Connect in September it would eventually release Quest’s Passthrough Camera API, although it wasn’t certain when.
Now, in the Meta XR Core SDK v74, […]
Learn How to Train Your Dragon in Pet Simulator ‘Eggy’, Coming to Quest 3 Next Month
Spunge Games, the studio behind VR action-shooter Dead Second (2022), announced a mixed reality pet simulator called Eggy, letting you take care of your very own pet dragon.
Coming to Quest 3/S on April 17th, Eggy opens a rift in your house, putting you between the Dragon Realm and your boring old dragon-less living room.
In Eggy, a glowing egg and an ancient Book of Lore appears—essentially a manual on how to train your dragon (no relation).
The book only has clues on how to care for your bouncy little dragon bud though, […]
Real-time Space Strategy Game ‘BattleGroupVR’ Sequel Announced for Quest & PC VR Headsets
Indie studio SpaceOwl Games announced the upcoming sequel to real-time strategy game BattleGroupVR (2022).
Developed by solo dev ‘KommanderKen’, BattleGroupVR2 is coming to Quest and SteamVR headsets soon, promising to be a “bigger, better sequel” to the single player real-time space strategy game.
Space Owl says BattleGroupVR2 adds a heap of new features, including open-world exploration, missions, mining, trading, and fleet-building.
5 practical ways to integrate AI into high school science
Key points:
- AI can help students navigate difficult science subjects
- AI in K-12 instruction: Insights from instructional coaches
- GenAI and cultural competency: New priorities in teacher prep
- For more news on AI and STEM, visit eSN’s Digital Learning hub
STEM learning is critical for all students, regardless of their postsecondary path, but by high school, engagement often drops and students lose interest in critical subject matters. AI can make complex topics more accessible, personalize instruction, and provide […]
Best Free AI Image Generators
We test the best free AI image generators to see which are best for your needs.
Is Valve Index Worth Buying in 2025? Our No-nonsense Recommendation
Valve’s Index headset was a market leader among PC VR headsets for years, but is it still worth buying in 2025 now that it’s nearly six years old? Read on for our no-nonsense recommendation.
Valve Index is Not Worth Buying in 2025
As someone who used Valve Index as my daily driver for PC VR for years , I can safely say that this 2019 headset is no longer worth buying in 2025 for its ‘full kit’ price of $1,000. Although it still has some features that are […]
Varjo is Moving Some Advanced Headset Features Behind a $2,500 Annual Paywall
Varjo, the Finland-based maker of high-end XR headsets, announced they’re releasing a new paid licensing structure next month which will include some of XR-4’s previously free software features.
Many of Varjo’s headsets over the years have required a subscription of some sort, such as its fleet of enterprise-focused XR-3 headsets released in 2020. The company’s latest line of XR-4 headsets released in late 2023 without the need for a subscription however.
Now, Varjo says it’s introducing a new subscription affecting all new XR-4 and XR-4 Focal Edition […]
Snap Spectacles Offer a Peek into All-day AR with New Geo-location Platform Update
Snap, the company behind Snapchat, introduced its fifth-gen Spectacles AR glasses six months ago, and now the company is releasing a number of new features that aim to improve geo-located AR experiences.
Released in September 2024, Spectacles are still very much a developer kit—the AR glasses only have 45 minutes of standalone battery power—although Snap is one of the few companies out there actively engaging developers to build the sort of mainstay content you might find on the all-day consumer AR […]
Actively Learn: How to Use It to Teach Reading
Actively Learn is an online reading platform designed to work around teachers and students.
GPT-4.5: What Educators Need To Know About The New ChatGPT Model
I tested OpenAI’s latest and greatest large language model, GPT-4.5. Here’s what I learned.
Ransomware 2.0: Recent Hacking Trends and How To Guard Against Them
Ransomware methods and strategies are evolving but there are still low-cast interventions to counter these attacks.
How Long Did You Spend On a Task???
Have you ever worked on a project and later wondered exactly how long it actually took? You start the day with a plan, move from one thing to the next, and before you know it, the day is over. Where did the time go? I added a new feature to my DelCal Add-on that pulls time … Read more
The post How Long Did You Spend On a Task??? appeared first on Teacher Tech with Alice Keeler.
Steam Spring Sale Brings ‘Half-Life: Alyx’ to 70% Off and Tons of Other Great PC VR Deals
Sell all of your useless collectibles and prepare your wallets, because Steam’s annual Spring Sale is here, offering up big discounts on some of PC VR’s biggest and best games.
Steam’s Spring Sale, which goes from now until March 20th, may not have the crazy number of titles you might find over on the Quest Spring Sale going on right now, although there are some heavy hitters worth your raw GPU power.
Take for example Valve’s Half-Life: Alyx, which is now cheaper than […]
Quest Spring Sale Brings Big Savings to Top VR Games: ‘BEHEMOTH’, ‘Metro Awakening’ & More
Meta’s big Quest Savings sale is here, offering up to 50% off tons of VR games, experiences, and bundles galore.
The Spring Sale, which goes from now until March 23rd, is bringing the best deals to some of the most critically-claimed VR games out there on Quest.
You can nab Skydance Games’ legendary action-adventure game Skydance’s BEHEMOTH for just $20 (50% off), Vertigo Games’ Quest-exclusive Metro sequel Metro Awakening for $28 (30% off), and recent remake of one of the best zombie slayers […]
VR Veteran & ‘Primal Hunt’ Studio Phaser Lock Interactive is Shutting Down
Phaser Lock Interactive, the studio behind Quest exclusive Primal Hunt (2023) and a host of early PC VR games, announced it’s shutting down, citing a “challenging economic climate and the current state of the gaming industry.”
Founded in 2015, the Austin, Texas-based VR studio was behind a number of PC VR games over the years, including bow-shooter Twisted Arrow (2016), and real-time strategy games Final Approach (2016) and Final Assault (2019).
In 2023, Phaser Lock released dino-hunting game Primal Hunt, which leveraged Twisted Arrow’s bow-shooting mechanics in a Turok-inspired single player adventure, released […]
5 powerful ways to link STEM lessons to real-world applications
Key points:
- Real-world relevance makes STEM learning more personal for students
- 12 lesser-known K-12 STEM education resources
- Using free resources to connect the environment to education
- For more on STEM concepts, visit eSN’s STEM & STEAM hub
“Why are we learning this?”
This is a question every educator has faced before. To be fair, it’s a valid question. Students are naturally curious, and it’s normal for them to wonder about the knowledge that they’re acquiring. The real […]
‘BEATABLE’ is a Hand-tracking Rhythm Game for Quest with a Genius Premise
XR Games, the studio behind Hitman 3 VR: Reloaded (2024) and Starship Troopers Continuum (2024), announced a new rhythm game for Quest called BEATABLE, which uses hand-tracking to turn any table into a musical instrument.
Matching up your physical environment with a virtual one is usually pretty immersive on its own, as you can ‘feel’ the world around you for another layer of suspended disbelief.
Now, Beatable takes it one step further by letting you use your own table as a musical instrument, so you can physically tap, snap, and […]
Google Reportedly Set to Acquire Eye-tracking Startup to Bolster Android XR Hardware Efforts
Google is reportedly set to acquire Canada-based eye-tracking startup AdHawk Microsystems Inc., something that would strengthen the company’s ongoing foray into XR headsets and glasses.
As reported by Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman, Google is allegedly acquiring AdHawk for $115 million, according to people with knowledge of the matter.
The deal is said to include $15 million in future payments based on the eye-tracking company reaching performance targets. While the acquisition is purportedly slated to conclude this week, a deal still hasn’t […]