Latest education updates from around the world

14 Effective Self-Directed Learning Strategies

By |September 30, 2023|

Today, we’re exploring the concept of self-directed learning strategies. Now, we’re not just talking about Googling an answer to a quick question. We’re going deep into methodologies that empower students to take the reins of their own educational journey. Indeed, once you understand how to foster self-directed learning, it’s like unlocking a whole new world of educational potential.

If you’re intrigued by this topic—and let’s face it, who wouldn’t be?—don’t forget to also check out my other posts. You’ll definitely want to read “What is Self-Directed Learning?” for foundational insights and the “Self-Directed Learning Books” list to stock up […]

Viveport Anniversary Deal Includes Free Copies of ‘Until You Fall’, ‘Fracked’ and ‘Primal Hunt’

By |September 29, 2023|

Viveport Infinity, HTC’s Netflix-style game membership, used to be pretty groan-worthy, offering up only a few really great titles and filling out the rest with a shovel-full of either mediocre or downright bad games. A lot has changed in the past few years though, and to celebrate Viveport’s 7th anniversary HTC is sweetening the pot with three games that are worth playing (and keeping).

For annual subscribers, the deal includes keepable copies of Primal Hunt, Until You Fall, and Fracked—available to both new members joining Viveport Infinity or existing members looking to extend their subscription.

The three-game giveaway deal is only available […]

Sony Drops a Slew of PSVR 2 Game Announcements and Updates

By |September 29, 2023|

Meta wasn’t the only company churning out VR news this week with the unveiling of its long-awaited Quest 3 mixed reality headset, as Sony tossed out a slew of PSVR 2 game announcements and updates for its surprise ‘VR Day’ on Thursday.

Here’s a look at everything Sony announced:

Brand New Games

Journey to Foundation

Adapted from Isaac Asimov’s Foundation series, in Archiact’s upcoming roleplaying game Journey to Foundation you play as Agent Ward, a spy with the Commission of Public Safety. The immersive adventure challenges you to disguise, hack, and blast your way through Asimov’s groundbreaking sci-fi universe using the […]

Schell Games is Creating a ‘Kurzgesagt’ Educational Game for Quest, Trailer Here

By |September 28, 2023|

Popular YouTube edutainment channel Kurzgesagt is teaming up with VR developers Schell Games (I Expect You To Die, Among Us VR) to make an exploration adventure game for Quest.

Called Out of Scale: A Kurzgesagt Adventure, the fully immersive educational game is said to transform “the iconic look and feel of [Kurzgesagt’s] 2D videos for users to explore and learn about the concept of scale.”

Schell Games says players use drones, scanner rays, and a multitude of other lab tools to wind their way through several missions, while teleporting between five levels of scale to see how the […]

Xbox Cloud Gaming Coming to Quest 3 in December

By |September 28, 2023|

Meta announced at Connect 2023 that Xbox Cloud Gaming is heading to Quest in December, meaning you’ll be able to play all of your favorite flatscreen games on offer through Xbox Game Pass Ultimate.

Meta’s full unveiling of Quest 3 yesterday came with a fair bit of news, including specs, price, pre-orders and shipping dates; long story short, you can get Meta’s $500 consumer mixed reality headset starting October 10th, with pre-orders now live.

Sometime in December, Meta says we’ll also get support for Xbox Cloud Gaming on Quest too, which users will be able to use […]

5 science and technology videos to get students talking

By |September 28, 2023|

Key points:

TED-Ed Lessons are short videos designed to engage students and stimulate critical thinking

Here are 5 videos covering science and tech topics such as earth science and animal behavior

See related article: Cool! 6 TED-Ed lessons about the cold

School is back in session, and for many students, that means a major shift from an unstructured schedule to a more regimented school day. It may still be challenging to keep students’ attention on topics like science and technology now that classrooms are once again full.

Creating a video-based lesson that explores different concepts around science and technology is […]

GameMaker: How to Use It to Teach

By |September 28, 2023|

GameMaker helps educators and their students design their own game with accessible features and easy-to-follow lessons.

Hands-on: ‘Assassin’s Creed Nexus VR’ Has an Interesting Take on VR Parkour Mechanics

By |September 28, 2023|

Assassin’s Creed Nexus VR has been in the works seemingly for ages, but one major question has gone unanswered until now: just how does the game’s parkour work?

If you’ve played pretty much any existing Assassin’s Creed game, you’ll know that doing parkour is largely a matter of holding down a button, then pointing in the direction you want to go. If there’s a wall in front of you, your character will find hand-holds and start climbing. If you’re running across the rooftops and reach a ledge, your character will leap to a building across the street and find a […]

Spooktacular Halloween Costumes for Little Boys

By |September 28, 2023|

Halloween costumes for little boys are the topic of our blog post today!

As we tiptoe closer to the spookiest day of the year, I’ve been deep-diving into everything Halloween. You might recall my recent posts on Halloween books that perfectly pair with a cup of cocoa and a cozy blanket, as well as those fantastic Halloween costumes for men and women that’ll make you the life—or should I say, the “un-dead” of the party? Oh, and let’s not forget the Halloween decorations that transform your home into a haunted paradise.

But what about the […]

Quest Store Revenue Reaches $2 Billion, But Momentum Has Slowed Over the Last Year

By |September 28, 2023|

Coming alongside the big Quest 3 info dump today at Connect 2023, Meta revealed that Quest Store games and apps have generated over $2 billion in revenue. While the store is still earning for developers, looking at revenue over time shows that things have cooled off over the last year.

Meta’s Head of Developer Relations Melissa Brown announced the figure on stage, further noting that 100+ new and upgraded titles are coming to the Quest Store before the year’s end, more than half of which will be brand new games and apps.

While $2 billion […]

Meta Will Bring ‘Augments’ to Quest 3, Persistent Mini-apps That Live in Your Room

By |September 28, 2023|

Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg announced today at Connect, the company’s annual XR developer conference, that it’s going to launch a set of mixed reality mini-apps on Quest 3 that you can stick anywhere in your house.

Relying on Quest 3’s room-mapping capabilities, the so-called ‘augments’ are due to launch sometime next year on Meta’s newly fully unveiled mixed reality headset, bringing what the company calls “interactive, spatially aware digital objects that come to life all around you.”

This includes simple objects, like a piece of art you can stick to your real-world wall, or something more involved […]

LEGO Mixed Reality Game Coming to Quest 3 December 7th

By |September 28, 2023|

Meta announced at its Connect developer conference today that LEGO is releasing a mixed reality game for Quest 3, named LEGO Bricktales.

The blocky puzzle game essentially puts you in front of a number of diorama biomes, which were crafted brick by brick.

“Your journey will take you to the deepest jungle, sun-drenched deserts, a bustling city corner, a towering medieval castle, and tropical Caribbean islands,” Meta says in an announcement.

The objective is to help the minifigures of these worlds by solving puzzles and unlocking new skills throughout the story to further explore these worlds and uncover […]

Quest 3 vs. Quest 2: The Specs Compared

By |September 28, 2023|

Meta Connect 2023 was all about Quest 3 today. The company announced it’s shipping the mixed reality standalone October 10th, starting at $500 for the 128GB version. If you’re wondering whether it’s worth an upgrade, here’s a side-by-side breakdown between the company’s other consumer-focused headset, Quest 2.

Note: Make sure to check out our detailed hands-on with Quest 3, diving into everything from comfort to clarity.

Released in 2020, Quest 2 packs in a fair bit of tech that should keep it relevant for the next few years of VR gaming yet to come. […]

Quest 3 is Meta’s First Headset with Customizable Color Options

By |September 28, 2023|

Meta Quest 3—already available for pre-order today starting at $500—is slated to arrive at doorsteps come October 10th. Like Quest 2, the company’s latest and greatest features an all-white design, but for the first time Meta is actually offering some color customization accessories that look to make this three-eyed headset even more flashy.

There seems to be a pattern here: Quest (2019) was black. Quest 2 (2020) was white. Quest Pro (2022) is black. Quest 3 is…white… again. Sort of.

Meta unveiled an avalanche of accessories for Quest 3, and among them is the $50 optional Quest 3 […]

Razer is Releasing Noise Cancelling Wireless Earbuds for Quest 3

By |September 28, 2023|

Razer hasn’t exactly been all-in when it comes to making VR accessories, although there have been a few bits of VR kit over the years from the RGB-infused gaming hardware giant. This time around Razer says it’s releasing a Quest-branded model of its noise cancelling Hammerhead HyperSpeed earbuds.

Announced alongside pre-orders for Quest 3, the earbuds for Quest 3 and Quest 2 include a USB-C dongle for a low-latency 2.4GHz wireless connection in addition to Buetooth 5.2 support.

Image courtesy Meta

Initially released in late 2022, the company’s standard noise cancelling Hammerhead HyperSpeed earbuds […]

Meta Unveils Quest 3 Pre-orders, Release Date, Specs & More

By |September 28, 2023|

At Connect 2023 today, Meta released the long-awaited info drop for Quest 3, its first mixed reality headset for consumers, which includes specs, price, online pre-orders, launch date and more. Here’s the main bits:

Note: Make sure to check out our detailed hands-on with Quest 3, diving into everything from comfort to clarity.

Quest 3 is officially now available for pre-order, with shipping slated to start on October 10th, 2023. In the US, you’ll be able to find Quest 3 online through Meta as well as its official partners, including Amazon, Best Buy, Target, and […]

Meta Says Quest 3 Will Get More Than 50 New Titles by the End of the Year

By |September 28, 2023|

At Meta Connect 2023 today, among the avalanche of news we learned Quest 3 is shipping October 10th, accessories are raining from the sky, and there will be “another 50+ titles” coming by year’s end.

Meta says over 100 new and upgraded titles are coming to Quest 3 by year’s end, with over half of them brand new.

Many of those 100+ apps and games are getting some form of “MR features” too, Meta says, which ought to help fill out what so far seems to be a fairly shallow pool of mixed reality content currently. Mixed […]

Quest 3 Accessories Revealed: Charging Dock, Deluxe Straps, Carrying Case & More

By |September 28, 2023|

Meta announced at its annual developer conference today that Quest 3 is now available for pre-order starting at $500, shipping October 10th. The company also revealed a host of accessories which ought to help knock a few of those pesky paychecks from your bank account.

Note: Make sure to check out our detailed hands-on with Quest 3, diving into everything from comfort to clarity.

Here’s the full list of accessories announced today. You can find them all over at Meta’s website, and likely also through online retailers such as Amazon, Best […]

Hands-on: Quest 3 is an Impressive Leap That’s Still Held Back by Software Struggles

By |September 28, 2023|

Quest 3 is an impressive leap in hardware, especially in the visual department, but it continues Meta’s tradition of building great hardware that feels held back by its software.

After months of teasing and leaks, Quest 3 is finally, officially, fully announced. Pre-orders start today at $500 and the headset ships on October 10th. While you can get the full specs and details right here, the overall summary is that the headset is an improvement over Quest 2 nearly across the board:

Better lenses
Better resolution
Better processor
Better audio
Better passthrough
Better controllers
Better form-factor

The improvements really add […]

Halloween Costumes for Little Girls

By |September 28, 2023|

Halloween costumes for little girls are the topic of our blog post today!

As the spooky season approaches, it’s time to get your ghouls and goblins—ahem, I mean kids—decked out in their Halloween best. I know the quest for the perfect kids’ costume can be as elusive as a will-o’-the-wisp, but fear not. Today, I’m diving into a variety of kids’ Halloween costumes that are bound to make this holiday a memorable one. From the eerily adorable to the classically charming, I’ve got you covered.

If you’ve been following along, you know we’ve already gone down the Halloween rabbit hole […]

Spooktacular Halloween Costumes for Women

By |September 27, 2023|

Halloween costumes for women are the topic of our blog post today!

The spookiest season is upon us, and if you’re anything like me, you’re probably knee-deep in planning the ultimate Halloween experience. From creepy to cute, and everything in-between, costumes are a big part of the Halloween spirit. Previously, I dished on some head-turning Halloween costumes for men that got quite the buzz. But let’s not forget the ladies, shall we? This time, I’m back to focus on Halloween costumes for women that are sure to make you the talk of any ghastly gathering.

And hey, […]

Watch Connect 2023 Opening Keynote Live Here @10 AM PT

By |September 27, 2023|

Meta’s annual Connect developer conference is kicking off today, which comes along with the big keynote about all things XR.

The company is undoubtedly getting ready to serve up a big info drop about Quest 3, its $500 mixed reality headset, but for all of the in-betweens we’ll be tuning in today, September 27th at 10 AM PT (local time here).

The invite-only dev conference is taking place on September 27th and 28th at Meta’s Menlo Park headquarters, making for the first year it’s had a real in-person component since COVID-19 shut down basically […]