Latest education updates from around the world
Features and Benefits of Amazon Prime Video for Teachers and Parents
Amazon Prime Video is a streaming service that offers a treasure trove of video content. This streaming service is one of the many benefits included with an Amazon Prime membership, but did you know you can also get it as a standalone service for $8.99/month?
That’s a game-changer if you’re not interested in the full suite of Prime benefits. As someone who’s always looking for engaging documentaries or educational shows to share with my network of educators, I find this flexibility incredibly appealing.
Amazon Prime Video Benefits
Let’s tackle the big question first: Do you need an Amazon Prime […]
This is How to Easily Create an Amazon Teacher Wishlist
Amazon teacher wishlist is the topic of our blog post today!
You’ve probably used Amazon for anything from books to tech gadgets, but have you ever considered it as a lifeline for your teaching needs? I sure have. As someone who’s both taught in the classroom for over 15 years and currently steeped in educational research, I understand the persistent challenge of procuring classroom supplies.
With cutbacks in funding and an endless list of resources we wish we could provide for our students, the question arises: how can we bridge this gap? Enter the Amazon Teacher Wishlist, an ingenious […]
New Quest Update Reimagines the Landing Page, Once Again Sequestering Your App Library
Instead of taking you right to your library of installed apps, Meta is making yet another perplexing change to the Quest landing page in v57.
Since the earliest days of Meta’s VR platform, the company has been seemingly obsessed with not putting your library of VR apps front-and-center.
Instead the first thing you see when you put on a headset from the company, or launch its companion smartphone app, is some kind of dynamic ‘feed’ with content you weren’t looking for in the first place.
The Ever Changing ‘Explore’ Page
For a long time when putting Quest on your head Meta made you […]
ChatGPT Lesson Plan
This ChatGPT lesson plan can be used to help implement the tool into your classroom instruction
Canva vs Adobe Express: Which is Best for Teaching?
It’s Canva vs Adobe Express, and the winner could change the way your classroom works, but which is best?
Why Nintendo Hasn’t Made a Real VR Headset Yet
There’s a rumor going around that Nintendo is making a VR headset in partnership with Google. The rumor is still unconfirmed, but when the world’s oldest extant gaming company finally thinks it’s time to make a dedicated XR device, you know it’s going to be something special. Having seen how far the technology has come though, it raises a question: why hasn’t Nintendo made a VR headset yet?
Nintendo basically has a singular MO, and it does it well: create broadly accessible hardware to serve as a vehicle for its exclusive swath of family friendly games. […]
Lateral Reading A Must Have Skill for All Students
Today, we’re diving into an essential media literacy skill that every student should have in their toolbox—lateral reading. In our current digital landscape, unreliable information is just a click away. With the internet saturated in data that ranges from credible facts to outright fabrications, it’s crucial to sift through the noise and discern what’s trustworthy.
According to CIVIX, “False and misleading information is rampant online, and people lack the skills and motivation to determine what to trust.” Clearly, if we’re going to build the next generation of informed citizens, we need fresh approaches to […]
Best Graphic Organizers for Education
There graphic organizer tools and apps make it easy to create beautiful and productive projects
What Is TED-Ed And How Does It Work For Teaching?
TED-Ed is the place to go for educational videos that are made for classroom learning and beyond
‘Tokyo Chronos’ Studio Announces VR Team Shooter ‘Brazen Blaze’, Coming in 2024
MyDearest, the Japan-based studio behind the Tokyo Chronos VR series, revealed it’s next VR game, a team shooter called Brazen Blaze.
The studio describes Brazen Blaze as a “3v3 smack & shoot VR action with a heavy focus on close quarter melee combat.”
You’ll be able to “choose from a variety of characters with unique skills to destroy whatever lies in your path to achieve victory,” the game’s Steam page reads.
As seen in the reveal trailer, Brazen Blaze equips players with super-powerful gauntlets that let you dash through the air and destroy buildings, punch your enemy into space, and offers up […]
Thin & Light PC VR Headset Bigscreen Beyond Now Shipping in US
Bigscreen announced it’s now shipping Beyond, the company’s thin and light PC VR headset unveiled earlier this year.
Created by the same team behind the Bigscreen Beta VR app, Bigscreen Beyond is a tethered PC VR headset that uses Valve’s SteamVR tracking standard. Priced at $1,000, the headset makes for an interesting value proposition for users already hooked into the SteamVR hardware ecosystem, offering up a slim design thanks to the inclusion of pancake lenses and micro-OLEDs. Check out the specs at the end of the article.
Now Bigscreen says it’s started shipping Beyond, with packages going out daily […]
5 New Google Workspace for Education Features Teachers Should Know about
The new Google Workspace for Education features are the topic of our blog post today!
Google for Education has recently rolled out a slew of updates that are just too good to ignore. From turbocharging Google Classroom with AI-assisted features to pushing the boundaries of accessibility and interactivity in Google Meet, these updates aim to reshape the way we teach and learn. And guess what? They’ve hit the nail on the head.
Drawing from my own years in the classroom, I’ve dug deep into these updates to offer you an insider’s perspective. Let’s unpack how these new […]
‘Demeo’ Update Brings Hand-tracking Ahead of Planned Launch on Quest 3 and Apple Vision Pro
Resolution Games revealed its popular tabletop dungeon-crawling RPG Demeo now features hand-tracking support on Quest 2 and Quest Pro with its latest mixed reality update. It also includes a few new features to its previously released MR mode that are aiming to appeal to both future owners of Meta Quest 3 and Apple Vision Pro.
Ahead of Demeo’s confirmed launch-day release on Quest 3 sometime this Fall, Resolution Games announced it’s now pushing out the game’s Mixed Reality 2.0 update, which is available starting today on the Quest 2 and Quest Pro.
Added to Demeo last Fall, the game’s mixed reality mode lets […]
Supporting LGBTQ+ Students
How teachers and administrators can support LGBTQ+ students in classrooms and beyond
The Very Hungry Caterpillar Activities for Kids
The Very Hungry Caterpillar activities for kids are the topic of our blog post today!
Today, I’m diving into something that holds a special place in my heart and, I’m willing to bet, in yours too—”The Very Hungry Caterpillar” by Eric Carle. This isn’t just a storybook; it’s an imaginative playground where science, math, language, and life lessons all come to frolic. From my 15 years in the classroom and my ongoing adventures in educational research, I can assure you this book is a versatile tool for making learning feel like play. But wait, there’s more! […]
‘DiRT Rally’ Studio Announces ‘EA Sports WRC’, PC VR Support Coming Post-launch
Codemasters, the EA studio behind the DiRT Rally franchise, announced that is next off-road racing title WRC is set to include post-launch VR support for its PC release.
The game is set to land on multiple platforms on November 3rd, including PS 5, Xbox Series X|S, and PC via the EA App, Epic Store, and Steam, however VR support isn’t planned to be a launch day feature.
It’s not certain when the VR mode is coming to PC, although what is certain: it’s not coming to PSVR 2.
Here’s what WRC’s Steam page says:
“Exclusive to PC. Feel the pure adrenaline of […]
‘Border Bots’ is Like ‘Papers, Please’ for VR, Coming to SteamVR & PSVR 2 This Month
It’s been nearly five years since we played the Border Bots VR demo, then called ‘Border Patrol’, which first introduced the game’s undoubtedly Papers, Please (2013)-inspired border guard simulation. Now the full VR game has an official launch date on PSVR 2 and SteamVR headsets.
Border Bots VR is coming to PSVR 2 and SteamVR on September 28th, with a Meta Quest 2 release slated to arrive early next year, the developers say.
Created by Team17 Digital and Paw Print Games in association with vTime Games, Border Bots VR tasks you with some pretty standard stuff for a […]
Streamline with ChatGPT Plugins
Adding ChatGPT plugins are simple and can help you teach more effectively
Spellcaster ‘Waltz of the Wizard’ Coming to PSVR 2 in October, Including Asymmetric Co-op
Waltz of the Wizard (2019), the single-player spellcasting experience for SteamVR, Quest, and the original PSVR, is bringing its magical exploration and dungeon crawling to PSVR 2 next month.
Waltz of the Wizard started out life as a casual exploration game that put you at the top of a very Hogwarts-inspired castle spire. There, you combine arcane ingredients into a boiling cauldron with the help of an ancient talking skull, unleashing spells upon a fully interactive and mysterious world using technologies like voice interaction and gestures.
Introduced later in the ‘Natural Magic’ expansion, Waltz of the Wizard essentially tacked on a pretty substantial dungeon […]
European Pricing for Quest 3 Accessories Allegedly Leaked
Meta Quest 3, the company’s upcoming $500 standalone mixed reality headset, is probably going to get a big info dump at Connect 2023 later this month. It appears an ecommerce site in Europe has leaked some of the available accessories and prices.
As first reported by MIXED, Netherlands-based online vendor UnboundXR.eu listed a number of Quest 3 accessories and prices ahead of their official availability:
Meta Quest 3 Silicone Face Interface (Black) for €49.99
Meta Quest 3 Carrying Case for €79.99
Meta Quest 3 Elite Strap with Battery for €149.99
Meta Quest 3 Charging Dock for €149.99
Listings for everything but the Quest 3 carrying case […]
Teaching Data Science
Data science education and literacy are critical for students to learn, especially with the ever-growing focus on digital data
The intersection of the science of reading and edtech
Key points:
States are ensuring teachers have thorough professional development as they implement lessons learned from the science of reading
Using digital tools can positively impact students’ literacy achievement
See related article: As we embrace the ‘science of reading,’ we can’t leave out older students
While this fall marks my 38th year in education, it has been 28 years since I was a classroom teacher. Teaching elementary school was the hardest job I ever had, but there are many parts of the role I miss. This time of year, I especially miss the opportunity to teach young learners to […]
Meta is Reportedly Partnering with LG to Create Apple Vision Pro Competitor
Meta is reportedly teaming up with South Korean tech giant LG Electronics to offer up competition to the Apple’s forthcoming Vision Pro mixed reality headset, which is slated to arrive sometime in 2024.
South Korea’s Maekyung (Korean) is reporting on two new Meta headsets: a low-cost Quest model that will be priced at “less than $200” coming in 2024, and a high-priced model in a joint venture with LG in 2025, which is supposedly set to take on Apple Vision Pro.
The report maintains the name of the Meta/LG headset will be ‘Meta Quest 4 Pro’.
Mass […]
Beautiful Literacy and Language Arts Posters for Classrooms
Literacy and language arts posters is the topic of our blog post today!
Step into any successful classroom, and you’ll likely find the walls adorned with educational posters that do more than just beautify the space—they serve as silent teachers. But not all posters are created equal, especially when it comes to the nuanced realm of literacy and language arts. With so many options available, the challenge lies in choosing ones that both capture attention and clarify complex linguistic rules or ideas.
According to a research article by Peter Barrett et al entitled :The Impact of Classroom Design on Pupils’ […]
‘Gorilla Tag’ Studio Teases Next Title, a Spiritual Successor to ‘Echo VR’—But So Much More
Another Axiom, the studio behind the viral VR indie hit Gorilla Tag, has revealed the first glimpse of its next project. ‘Project A2’ is an ambitious spiritual successor to the now shuttered Echo VR, and a full-circle moment for the studio.
With its low-fi graphics and simple gameplay, you might not think it but Gorilla Tag is one of the most popular Quest games ever. In fact, it holds the most reviews of any VR game on the platform and is also one of the best-rated free games.
While Gorilla Tag is still going strong (if not growing), the studio behind the […]