Latest education updates from around the world
Meta Launches ‘Horizon Worlds’ Closed Beta on Smartphones
Meta’s social VR platform just took its first step outside of Quest-exclusivity, as the company recently launched a closed beta for Horizon Worlds on Android mobile devices.
You won’t find Horizon Worlds on Google Play. Users taking part in the closed beta can directly launch the app through the Quest Android app.
X (previously Twitter) user Lunayian was apparently one of those chosen few, showing off a brief hands-on in the Super Rumble lobby, Meta’s first-party hero shooter revealed late last month.
Meta Horizon Worlds – PC Footage pic.twitter.com/VL0IhbPmKr
— Luna (@Lunayian) August 27, 2023
Besides scripted avatar animations, […]
GarageBand: How To Use it to Teach
GarageBand is a powerful teaching tool for music mastery in class and beyond.
Developing AI Pedagogical Practices
A new classroom technology, such as AI, requires new pedagogical approaches
74 Fun Facts for Kids
Fun facts for kids is the topic of our blog post today!
If you’re on the hunt for some brain-tickling trivia and awe-inducing facts that can entertain and educate kids (and let’s face it, adults too!), you’re in the right spot. I’ve rummaged through my years as a teacher and tapped into my insatiable curiosity as an educational researcher to serve up an array of facts that are as fascinating as they are fun.
To make it even easier to navigate, I’ve neatly arranged these nuggets of knowledge into several categories—from the whimsical world of animals to the mysteries of […]
10 Key Residential Schools Facts Teachers Should Know about
Residential schools is the topic of our blog post today!
Canada prides itself on being a nation built on diversity and inclusion, but there’s a dark chapter in our history that we must face with humility and resolve. As a Canadian citizen and an educational researcher, I feel a profound sense of shame for the period of history when Indigenous children were forcibly taken from their homes and sent to residential schools. This policy, enacted to erase Indigenous cultures and languages, left a lasting scar on our country’s psyche and continues to impact Indigenous communities to this day.
In my […]
Critically Acclaimed City Builder ‘ISLANDERS’ Coming to VR Next Month
The teams behind the popular island-themed city builder ISLANDERS (2019) announced they’re releasing a dedicated VR version next month.
ISLANDERS: VR Edition, which is all about building cities on colorful islands, is being created by original developers Coatsink, GrizzlyGames, and Stage Clear Studios.
The minimalist strategy game is also set to be published by Coatsink, the pioneering VR studio known for VR games Shadow Point and the Esper series, and having published Onward and Jurassic World: Aftermath Collection.
Here’s how the studios describe Islanders: VR Edition:
In Islanders: VR Edition, you begin with a blank canvas and a small set of minimalist buildings. Your goal is […]
‘No Man’s Sky’ Patch Brings Much Needed Foveated Rendering to PSVR 2 Version
Redemption arcs rarely last this long, but No Man’s Sky (2016) hasn’t given up on going above and beyond with its latest update, which finally fixes the visuals on PSVR 2.
The game’s initial release on PSVR earlier this year 2 wasn’t great, with users noting that visual quality simply wasn’t up to snuff. Players and reviewers alike decried the much beloved game’s blurriness on PSVR 2, which became an unfortunate fixture since the February 2023 update.
Now Hello Games has released its Echoes 4.4 patch which has completely overhauled visuals on PSVR 2 thanks to the inclusion […]
HTC Vive Pro 2 Hardware Bundle Now Includes Free Wireless Adapter
HTC is running a Vive Pro 2 bundle deal right now in the US that includes the Vive Wireless Adapter, which when purchased separately costs $350.
The deal lasts from now until August 30th, bringing the full bundle price to $1,400. On its own, Vive Pro 2 costs $800, which doesn’t include controllers or tracking base stations (or Vive Wireless Adapter).
Besides a VR-ready PC, the bundle includes everything you need to go wireless: Vive Pro 2 headset, wand-style controllers, SteamVR 2.0 tracking base stations, Vive Wireless Adapter, and all of the bits and bobs in between, like […]
Best Interactive Notebooks
Interactive Notebooks is the topic of our blog post today!
Whether it’s jotting down important notes, keeping track of assignments, or nurturing creativity, the right notebook can make all the difference. In this post, we’ll explore some of the finest interactive notebooks available in the market, each with unique features to suit various needs in classrooms, offices, and daily life.
From college-ruled to wide-ruled, from professional looks to creative layouts, these notebooks cater to different writing styles and preferences. Each of them offers something special, and I’ll be sharing my insights on how they can best serve you in your […]
9 Key Classroom Management Skills Backed up with Research
Classroom management skills is the topic of our blog post today!
Classroom management is an art and a science that lies at the heart of effective teaching. It’s the invisible thread that weaves together student engagement, academic success, and the overall harmony of the classroom environment. As someone who has spent years in the classroom, I’ve experienced firsthand the difference that strong classroom management can make.
In the constant pursuit of refining this craft, I recently delved into two insightful research papers: “Salient Classroom Management Skills: Finding the Most Effective Skills to Increase Student Engagement and Decrease […]
XR Industry Giants Team up to Save Key Developer Tool
Microsoft, Qualcomm and Magic Leap announced a partnership to “guide the evolution” of the Mixed Reality Toolkit (MRTK), a cross-platform AR/VR development framework which has now gone open-source.
MRTK was a Microsoft-driven project that provided a set of components and features used to accelerate cross-platform XR app development in the Unity game engine. The developing team behind MRTK was unfortunately disbanded, as Microsoft cut both MRTK and the AltspaceVR teams earlier this year in a wide-reaching round of layoffs.
Still, as an open-source project now, Microsoft is joining XR industry cohorts Qualcomm and Magic Leap to form their
‘Richie’s Plank’ Devs Are Creating a Spiritual Successor to ‘Astro Bot Rescue Mission’ & ‘Lucky’s Tale’
Toast Interactive, the developer behind Richie’s Plank Experience (2017), revealed working on a new VR platformer that seems to be taking more than a few cues from Sony’s beloved Astro Bot Rescue Mission (2018) and Playful’s Lucky’s Tale (2016).
Called Max Mustard, the VR platformer has been under development for three years now, with the team calling it a “modern VR platformer with moments of nostalgia, meaningful upgrades, first person interactions and game play that keeps you wanting more.”
Here’s how Toast Interactive describes the game’s setup: “You and the famous inventor, Max Mustard embark on an adventure to reunite […]
White House Hosts School Districts Large and Small at Event Unveiling New K-12 Cybersecurity Initiative
The new White House initiative aims to bolster cybersecurity in the nation’s schools
Growth Mindset Posters for Classroom
Growth mindset posters for classroom
Introducing growth mindset into the classroom has become an essential aspect of modern education. Recognizing that a student’s belief about intelligence and their ability to learn can have a profound impact on their academic performance has led educators, including myself, to seek ways to cultivate this mindset.
Growth mindset encourages students to embrace challenges, persist in the face of setbacks, and see effort as the path to mastery. Posters that reinforce these ideas can be a powerful visual tool in the classroom.
I have delved into this topic before, including exploring the psychology of growth mindset […]
Cultural Diversity and Inclusion Posters for Classroom
Cultural diversity and inclusion posters for classroom is the topic of our blog post today!
As a teacher, educator, and researcher with over 15 years of experience, I’ve long championed the importance of creating classrooms where every student feels welcomed and represented. The theme of cultural diversity and inclusion has been the focus of several of my previous posts, including explorations of diversity and inclusion books for kids, resources tailored specifically for teachers, and practical strategies to talk about race in class.
Emphasizing these values in a classroom setting requires more than verbal affirmations; […]
Tips and Strategies to Talk about Race in Class
Strategies to talk about race in class is the topic of our post today!
In today’s increasingly diverse and interconnected world, conversations about race, diversity, and inclusion have become essential components of education. As teachers and educators, we bear the responsibility of facilitating these critical discussions with our students.
Inspired by my recent reading of the insightful book “So You Want to Talk About Race” by Ijeoma Oluo, I’ve compiled a set of strategies that align with the principles laid out in the text. I’ve also tapped into the collective wisdom of fellow teachers, educators, and […]
New ‘Hellsweeper VR’ Trailer Shows off Co-op Carnage, Cross-play Confirmed
Publisher Vertigo Games and Mixed Realms, developer behind Sairento VR (2018), revealed a new trailer for their upcoming combat VR game Hellsweeper VR that shows off more of the game’s co-op action, which thankfully is confirmed to include cross-play on Quest, SteamVR, and PSVR 2.
Hellsweeper VR is a follow-up to Sairento VR, this time letting two players join forces to descend into hell and slay twisted souls. The studios say we can expect shared combos and opportunities to execute unique co-op strategies as you take on all the evil the universe has to offer.
The studios say the game’s co-op mode offers a “full […]
What is Wakelet and How Does it Work?
Use Wakelet to get a rich mix of media accessible for the education space.
Quest 3 Unboxing Reportedly Leaked Ahead of Fall Release, Video Here
Meta’s upcoming Quest 3 headset is slated for a Fall 2023 launch, possibly even at the company’s Connect developer conference coming September 27th. It seems Meta has suffered yet another unauthorized pre-launch unboxing of their hardware, echoing the Quest Pro leak from last year.
The video in question was posted to Reddit today, and subsequently captured and reposted in full by X (formerly Twitter) user ‘VR Panda. Alex From CHN’ before it was deleted by the original Reddit poster.
Quest 3 leaked early again #metaquest #Quest3 pic.twitter.com/KfjXx5Qxi7
— VR Panda. Alex From […]
HOTS for Teachers: Best Free Resources For Higher-Order Thinking Skills
Teach higher-order thinking skills with these top free resources.
Seven Mind Mapping Tools to Try This Year
Earlier this week a reader emailed me to ask for my suggestions for online mind mapping tools for her students to use this fall. My preference is often to draw mind maps by hand and then digitize them by taking pictures with either the Google Keep or OneNote mobile apps. But that doesn’t work for everyone. So if you want to do the mind mapping process in a completely digital format, take a look at the following options.
Canva Whiteboard Templates
Canva’s whiteboard templates include mind mapping templates that you and your students can use individually or collaboratively. […]
Hands-on: ‘The 7th Guest’ Delivers Disney’s Haunted Mansion Vibes & Tons of Visual Flair
When the original The 7th Guest launched on CD-ROM in 1993, it was apparently a pretty big deal. The amount of pre-rendered 3D graphics spliced with live action video clips made it a standout title among all PC games at the time, making it and Myst basically the hottest PC games ever. Now, Vertigo Games is rebooting the interactive horror puzzler in VR alongside a fresh injection of volumetric video which was undoubtedly a highlight in our hands-on.
The 7th Guest is coming in October to all major VR headsets, however we got a chance to go hands-on with a demo […]
6 Great Periodic Table of Elements Posters
Periodic table of elements posters is the topic of our blog post today!
The Periodic Table of Elements is more than just a scientific tool; it’s a visual guide to understanding the building blocks of our universe. Serving as an essential part of science education, the Periodic Table continues to evolve, reflecting new discoveries and advancements in our understanding of atomic structures.
A key part of any science classroom, the Periodic Table is used not only by chemistry teachers but also by physics and biology educators to explain complex concepts. While the fundamental structure of the Periodic Table remains consistent, […]
Music Art Posters for Classroom
Music art posters for classroom is the topic of our blog post today!
Music and art have always played an integral role in education, fostering creativity, enhancing cognitive skills, and bringing joy to the learning environment. Classroom decorations, particularly those that reflect musical themes, can serve as visual stimulants to engage students and create an inspiring atmosphere. While some may see these posters as mere adornments, educational researchers recognize their potential to positively influence learning outcomes (Eisner, 2002; Winner & Hetland, 2007).
According to a study conducted by the Dana Arts and Cognition Consortium (2008), engaging with […]
7 Great Science Posters for Classroom
Science posters for classroom is the topic of our blog post today!
Science education is more than just textbooks and lectures; it’s about igniting curiosity, fostering a love for exploration, and building a deep understanding of the world around us. As educators, we’re always seeking innovative ways to engage students, and one proven method is the use of visual aids such as classroom posters.
From colorful illustrations of complex chemical reactions to inspiring quotes that cultivate a growth mindset, classroom posters have become an indispensable tool in the modern learning environment.
Research supports the effectiveness of visual aids in […]