Latest education updates from around the world
Apple Now Accepting Applications for Vision Pro Developer Kits
Apple has now opened applications for Vision Pro developer kits, which it’s sending out to app developers in effort to kickstart its first XR-specific App Store.
Vision Pro is set to launch sometime in early 2024, coming part and parcel with a load of first-party apps originally developed for iPad. This includes basic things like Safari, Photos, Music, Messages, and even an avatar support for Facetime.
Apple has been fairly mum on its list of third-party apps, listing only a few during its WWDC unveiling in June, including Word, Excel, Teams, Disney+, Zoom, WebEX, and Rec Room, its only VR […]
Sony Details PSVR 2 Prototypes from Conception to Production
Sony released a peek into the prototyping stages that led to PSVR 2, showing off a number of test units for both the headset and controllers.
In an extensive interview on the PS blog, PSVR 2’s Product Manager Yasuo Takahashi reveals the development process behind Sony’s latest VR headset.
Takahashi reveals that detailed discussions on the company’s next-gen PSVR began in earnest after the launch of the original in 2016. From there, the team started prototyping various technologies for PSVR 2 starting in early 2017.
Below is a condensed version of the interview, including all provided photos. If you want to […]
An Hour-By-Hour Account of One District’s Cyber Attack Nightmare
How one K-12 school district survived a ransomware attack
Three Lessons from the Life of Kevin Mitnick
Kevin Mitnick passed away last week at the age of 59. Computer Weekly published a nice piece about his life. You may not recognize the name unless you’re really into cybersecurity. But you’re probably familiar with some of the things that have become standard, recommended practices in cybersecurity because of what he did.
In 2012 he published Ghost in the Wires: My Adventures as the World’s Most Wanted Hacker. I read it about as fast as I’ve read any good spy story. There are some lessons in that […]
Best Back to School Backpacks for Middle and High School Students
Back to school backpacks for middle and high school students is the topic of our post today.
Finding the perfect backpack for your child is no easy feat. With a plethora of options available on the market, it’s like finding a needle in a haystack. This task becomes even more critical when it comes to middle and high school students, who need a reliable, durable, and capacious backpack to carry their essentials and navigate the school year smoothly.
Worry not, I have done the hard work so you don’t have to. I collected for you some of the […]
Hands-on: Virtuix Omni One Comes Full Circle with an All-in-one VR Treadmill System
As far as VR treadmills go, Virtuix is the OG. While the company had set out to make a consumer VR treadmill a decade ago, market realities pushed the company into the out-of-home VR attraction space. But after all these years the company remains dead-set on selling a VR treadmill to consumers, and this time around it’s taking an all-in-one approach with the new Virtuix Omni One. I visited the company’s Austin, Texas headquarters to try it for myself.
The Virtuix Omni Backstory
The original Virtuix Omni treadmill started life way back in 2013 as wooden prototype […]
Best Back to School Backpacks for Kids
Back to School Backpacks for Kids is the topic of our post today!
With the scent of fresh crayons in the air and the anticipation of a new school year around the corner, finding the perfect backpack for your little ones can be a daunting task. Whether you’re looking for the ideal bag for elementary students, an easy-to-carry option for toddlers, or the first backpack for your preschool or kindergarten child, this guide is here to help.
My recommendations are not just based on aesthetic appeal or trending items, but rather on an extensive research process. I scoured the internet, […]
Leading Effort to Hack PSVR 2 into Playing PC VR Games Unlocks 6DOF Cameras, Begins Work on Controllers
It seems we’re closer to seeing a viable workaround that could allow PSVR 2 owners to play PC VR games. iVRy, the most promising project dedicated to the task, is making good headway by unlocking the headset’s outer cameras for room-scale tracking.
The effort to hack PSVR 2 was initially put on hold earlier this year, which was understandably a let-down for anyone hoping to play PC VR-exclusive titles such as Half-Life: Alyx (2020), or social apps like Bigscreen or VRChat.
The indefinite pause on development didn’t last for long though, as earnest efforts resumed shortly afterwards when the project opened […]
20 Sites & Apps Every Teacher Should Try for Back to School
The following sites and apps are some of the best all-around edtech teaching tools
What is National Geographic Kids and How Can It Be Used for Teaching? Tips & Tricks
National Geographic Kids is a rich resource for children to learn about nature, history and beyond.
3 reasons creativity is essential for the future of education
Key points:
Recently, there have been more federal efforts to recognize music and arts education as an essential part of educational curriculum
In order to provide a rich, robust, and inclusive curriculum for youth, STEM needs to evolve to STEAM
See related article: This art teacher helps students harness social media to build job skills
I like to say I was raised by a combination of nonprofits and the arts. At 15 years old, I moved into Mercy Home for Boys and Girls, a nonprofit group home in Chicago, and attended an independent arts high school in […]
5 Best Sound Level Meters
Sound Level Meters is the topic of today’s post
As many of you know, I’ve been on both sides of the classroom – first, as a teacher for over a decade, and now as an educator focused on harnessing the potential of technology in learning environments. This journey has allowed me to accumulate significant experience and insights that I believe can be valuable to you, especially if you’re a teacher, parent, student, or fellow edtech enthusiast.
Over the past 13 years, I have dedicated myself to exploring, reviewing, and blogging about educational technology. This endeavor has not only fueled my […]
Research-based Strategies for Teaching Sight Words
Teaching sight words is the topic of this blog post. Through research-backed insights, this post will unpack the multifaceted world of sight words, demystifying their role in early literacy development and providing practical, effective strategies to enhance learning outcomes.
So, what exactly are sight words? We’ll dive into their definition, shedding light on these common yet sometimes misunderstood elements of the English language. Contrary to popular belief, sight words aren’t just learned by sight. We’ll examine the cognitive processes at play when children learn these vital words, challenging some preconceptions along the way.
Moreover, this post offers a trove of […]
Using AI for Creating Formative Assessments
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I’m taking the week off to do a bunch of fun things with my kids. While I’m away the most popular posts of the year so far will reappear.
A day ago I published a big list of AI tools and resources for teachers. This morning I tried another AI tool that is worth noting. That tool is the new AI-powered assessment generator that is now built into Formative.
Formative’s new AI-powered assessment generator is currently a beta product that anyone with an active Formative account (free or paid) can use. To […]
Four Dozen Google Forms Tutorials
I’m taking the week off to do a bunch of fun things with my kids. While I’m away the most popular posts of the year so far will reappear.
In a video that I published earlier this year I mentioned that the vast majority of my videos don’t get more than a few hundred views. But there are some outliers. The biggest outlier is my simple video about the basics of creating a quiz in Google Forms which has received nearly half a million views. That’s just one of forty-seven
Best 6 Backpacks for College Students
Backpacks for college students is the topic of today’s post.
One of the most crucial tools for college students is a reliable, durable, and well-designed backpack. After all, a backpack isn’t just about carrying books; it’s a mobile command center for a student’s life.
As a former classroom teacher with over a decade of experience and a current educator, I understand the importance of choosing the right backpack for a college student. Drawing on my own experience as EdTech blogger, and the extensive research I did in this regard in which I combed through piles of customer reviews assessing […]
Meta CTO Rebukes Report Claiming Cancellation of Quest Pro Line
According to a recent report from The Information, Meta is allegedly spinning down Quest Pro alongside a broader move to cancel the future ‘Pro’ line of XR hardware altogether. Meta CTO Andrew Bosworth says however, “don’t believe everything you read.”
Meta has reportedly stopped ordering new components for the Quest Pro from its suppliers, The Information maintains. While it’s thought Meta will continue selling its $1,000 Pro-branded mixed reality headset as long as there is enough stock, the report alleges the entire Pro line was has been suspended, putting a second-generation Quest Pro distinctly out of […]
1,001 Novels Mapped
I’m taking the week off to do a bunch of fun things with my kids. While I’m away the most popular posts of the year so far will reappear.
1,001 Novels: A Library of America is an ESRI story map developed by Susan Straight. The story map features short reviews of 1,000 American novels. Each novel is geolocated on a map of the United States. The story map is divided into geographic regions. You can also view the entire map at once.
Susan is an author and a Distinguished Professor of Creative […]
Five Resources for Teaching and Learning About Copyright
I’m taking the week off to do a bunch of fun things with my kids. While I’m away the most popular posts of the year so far will reappear.
In no particular order, here are some of my go-to resources for helping students and teachers understand the importance and the key concepts of copyright as it relates to school projects.
Stanford University Libraries
Stanford University Libraries offers the most comprehensive collection of resources about copyright and fair use that I know of. You could spend hours looking through all of the resources offered on the site. A […]
The Best Way to Learn Languages with Netflix
Language learning has evolved in a revolutionary way, and Lingopie is leading the change. With an innovative approach to language education, Lingopie offers an immersive and engaging platform where you can learn languages through TV shows.
Farewell to the era of dry textbooks and one-dimensional audio lessons. Lingopie utilizes over a thousand hours of TV shows, music videos, movies, and Netflix originals, specially curated to accelerate your language fluency.
But why learn language through TV shows?
Learning a language from TV shows is more than just memorizing words. It’s about understanding the context, […]
Cybersecurity Hygiene: Tips for Students to Safeguard Online Privacy
In today’s blog post, we are sharing with you a collection of practical cybersecurity tips to help students safeguard their online privacy and browse the web confidently. The aim of this post is to serve as a guide, offering valuable cybersecurity tips specifically tailored to students.
In fact, there are several ways students can protect their online privacy. The use of tools like a VPN, ad blocker, private browsers, and standard cybersecurity practices can all help students safeguard their personal information, protect against online threats, and ensure a secure digital presence.
Let’s break down these practices […]
Meta’s New Demo App is Like ‘Beat Saber’ for Hand-tracking
Meta’s hand-tracking has improved by leaps and bounds since we first saw it on the original Quest in 2019, but as Apple serves up stiff competition with its upcoming Vision Pro mixed reality headset, Meta tossed out a new hand-tracking demo that shows off the benefits of its latest software update.
As a part of Quest’s v56 software update Meta unveiled Hand Tracking 2.2, something the company says focuses on hands responsiveness. If Meta wants to beat Apple at its own game—Vision Pro’s input relies primarily on hand-tracking—it really needs to make hand-tracking as a reliable […]
‘Ziggy’s Cosmic Adventures’ Coming Soon as VR Space Sim Gets Final Teaser Trailer
It seems Ziggy’s Cosmic Adventures is rounding the bend, as the promising VR cockpit adventure has released its final teaser trailer, showing off more of its madcap ship management and action-arcade combat.
In Ziggy’s Cosmic Adventures you pilot your own starship, which not only tasks you with maneuvering the craft around manually (as you do), but also keeping all of the ship’s systems in check, including shields, weapons, life support, thrusters, stabilizers—all of which are powered by a bank of constantly depleting batteries.
Meanwhile, you’re being chased through the galaxy with a little alien pal in tow, something the developers
4 Education Tools That Seem Straight Out of Science Fiction
Thanks to ChatGPT and other new advances, the gap between science fiction and the classroom is closing before our eyes.
10 Google Earth and Maps Activities for Math Lessons
I’m taking the week off to do a bunch of fun things with my kids. While I’m away the most popular posts of the year so far will reappear.
Last week I shared directions for measuring perimeter and area in Google Earth. Doing that is one of many ways to incorporate Google Earth into mathematics lessons. Making that video prompted me to make a list of ways to use Google Earth and Maps (which has similar measuring tools) in mathematics lessons.
Here’s my list of ideas for using Google Earth and Maps in mathematics lessons. […]