Latest education updates from around the world
‘Ghostbusters VR’ Co-op Game Coming to Quest 2 & PSVR 2 This Fall, Gameplay Trailer Here
During Meta’s Quest Gaming Showcase today developer nDreams and publisher Sony Pictures Virtual Reality announced that the long-awaited ghostbusting VR game, Ghostbusters: Rise of the Ghost Lord, is set to launch this fall.
nDreams, also known for Fracked (2021), Phantom: Covert Ops (2020), and upcoming PSVR 2 exclusive Synapse, also released a new trailer featuring a few snippets of gameplay, showing off some of the game’s four-player co-op in action.
In it, we see some a bunch of the franchise’s iconic stuff, such as proton packs, ghost traps, P.K.E. meters, and even the Ecto-1.
‘Racket: NX’ Studio Reveals Mech Fighting Game ‘UNDERDOGS’, Coming to Quest Early 2024
One Hamsa, the studio behind VR sports game Racket: NX (2018), announced their next game during Meta’s Quest Gaming Showcase today, this time delving into futuristic, physics-based robot fighting.
Called UNDERDOGS, the single player roguelike pits you against a cast of robo-baddies in the underground robot fighting scene, letting you gear up with 100+ items, including power tools like chainsaws and wrecking balls.
VR Sport ‘Racket Club’ Action Revealed in New Trailer, Created by ‘Demeo’ & ‘Blaston’ Studio
Resolution Games, the studio behind Blaston (2020) and Demeo (2021), showed off its upcoming VR sports game Racket Club for the first time during Meta’s Quest Gaming Showcase.
Taking inspiration from many of the world’s most popular racket games, such as Tennis, Padel, Pickleball, and Squash, the new trailer released today shows off what Resolution Games calls “the first real look at how Racket Club is played.”
Here’s how the describes the action:
When players step onto the court, they’ll find the play area for their matches surrounded by four clear walls — each providing a surface for the ball to bounce off […]
World of Darkness VR Game ‘Vampire: The Masquerade – Justice’ Revealed, Coming to Quest in Late 2023
During Meta’s Quest Gaming Showcase today VR pioneers Fast Travel Games unveiled a new VR game set in the ‘World of Darkness’ universe called Vampire: The Masquerade – Justice.
Billed as a single player adventure RPG, Vampire: The Masquerade – Justice puts you in the role of a vampire who must strike from the shadows and drink the blood of both mortal and vampire prey.
Fast Travel Games, which is also known for its other ‘World of Darkness’ VR game Wraith: The Oblivion – Afterlife (2021), says its new title features a “gritty main narrative that includes several side missions and dialogue options,” all […]
Co-op Dungeon Crawler ‘Dungeons of Eternity’ Unveiled From Studio Founded by Oculus Veterans
Othergate, a studio founded by former Oculus Studios game designers, announced their first VR game during Meta’s Quest Gaming Showcase today, revealing a co-op dungeon crawler for Quest 2 called Dungeons of Eternity.
Dungeons of Eternity is a 1-3 player co-op dungeon crawling RPG which incorporates physics-based combat and randomized dungeons.
The studio says its dungeons are constructed from “hundreds of different Chambers,” which will take you to dark crypts, ruined castles, and deep caverns where you’ll solve puzzles and avoid deadly traps.
Classic 90s Adventure ‘The 7th Guest’ is Getting a VR Remake This Year, From ‘Arizona Sunshine’ Studio
Vertigo Games, the VR pioneers behind the Arizona Sunshine franchise and After the Fall, announced a new VR game during Meta’s Quest Gaming Showcase that takes you to a haunted house for some eerily lifelike encounters with the paranormal. Well, not exactly new.
Called The 7th Guest, the single player VR adventure is actually based on the classic ’90s CD-ROM title that tosses you into a haunted mansion for puzzles and full-motion video (FMV) characters spirits who bring the early adventure game to life.
Instead of flat video though, the new 7th Guest is being built with volumetric video capture alongside a […]
Quest 3 is Launching with Its Own New Controllers, But Will Also Support Touch Pro
If you’re not getting along with the company’s newly redesigned Quest 3 controllers when it comes later this year, dubbed Touch Plus, Meta says you’ll have the option of swapping in the company’s Touch Pro controllers.
Meta unveiled its next headset Quest 3 today starting at $500, promising to be thinner and more powerful than Quest 2, and offer mixed reality color passthrough like the company’s enthusiast grade Quest Pro.
Meta also unveiled its Touch Plus controllers alongside the kit-and-kaboodle’s consumer-friendly price tag of $500. And Quest 3 is set to work with Touch Pro, which comes in […]
Quest 2 and Quest Pro Getting a Big Performance Boost with Upcoming Software Update
Meta says it’s soon pushing out a software update which will bring some pretty profound performance boosts to both Quest 2 and Quest Pro.
Meta unveiled Quest 3 today, its next consumer-focused headset slated to launch in fall starting at $500. Quest 3 is going to be more powerful than Quest 2 by a good margin; the company says it has “more than twice the graphical performance as the previous generation Snapdragon GPU in Quest 2.”
Now the company says it’s tossing out a software update to both Quest 2 and Quest Pro chipsets that will provide up to […]
Bigscreen: Optical Improvements to Increase FOV & Clarity of Upcoming ‘Beyond’ Headset
Bigscreen Beyond, the slim and light PC VR headset from the creators behind popular VR app Bigscreen, is getting new optics in the production pipeline which the company says will feature improved field of view (FOV) and optical performance, as well as increased IPD range.
“Over the past few years, we have been continuously investing in research & development in VR optics for current and next-generation VR devices,” Bigscreen says. “Thanks to improvements to our optical elements, coatings, canting, and manufacturing processes, we are excited to announce several key optics breakthroughs that have improved field of view (FOV) and […]
Meta is Dropping the Price of Quest 2 to Make Way for Quest 3
With the announcement of Quest 3, Meta is dropping the price of Quest 2 starting on June 4th to make way for its new flagship headset.
The story of Quest 2’s price takes yet another turn. Let’s recap.
When the headset launched in 2020, it started with a somewhat unbelievably low price of $300 for the 64GB model, and later the company sweetened that deal even further by offering the headset with 128GB for the same price. That price point was apparently so aggressively low that Meta may even have been losing money on each headset sold, which prompted […]
A Teacher’s Review of 99Math
Recently, I’ve had the opportunity to explore a game-changing math learning tool called 99Math. Aimed at making math more fun and engaging for students, this platform offers a unique blend of gameplay and education. In this review, we’ll delve deep into the features and functionalities of 99Math, examining how it can transform math learning from a chore into a delightful experience.
What is 99Math?
99Math is an innovative social practice platform, specifically designed for 1st to 8th grade teachers to enhance learning outcomes and optimize lesson time. This platform brilliantly melds the fun […]
Meta Quest 3 Revealed: Coming This Fall Starting at $499, Promising This & Light Standalone Mixed Reality
Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg unveiled the company’s next XR headset today, Quest 3. The mixed reality headset is launching this fall for the starting price of $499.
Only a few hours before the big Quest Gaming Showcase scheduled for later today Zuckerberg showed the first look at Meta Quest 3, a standalone headset that he calls “[t]he first mainstream headset with high-res color mixed reality.”
The headset is said to be 40% thinner and “more comfortable,” the Meta chief wrote today in a Facebook post.
“Better displays and resolution. Next gen Qualcomm chipset with 2x the graphics performance. […]
Building a Computer Science Program
Best Practices to Build a Computer Science Program
Where Is That Summer Paycheck Going?
Summer is near and for many high school students that means it’s time to start working at summer jobs. For many students the first real paycheck that they receive comes with a surprise in the form of tax withholding. PBS Learning Media has a free lesson plan through which students learn about reasons for taxes being withheld from paychecks, where the withholdings go, and why some people have more or less withheld than others.
In addition to helping students understand taxes withheld from paychecks Taxes – Where Does Your Money Go? introduces […]
EconEdLink’s Most Popular Economics Games of the Year
Over the years I’ve referenced hundreds of EconEdLink’s resources for teachers. That’s because EconEdLink is a great resource for any teacher who needs ideas, lesson plans, games, and other resources for teaching economics lessons. On the site you’ll find resources for everything from teaching basic personal finance lessons to elementary students through resources for teaching macro economic theory to high school students.
This week EconEdLink published a list (via their newsletter) of their most popular economics games of the 2022-2023 school year. That list included a game for […]
Zuckerberg Might be Teasing the First Glimpse of Quest 3 Ahead of Quest Gaming Showcase
Zuckerberg took to Instagram to tease an announcement for… something… ahead of its big Quest Gaming Showcase tomorrow. Signs are pointing to Quest 3.
We have no insider info on what might be behind the countdown clock on Zuckerberg’s Instagram story, but the obvious guess is it could be our first look at Quest 3.
Quest 3 recently got a somewhat mysterious hands-on preview from, as far as we can tell, only a single reporter—Mark Gurman. That just happens to be the same reporter that’s been leading the charge in recent months with apparent insider info about Apple’s rumored […]
New Leap Motion 2 Brings High-end Hand-tracking to Standalone Headsets
10 years after the launch of Leap Motion—which garnered praise for offering some of the best hand-tracking in the industry—the company has announced a next-generation version of the device which now supports standalone XR headsets in addition to Windows and MacOS.
Years before the modern era of VR, Leap Motion set out to build a hand-tracking module that it hoped would revolutionize human-computer interaction. Launched initially in 2013, the device was praised for its impressive hand-tracking, but failed to find a killer use-case when used as an accessory for PCs. But as the VR spark began anew a few […]
The Most Popular Posts in May
Good evening from Maine where the sun is setting on the month of May. I know that many of you are now on summer vacation. I hope you’re enjoying it! The rest of us have another few weeks to go. We’ll make it!
A big thank you to the 25 people completed one of my Practical Ed Tech courses in May. Your support helps me keep Free Technology for Teachers going. In a couple of weeks I’ll be announcing two new courses that you can complete this summer. Until then,
Best Websites for Teaching English Online
In the rapidly evolving landscape of education, one trend that has stood out prominently is the surge in online learning. Particularly, the realm of language learning has witnessed a dramatic shift, with English sitting firmly at the helm. Today, teaching English online has not only become popular but also highly sought after by educators around the globe.
The digital revolution has broken down geographical barriers, enabling enthusiastic English teachers to reach learners from virtually every corner of the world. From busy professionals desiring to polish their English skills for better career prospects, to young students […]
What is Curipod and How Can It Be Used for Teaching? Tips & Tricks
Curipod is an AI supported slide and quiz platform for education.
How to Enable Collaboration on a YouTube Channel
This is the time of year of end-of-year celebrations captured on video. If you have multiple people in your school recording videos to share with a wider audience, you could have everyone send those videos to one person to post to YouTube. Another option, perhaps a bit easier option, is to have those people collaborate on one YouTube channel.
You can enable collaboration on a YouTube channel through the permissions settings in YouTube Studio. In the permissions you’ll find options for inviting channel editors and managers. Simply enter the email address of the person you want to […]
The 7 Cs of Effective Communication
In the realm of effective communication, understanding and implementing the ‘7 Cs’ can be a game changer. These seven principles serve as a reliable guideline to improve our communication skills, whether in our personal lives, professional environments, or even in our digital interactions.
These fundamental principles, known as the ‘7 Cs of Communication’, are: Clear, Concise, Concrete, Correct, Coherent, Complete, and Courteous. Each ‘C’ encapsulates a crucial aspect of communication, and together they provide a comprehensive framework for delivering effective messages.
It’s important to bear in mind, however, that the interpretation of the 7 Cs can […]
10 Best Websites that Offer Online Tutoring Jobs for Teachers
As an experienced teacher myself, I am well-versed with the ins and outs of online tutoring, including the different platforms available for this purpose. Over time, I have had the opportunity to explore, engage with, and evaluate a plethora of online tutoring platforms.
In this post, I’ve curated a selection of what I consider to be the best platforms for online tutoring available in the market right now. These online tutoring websites are especially ideal for finding side jobs for teachers.
In crafting this list of the best online tutoring jobs […]
Five Good Resources for Teaching and Learning About Copyright
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 few pages that teachers will find particularly useful are Charts and Tools, Academic and Educational Permissions, and Copyright FAQs.
Library of Congress – Copyright […]
