Latest education updates from around the world
‘Blacktop Hoops’ Studio Announces $5.1M Funding Round, Open Beta Now Live
Vinci Games, the studio behind popular VR basketball game Blacktop Hoops, has raised $5.1 million in a seed funding round.
The round was led by Makers Fund, with participation from Y Combinator, Soma Capital, Pioneer Fund, Anorak Ventures, BonAngels, and Twitch co-founder Kevin Lin. Vinci Games was previously supported by Y Combinator, and also successfully completed a Kickstarter campaign in September 2022 to the tune of $60,000.
The studio says the new funds will be used to develop Blacktop Hoops, which is currently available through Quest’s App Lab distribution channel for Quest 2, and […]
35 Best AI Chrome Extensions for Teachers and Educators
AI technology has taken the Internet by storm and is radically shaping a new world, one in which automation and machine learning are becoming increasingly more prevalent. For us in education we can help out jump on the AI wandbagon and take advantage of its unique capabilities to enhance our teaching practice, optimize students learning, and create inclusive and meaningful learning experiences for our students.
Since Open AI, the company behind ChatGPT, made its API public, there have been a number of Chrome extensions developed to take advantage of the API. These AI-powered browser extensions offer a wide range […]
Valve Interview Confirms Its VR Ambitions Are Alive and Kicking
If you’ve been plugged into the Valve leak-o-verse, you’ve probably come across the name ‘Deckard’, the supposed code name of a standalone headset allegedly under development by the one and only. While Valve isn’t confirming anything about the storied standalone, the company went on record late last year to say they are still have faith in VR, and are critically still working on VR headsets.
Valve product designer Greg Coomer spoke to Korean gaming publication This is Game (Korean) in December, saying that VR is very much still in the works. The interview wasn’t widely shared in the […]
Create Historic Map Overlays With These Free Tools
.png){kind=link}
Yesterday morning I shared a collection of more than 100,000 historic maps for classroom use. In that post I mentioned using those maps to create digital overlays on current maps. Google Earth provides a couple of ways to do that. Felt.com is another digital mapping tool that can be used for the same purpose.
In the following videos I demonstrate how to create historic map overlays for comparison purposes.
Video – How to Create Historic Map Overlays on Felt.com
There are a couple of ways to overlay historical maps on current maps in […]
How to Impose Time Limits on Google Forms – And 46 Other Tutorials
Over the weekend a reader reached out to me for help with Google Forms. Specifically, he wanted to know how to impose a time limit on a Google Form. I was happy to help.
The method that I use to impose a time limit on Google Forms is to enable the Google Forms add-on called FormLimiter. With this add-on installed you can set a time at which a form automatically stops accepting responses. You can also use FormLimiter to impose a limit on the number of responses that a form will accept. Watch my video below to […]
We Need You to Help Fight Ransomware in Our Schools
Taking a quick aside from the usual focus on instruction tech to share a quick reminder about working to get ahead of the curve with ransomware. Very much worth doing! Be proactive to beat back this menace before it takes you down! Thanks to Mike Bianco for the post. – KW
No one wants to imagine the headlines and aftermath of a ransomware attack. However, preparing for such an event is crucial to escaping with your data intact and without shelling out ransom to attackers. More than 56% of K12 education organizations suffered ransomware attacks between 2020 and […]
Taking Notes vs. Photographing Slides
New research shows that taking notes helps you to remember more from lecture than photographing slides.
MLA and APA Provide Guidance for Citing Content Created by AI
It’s a bit of an understatement to say that the rapid growth of AI-powered writing and drawing tools is raising many questions for teachers and students. One of those frequently asked questions is “how do you cite ChatGPT?”
Recently, the MLA and the APA have published guidance on how to cite content created through the use of AI tools like ChatGPT. You can read the MLA guide to citing content created by AI here. The APA guide’s to citing content created ChatGPT can be read here.
There are many similarities between the […]
‘Firmament’ Trailer Spotlights Core Puzzle Mechanic Ahead of May PC VR Launch
Last month we got an eyeful of Cyan’s upcoming VR puzzle adventure Firmament in an extended preview trailer that showed off some of the game’s impressively looming set pieces. Now, prepping for the game’s May 18th release on PC VR, the studio released its first look at some of the game’s puzzle mechanics.
There are a few new things shown in the video that we haven’t seen before, notably what appears to be the final version of the most important tool to your puzzle-adventuring.
Called an ‘Adjunct’, the tool lets you interface with the various devices strewn […]
More Than 100,000 Historic Maps for Classroom Use
Credit: David Rumsey Map Collection, David Rumsey Map Center, Stanford Libraries. Source 1. Source 2.
In this week’s Practical Ed Tech Newsletter I mentioned that digital mapping tools is one of the areas of educational technology that I’m still passionate about after sixteen years and 17,000 blog posts. And making comparisons through the use of overlays is one of my favorite digital mapping activities to do with students.
Parts of the David Rumsey Historical Map collection has been available in the desktop version of Google Earth for […]
Pimax Says Its Nintendo Switch-style VR Hybrid is Shipping to Backers This Month
Pimax announced that Portal, its hybrid VR headset based on a Nintendo Switch-style console, is almost ready for launch, as the company prepares to ship to all Kickstarter backers in April 2023.
Over the years, the Beijing-based company has been known for its wide field-of-view (FOV) PC VR headsets which include large, high-resolution displays and wide FOV optics, making Pimax one of the few to offer such devices directly to consumers. With the announcement of Portal and standalone headset Pimax Crystal, the company seems to be striking out in a new direction from its PC VR […]
Meta Quest Reportedly Had Over 6 Million Monthly Active Users as of October 2022
A Wall Street Journal report maintains Meta’s Quest platform had 6.37 million monthly active users as of October 2022.
The report doesn’t include a breakdown of which headset is seeing the most engagement, however it’s likely a majority of those users come from Quest 2. The original Quest, which was released in 2019, is currently on its way out. The company’s enthusiast-grade headset Quest Pro costs $1,000, a $500 drop from its original $1,500 launch price.
Meta hasn’t officially detailed just how many Quest headsets it’s sold since the company released the standalone in 2019, or its Quest […]
‘Beat Saber’ Reportedly Generated Over a Quarter Billion Dollars in Lifetime Sales
Beat Saber (2018), the popular block-slashing rhythm game, has undoubtedly been a standout success for VR. Now a Wall Street Journal report alleges the game has generated over a quarter billion dollars.
Citing documents viewed by the Wall Street Journal, Meta has allegedly generated over $255 million as of October 2022.
While not stated explicitly in the report, this ostensibly includes base game unit sales and DLC sales across all supported platforms, which includes Quest, Quest 2, the original PSVR, and SteamVR headsets.
Acquired by Meta in 2019, developers Beat Games have released a wide swath of paid […]
4 Cybersecurity Tips for Schools
Cybersecurity tips for securing your school or district’s website from award-winning technology director Emmanuel Ajanma
ChatGPT and Other AI Tutors: Potential and Pitfalls
ChatGPT and similar AI technology is ushering in a new era of AI tutors that is full of potential but is not without obstacles
ChatGPT Plus vs. Google’s Bard
We put AI Chatbots Bard and ChatGPT Plus head-to-head. Find out which AI tool emerged victorious.
Math Word Problems for 2nd Grade Students
Math word problems are an excellent way to practice and hone students’ math and problem solving skills. They provide a unique opportunity for students to apply their math knowledge in real-life scenarios and make connections between the problem and the solution. Math word problems can also be used to help develop critical thinking, logical reasoning, and creative problem solving abilities.
40 Engaging 5th Grade Writing Prompts for Creative Expression
Writing is a fundamental skill that every kid should learn and develop. It takes much practice and dedication to be able to write well. One of the best ways for 5th grade students to practice their writing skills is through creative writing prompts. These are fun and engaging topics that students can use to come up with interesting stories or poems.
The purpose is to stimulate their imaginations and help them develop their writing skills. In coming up with writing prompts for your 5th grade students, it is important to consider the age group and provide […]
Five Things You Can Teach Through Geocaching
Geocaching is one of the things that I spend a good bit of time talking about in both my workshop and in my webinar about blending technology into outdoor learning. Geocaching is a great activity to do to get kids outside for hands-on learning experiences. Here are five things that you can teach through geocaching activities.
Geospatial Awareness
The core of geocaching activities is locating hidden caches. This can be done through the use of GPS (either on a phone, a smartwatch, or on a dedicated GPS unit) or in an “old school” method […]
20 Creative Bulletin Board Ideas for Your Class
Bulletin boards are an important part of any classroom. They serve various educational purposes. As a language teacher, I used to create creative bulletin boards to promote my students’ learning. Ideas included vocabulary, grammar and reading comprehension exercises, as well as game-inspired activities like crosswords and word searches.
Regardless of the subject area you teach, bulletin boards can be a great way to inspire creativity, challenge student’s knowledge and motivate them to participate in class activities. In this post, I share with you some creative bulletin board ideas to use in your own instruction.
Whether you’re a […]
Resources for Teaching and Learning About Earth Day 2023
Next Saturday is Earth Day 2023. Here’s a handful of resources to consider using if you find yourself looking for some resources to help your students understand the origins of Earth Day, its significance, or celebrating Earth Day.
Birds, Turtles, and Bikes – The Week in Review
Good morning from Maine where spring has finally sprung! All week the weather has been fantastic and today is forecasted to be another gorgeous spring day. I’ve been riding my bike outside all week and I’ll be doing that again today.
Last week I was sick. This week all the other members of my family we’re sick. We’re finally all back to being healthy so we’re going to celebrate by taking our puppy and dog for a little adventure hike tomorrow.
I hope that you have a great weekend!
Mindfulness in Schools: 6 Practical Tips to Integrate Mindfulness in Your Teaching
Mindfulness is the practice of being present in the moment and paying attention to one’s thoughts, feelings, sensations, and surroundings. Mindfulness helps students to be more aware of their thoughts, feelings, and actions which helps enhance their focus and attention.
As a pedagogical practice, mindfulness is a relatively new addition to the classroom. When I first started teaching over two decades ago, you can barely come across the concept in the education literature. Today, there are countless books and articles on the subject, as well as numerous trainings for teachers to learn how to bring mindfulness into their classrooms.
How to Find Image Metadata and More
A couple of years ago I published a video and blog post about how to find image metadata. Since then the tool that I featured in that video has gone offline. Today, I recorded a new video that features two other methods for finding image sources and image metadata.
In the video that is embedded below I demonstrate how to use two tools. The first is Google Lens and its built-in image source tool. The second is a tool called Jimpl that can be used to find image metadata.
Open World Survival Game ‘Green Hell VR’ is Getting a Co-op Mode & New Story in 3-part DLC
Incuvo’s VR adaptation of its popular open world survival game Green Hell is getting a three-part DLC that’s said to bring a bunch of new content to the game, which includes new story, gameplay mechanics and more. It’s also set to get the long-awaited multiplayer mode at some point too.
Called ‘Spirits of Amazonia’, the three-part DLC doesn’t have a release window yet, however Incuvo says it’s currently testing the long-awaited multiplayer update now, which will allow four players to play in co-op mode.
“We know that this is taking a long time, however, we want to ensure that we take […]