Latest education updates from around the world
Meta is Planning a Cheaper VR Headset for Release in 2024, Pointing to Possible ‘Quest 3 Lite’
Meta is planning to ship a VR headset in 2024 which the company wants to make as accessible as possible to consumers.
According to a report by The Verge, Meta’s VP of VR, Mark Rabki, told thousands of employees in a memo that it plans to release a consumer VR headset in 2024, codenamed Ventura.
“The goal for this headset is very simple: pack the biggest punch we can at the most attractive price point in the VR consumer market,” Rabki wrote in the memo.
Meta seems to be positioning Ventura as a ‘Quest 3 Lite’ of sorts. In the reported memo, the company announced […]
45,000 People Get Their Educational Technology Tips This Way
Yesterday morning when I checked my YouTube Studio account I noticed that my little channel had passed the 45,000 subscriber mark. Despite publishing videos on YouTube since at least 2009, I’ve never had a viral hit and probably never will. Instead of worrying about that I just try to make as many helpful videos as I can. To get a sense of the type of videos that I publish, take a look at the five most-watched videos of the last month.
How to Use Street View Imagery in Canva Presentations
Earlier this week I published a tutorial for making your first presentation in Canva. After you and or your students feel comfortable with the basics, you may want to start exploring some of the advanced features available within Canva. One of those is the ability to embed interactive Google Maps and Google Street View imagery into your Canva presentations.
Adding Google Maps into Canva is relatively straight-forward. Simply choose Google Maps from the “Apps” menu in the Canva presentation editor and then search for a location in the search box that appears. Adding Street […]
Three Tips for Math Teachers & Students Using Google Docs
Last weekend a reader reached out to me for advice on helping her students write equations in Google Docs. The add-ons she had tried were either too confusing or too expensive to use with all of her pre-Algebra and Algebra I students. My suggestion was to try having students just use the special characters menu found under the “Insert” menu in Google Docs.
Using the special characters menu to write equations is one of the three tips that I share in the short video that is embedded below.
What is CommonLit and How Does It Work? Best Tips and Tricks
CommonLit is an all-in-one literacy program to help with reading using assessments and more.
Meta Plans Pricier Quest 3 With Features to ‘fire up enthusiasts’
Meta’s Quest 3 headset, which the company has confirmed will land this year, is said to be positioned as a slightly pricier headset with features designed to appeal to VR enthusiasts.
For Quest 3, due out sometime later this year, Meta may be focusing more on its existing VR customers rather than trying to reel in brand new users.
According to a report by The Verge, Meta’s VP of VR, Mark Rabki, told thousands of employees that for the company’s next consumer headset, Quest 3, “we have to get enthusiasts fired up about it […] we have to prove to people that […]
Meta Has Sold Nearly 20 Million Quest Headsets, But Retention Struggles Remain
Meta has sold nearly 20 million Quest headsets, but the company continues to struggle with keeping customer using VR.
According to a report by The Verge, citing an internal Meta presentation held today, the company has sold nearly 20 million Quest headsets. This likely includes Quest 1, Quest 2, and Quest Pro, though by all accounts Quest 2 appears to be the vast majority. And while the figure wasn’t publicly announced, this would be the first official confirmation of Quest unit sales from the company.
This info was shared by Mark Rabkin, Meta’s VP of VR, during an internal presentation […]
New Month, New Course – Five Video Projects for Almost Every Classroom
Creating videos with students is one of my favorite things to do with students. Over the years I’ve helped students and their teachers create animated videos, green screen videos, mini documentaries, and instructional videos. In my new Practical Ed Tech course, Five Video Projects for Almost Every Classroom I will teach you how to do those video projects and more.
In Five Video Projects for Almost Every Classroom I’ll share all of my favorite planning, production, publishing, and assessment tips. And as the title implies, I show you how to […]
9 Excellent Spelling Games for Kids
Looking for fun and engaging spelling games to add an extra screen-free learning experience for your kids? The collection below have you covered. I spent hours of online searching and applied a meticulous vetting process that takes into account reader reviews, games sales history, its popularity, its educational potential, durability and portability, among several other factors. The final list is what you see below. These are some of the best-selling games in the market and are sure to provide your little ones hours of immersive entertainment and learning.
As kids play these spelling games, they will […]
Pimax Secures $30M Series C1 Funding to Expand & Support Rollout of Crystal & Portal VR Headsets
Pimax, the China-based creator known for its wide field of view (FOV) VR headsets, announced it’s secured a $30 million series C1 financing round, something the company says will aid in the rollout of its new portfolio of VR devices.
The series C1 was led by Beijing-based investment firm Tuanmu Capital. This follows the company’s $20 million series B in 2020, bringing the company’s lifetime outside investment to over $69 million.
In a press statement, the company says the funds will be used to accelerate growth of its coming line of VR headsets, Pimax Crystal and Pimax […]
Once More With Feeling…Two EdTech Guys Take Questions
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In my newsletter on Sunday evening I mentioned that Rushton Hurley and I would be recording a new installment of our Two EdTech Guys Take Questions and Share Cool Stuff series this week. We’ve now done that. In the latest episode we tackled questions about image file formats and a question about video creation that ended up being a discussion about social media habits for teachers. In this new episode we also shared a cool way to create video games and a video to inspire you.
Watch the episode as embedded […]
Three Ways to Share Google Maps Views in Google Classroom
Google Maps is one of the tools that I always list as a must-have for history and geography teachers. It provides an easy way to show students multiple, detailed views of the significant natural and human-made landmarks they’re learning about in your classroom.
Projecting them on a big screen in the front of your classroom is one to show your students specific Google Maps views. That works when all of your students are present and all of them can see the screen. That doesn’t work when you need students to explore a specific location on their own. […]
Putting the MEN in Mentoring: Practical Ways Men Can Be Better Allies
How men can improve their mentoring and allyship efforts
AI, AI, and AI – The Month in Review
Good evening from Maine where the sun has set on the shortest month of the year. It also seemed to be the coldest month of the year. And to close out the month we’re having another snowstorm!
AI (artificial intelligence) is the most popular topic in all of the educational technology landscape today. Likewise, four of the most popular posts on this blog in February were about artificial intelligence tools.
As I do at the end of every month, I’ve put together a list of the ten most popular posts of the month. Take a look and see […]
Hit Battle Royale ‘POPULATION: ONE’ is Going Free-to-Play on Quest in March
POPULATION: ONE, the hit battle royale shooter from BigBox VR, is going free-to-play next month on the Quest platform.
Initially released in late 2020, Population: One has essentially become VR’s de facto battle royale, bringing large-scale cross-platform battles to Quest and SteamVR headsets.
Now Meta-owned studio BigBox VR says it’s going free-to-play on Quest 2 and Quest Pro starting on March 9th, which will also include a host of new goodies to previous owners of the game, coming in addition to an update which will include new content.
Notably, it’s not going free-to-play on PC VR platforms; both the Oculus […]
Unique Platform Puzzle ‘HUMANITY’ Coming to PSVR 2 & PC VR in May, Free Demo Now Live
When we first caught glimpse of HUMANITY, it was clear it was going to be a unique experience, although the crowd simulation puzzler was long delayed past the original 2020 launch window. Now Tokyo-based design studio Tha LTD announced HUMANITY is officially coming in May.
It was pretty vague what the hell HUMANITY was all about when it was first announced in 2019, however now the studio reveals its upcoming game is a “unique blend of puzzle-solving and action-platforming,” giving you control over an ethereal Shiba Inu dog who commands a massive crowd.
Like Lemmings, you control […]
Free-to-Play 1v1 Dueling Game ‘Divine Duel’ Launches on Quest Next Month, Trailer Here
Divine Duel is an upcoming free-to-play fighting game that pits you against celestial foes in 1v1 combat, and it’s coming first to Quest next month.
In Divine Duel you choose from four Celestials, each of which has their own unique powers. The studio says initially there will be over 40 weapons, spells, and creatures to summon—which yes, also includes dragons.
From the looks of it, players select a loadout of spells and weapons before each match, and select them in a sort of tactical turn-based combat during the fight, not unlike the now free-to-play dueling game Blaston.
The full-bodied, room-scale fighting game […]
‘Synapse’ is a Telekenetic Shooter Using PSVR 2 Eye-tracking, Coming in 2023
nDreams, the studio behind Fracked (2021) and Phantom: Covert Ops (2020), announced Synapse, an upcoming action shooter exclusive to PSVR 2 that looks to evolve Fracked’s run-and-cover gameplay whilst making good use of the headset’s eye-tracking capabilities.
There’s still a lot to learn about Synapse, although nDreams says in its PS blogpost announcement that Fracked made a “perfect foundation to build upon with Synapse,” as the upcoming shooter looks to evolves the former’s core gameplay.
Best Women’s History Month Lessons and Activities
These lessons and resources are an excellent way to investigate and understand women as changemakers, activists, and heroines
Great Art Explained
Despite the efforts of my friend Maggie, I don’t always understand what makes one work of art great and a similar-looking one fit for display in a Hilton Garden Inn. I thought about that last weekend when I came across a YouTube channel called Great Art Explained. The channel seems to have been made for folks just like me.
Great Art Explained features twenty-five videos that provide ten to fifteen minute explanations of some of the works of Van Gogh, Picasso, Warhol, Monet, Hokusai, and many others. The […]
Gamifying Teacher Training
Gamifying teacher training at the Laguna Unified School District allows educators to earn cash prizes, explains award-winning chief technology officer Michael Morrison.
10 of The Best Puzzles for Kids
In this post, I share with you 10 of the best puzzle games for kids. These are some of the best-selling kids’ puzzles in the market with thousands of user reviews and ratings. These puzzles are designed to help kids develop several important skills including problem-solving skills, fine motor skills, hand-eye coordination, and literacy.
From Melissa & Doug Busy Barnyard-Shaped Floor Puzzle to the Learning Journey Lift, these puzzles will not only enable kids to enjoy hours of fun as they engage with challenging cognitive activities but will also help them develop critical skills that will benefit them later […]
Xiaomi Unveils Wireless AR Glasses Prototype, Powered by Same Chipset as Meta Quest Pro
Chinese tech giant Xiaomi today showed off a prototype AR headset at Mobile World Congress (MWC) that wirelessly connects to the user’s smartphone, making for what the company calls its “first wireless AR glasses to utilize distributed computing.”
Called Xiaomi Wireless AR Glass Discovery Edition, the device is built upon the same Qualcomm Snapdragon XR2 Gen 1 chipset as Meta’s recently released Quest Pro VR standalone.
While specs are still thin on the ground, the company did offer some info on headline features. For now, Xiaomi is couching it as a “concept technology achievement,” so it may be a while until […]
Chromebook Keyboard Considerations for Kindergarten
My oldest daughter is in Kindergarten this year. Recently, she started using a Chromebook in her classroom. The Chromebook that she uses at school is different from the one we have at home. The difference is minor for most of us, but it’s huge for kids her age. That difference is found on the keyboard.
The Chromebook that my daughter uses at school has all of the letters appearing as capitalized letters on the keyboard. For example, the letter a appears as “A” and the letter q appears as “Q.” That is accomplished through the use of […]
Qualcomm Partners with 7 Major Telecoms to Advance Smartphone-tethered AR Glasses
Qualcomm announced at Mobile World Congress (MWC) today it’s partnering with seven global telecommunication companies in preparation for the next generation of AR glasses which are set to work directly with the user’s smartphone.
Partners include CMCC, Deutsche Telekom, KDDI Corporation, NTT QONOQ, T-Mobile, Telefonica, and Vodafone, which are said to currently be working with Qualcomm on new XR devices, experiences, and developer initiatives, including Qualcomm’s Snapdragon Spaces XR developer platform.
Qualcomm announced Snapdragon Spaces in late 2021, a software tool kit which focuses on performance and low power devices which allows developers to create head-worn AR experiences […]