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50 Great Education Quotes for All Learners

By |March 22, 2023|

Education is the key to inner enlightenment. It is a life-long journey and is an enjoyable ride with no destination. An educated mind has no boundaries or limits. It is in a constant search for knowledge and new insights and is always on the lookout for novel learning experiences.

The purpose of this post is to take you on a journey to the world of education. I want you to explore it with me through the eyes of some of the most influential minds in history. How? Through their wise sayings and quotes.


50 Best Quotes about Life

By |March 22, 2023|

Life can often be a roller coaster ride of highs and lows, with its fair share of ups and downs. Sometimes we seem to understand it and other times nothing makes sense in it. This is the volatile nature of life. One thing we are sure of though is that the older we get the clearer picture we have about life.



In this post, I compiled for you a collection of wonderful quotes about life that can help us all stay positive in the face of adversity […]

Is Critical Race Theory Taught in Schools?

By |March 22, 2023|

For the last few years, critical race theory has become a common term in US media. Technical as the concept might be, many people use it without understanding what it really means which often results in a dangerous semantic confusion and a conceptual misinformation that can sometimes (depending on one’s agenda) amount to disinformation.

I have already discussed the meaning of critical race theory in a previous post here in Educational Technology and Mobile learning and have argued for its importance in raising students awareness to the different types of injustices created by the intersection […]

Four Methods for Distraction-free YouTube Viewing

By |March 22, 2023|

This morning I answered an email from a reader who was looking for some suggestions on how to display YouTube videos in her classroom without showing all of the related sidebar content that appears on YouTube. If you find yourself in a similar position, here are some things to try.

Put the videos into slides
If you embed a YouTube video into your Google Slides, PowerPoint slides, or Canva slides then none of YouTube’s related sidebar content appears next to the video.

[…]

40 Great Quotes about Motivation and Success

By |March 21, 2023|

Motivation is key to success. Of course, motivation alone is not enough and it can only take you so far. Motivation needs hard work and persistence to breed success. As Oliver Goldsmith beautifully stated, “success consists of getting up just one more time than you fall”. 


Along similar lines, Vince Lombardi highlights the importance of hard work in achieving success; stating that “the only place success comes before work is in the dictionary.”

However, there are times when we feel demotivated or unsure about how to move forward towards success. In such situations, turning to motivational quotes can offer […]

Virtuix ‘Omni One’ VR Treadmill Now Shipping to Early Investors

By |March 21, 2023|

Virtuix, the company behind the Omni VR treadmill, launched a crowd-based investment campaign in 2020 to fund Virtuix Omni One, an at-home VR locomotion device targeted at consumers. Now the studio has revealed the final version, pricing, and the news that it’s  now shipping out to early investors.

Omni One units are now headed out to early investors (re: not backers) prior to the device’s planned consumer launch, which is said to arrive at some point later this year.

The company says its currently has a waitlist for Omni One of “more than 35,000 subscribers.”

Here’s a look at […]

‘Moss’ Studio Announces VR Competitive Multiplayer, Closed Beta Signups Now Live

By |March 21, 2023|

Polyarc, the studio behind the Moss franchise, announced a new competitive multiplayer VR game currently in development.

Polyarc isn’t saying much beyond that—we still don’t even know it’s name—however a look at the game’s concept art shows a definite influence from Moss‘ style and characters, including the Reader and a number of plucky mice heroes.

Although we can’t read too much into it, retrofitting Moss’ third-person platforming view into a multiplayer battle game may mean the studio is pursuing something very similar in feel to Moss, albeit with multiple classes and weapons. In the concept art we see a gilded Reader […]

Teacher and Student Views of Reading Progress and Reading Coach in Microsoft Teams

By |March 21, 2023|

Last year Microsoft added actionable insights to Reading Progress in Microsoft Teams. This year there is even more information and there are more actions that you can take when using Reading Progress and Reading Coach in Microsoft Teams. 

In a new video that he released yesterday, Mike Tholfsen provides a complete overview of how to use Reading Progress and Reading Coach in Microsoft Teams. The video provides demonstration and direction for teachers. In the video he also provides a detailed overview of how students access and use Reading Coach in Microsoft […]

HTC Announces Inside-out Tracker for VR Accessories & Body Tracking

By |March 21, 2023|

HTC today announced a new Vive Tracker accessory which is the first in the industry to use inside-out tracking, meaning it doesn’t require any external beacons. The device can be attached to props to bring them into VR or to the user’s body for enhanced body tracking.

HTC’s existing Vive Trackers are a popular accessory for anyone interested in VR full-body tracking, but they use SteamVR Tracking technology which requires external beacons for use.

Now the company has announced a new Vive Tracker, and while it doesn’t yet have a name, HTC confirms it is their first standalone tracker based on […]

‘Not For Broadcast VR’ Review – The Dystopian ‘Job Simulator’ for Aspiring Propagandists

By |March 21, 2023|

Not For Broadcast VR isn’t just about live-mixing camera feeds and making sure the National Nightly News airs without a hitch—that’s the gamey bit you’ll have to contend with if you want to keep ratings up and make sure the audience isn’t switching channels. It’s also a dark and brilliantly satirical take on modern politics and how broadcast media has become intertwined with entertainment. And it’s no surprise the propaganda simulator’s big buttons and full motion video (FMV) action translate pretty well to VR too.

Not For Broadcast VR Details:

Available On: SteamVR, Quest 2
Release Date: March 23rd, 2023

Get Inspired by These Videos Made by Students

By |March 20, 2023|

The C-SPAN StudentCam contest winners were announced last week. The annual competition asks middle school and high school students to produce short videos addressing a current topic in U.S. government and politics. This year the challenge was for students to create a video about what they would make their first priority if elected to Congress. 

This year’s grand prize winning video was created by two eighth grade students in Maryland, Parim Shah and Nimay Sharma. Their video is titled Where’s My Data? Data Privacy and Its Real World Impact

The “fan favorite” […]

Hear Me on the International Teacher Podcast

By |March 20, 2023|

A few weeks ago Greg Lemoine invited me to be a guest on the International Teacher Podcast. I had a great time chatting with Greg and his co-host Kent about a wide range of topics including who I look to for information and inspiration, some of my favorite tools and tips, and how I got started down the road to creating Free Technology for Teachers and Practical Ed Tech

Somehow they also got me to tell some stories from my days for traveling before I had kids. Those […]

26 Easy Doodles to Draw

By |March 20, 2023|

According to Merriam-Webster, a doodle is “an aimless or casual scribble, design, or sketch”. In the Cambridge dictionary, to doodle is defined as “to draw pictures or patterns while thinking about something else or when you are bored”. 


So yes, doodling is meant to be a stress-free activity in which your imagination runs wide and helps you unleash your inner artist. Doodling is easy and anyone can learn it with consistent practice.

In this post, I share with you some doodling suggestions and ideas to get you started. These are all simple and easy to draw doodles that […]

7 Great AI Translation Tools to Try out

By |March 19, 2023|

In today’s increasingly globalised world, having access to accurate and reliable translation tools is essential for businesses and individuals alike. With the advent of Artificial Intelligence (AI), there has been an explosion in the number of AI-powered translation services available.


These services provide instant translations with a high degree of accuracy and fluency that traditional methods simply can’t match. In this post, I cover some of the best AI translation tools on the market today. I invite you to check them out and share with us if you have other suggestions to add to the list.


For […]

How to Add Q&A to Your Google Slides Presentations

By |March 19, 2023|

There are plenty of ways to gather questions and feedback from students in a digital format. But one of the ways that is often overlooked is to just add a Q&A component to a slide presentation. That can be done quite easily in Google Slides right from the presentation menu. Watch my video embedded below to learn how to add Q&A to your Google Slides presentations.


Applications for Education
The option for students to vote a question up or down is useful in determining which questions seem the most important to […]

Pi, Puppy, and AI – The Week in Review

By |March 18, 2023|

Good morning from Maine where the sun is shining and it is going to be a beautiful late winter day. It’s going to be perfect for playing outside with the newest member of our family, Rangeley Noodle! Last weekend we got a black lab puppy and my daughters named him Rangeley Noodle. Rangeley is for one of our favorite places in Maine and Noodle because my five-year-old thought it was fun to say and the rest of us went with it. Wherever you are this weekend, I hope that you have something fun to do outside […]

The Birds Are Returning – A Short Lesson on Migration

By |March 18, 2023|

When I took my dogs out this morning I heard some birds chirping that I hadn’t heard in a few months. That’s a sure sign that spring can’t be too far away. The sounds of the birds this morning reminded me of a TED-Ed lesson about bird migration. Bird Migration, A Perilous Journey teaches viewers some statistics about songbird migration, the role of bird migration in the ecosystem, and the man-made challenges facing songbirds on their annual migrations.


Applications for Education
After watching the video and completing the lesson questions, a next step […]

What is Critical Race Theory? A Guide for Teachers and Parents

By |March 18, 2023|

Critical race theory is a hotly debated topic especially within the American media. A number of bills and legislations have been introduced to stop or limit the teaching of critical race theory. For instance, the State of Florida has recently passed a law that bans teaching critical race theory within schools. The issue has stirred so much controversy in the media and among educators and parents.



So, what the heck is critical race theory and why does it matter that much? What teachers and parents need to know about critical race theory? These and […]

The 20 Best Rated & Most Popular Quest Games & Apps – March 2023

By |March 18, 2023|

While Oculus doesn’t offer much publicly in the way of understanding how well individual games & apps are performing across its Quest 2 storefront, it’s possible to glean some insight by looking at apps relative to each other. Here’s a snapshot of the 20 best rated Oculus Quest games and apps as of March 2023.

Some quick qualifications before we get to the data:

Paid and free apps are separated
Only apps with more than 100 reviews are represented
App Lab apps are not represented (see our latest Quest App Lab report)
Rounded ratings may appear to show ‘ties’ […]

23 Inspiring Earth Day Quotes

By |March 18, 2023|

Earth Day is a day to celebrate and appreciate the planet we call home. It is celebrated on April 22 and is an opportunity to recognize our shared responsibility for protecting and preserving our environment, for ourselves and future generations.

On Earth Day, we can reflect on the beauty of nature, learn about how human activities are affecting it, and take action to protect it. In fact, everyday should be an Earth Day , with each of us doing what we can to reduce our environmental footprint and make the world a better place. By working together, we […]

Best Virtual Field Trips

By |March 17, 2023|

Students can experience the best virtual field trips without getting on a bus, or even leaving their homes.