Latest education updates from around the world
Assessing AI For Administrative Processes
Administrative tasks can benefit greatly from AI tools, and when implemented in the proper way, these can result in time and cost savings.
AI Prompt Writing For Middle School English
Bill Henry, an 8th grade English teacher, shares prompts and advice for teaching English with the help of AI.
Tips for Effective Group Work
Group work is a valuable instructional strategy that allows students to engage in collaboration, communication, critical thinking, and creativity. Research has shown that when students work in structured groups, they experience higher academic achievement, deeper understanding of concepts, and improved interpersonal skills (Slavin, 2014). However, many teachers struggle with implementing group work effectively. Without clear […]
The post Tips for Effective Group Work appeared first on Teacher Tech with Alice Keeler.
Meta Eyes Free-to-Play Future as Quest Userbase Changes with Wave of New Owners
Meta’s metaverse ambitions are evolving rapidly, with younger users and mainstream consumers reshaping the Quest platform over the course of 2024, according to Samantha Ryan, VP of Metaverse Content, which could see free-to-play content flourish as a result.
In a recent developer blog post, Ryan highlighted key shifts in user behavior over the course of last year, with an evolution driven by the growth of users entirely new to Quest.
“Compared to the prior year, device sales increased in 2024 and people spent more […]
Ex-Oculus CTO: ‘Beat Saber was much more important to VR’s growth than Half-Life: Alyx’
John Carmack, former CTO of Oculus and legendary programmer, isn’t shy when it comes to voicing his opinions on all things XR. To Carmack, Meta’s block-slashing rhythm game Beat Saber (2018) was “far more important than Half-Life: Alyx” in pushing adoption of the medium.
While Valve’s PC VR game Half-Life: Alyx (2020) is largely prized as the pinnacle of ‘AAA’ VR gaming, Carmack maintains Beat Saber was “far more important,” owing to the hit rhythm game’s release on the original Quest in 2019.
“Whenever […]
Veteran VR Studio nDreams Condenses Two Studios into One, With Layoffs for Some
Veteran VR developer and publisher nDreams announced it’s opened an internal studio, called ‘Compass’, after having closed both its nDreams Studio Orbital and nDreams Studio in September.
The studio announced back in September it had laid off 17.5% of the company in a response to “a challenging VR games market, situated within a tough gaming landscape more broadly.”
Now, Game Developer learns the restructuring includes the shuttering of nDreams Studio Orbital and nDreams Studio. Both its first-party nDreams Studio Elevation and Nearlight, which was
6 Top Free Edtech Credentials
These six free edtech credentials provide useful professional learning with a credential for teachers in all academic areas and grade level
‘Ancient Dungeon’ for PSVR 2 Gets Long-awaited Multiplayer Co-op Mode
Ancient Dungeon VR, the rogue-lite dungeon crawler, just got an update on PSVR 2 that finally brings multiplayer co-op to the game.
Initially launched in 2021 on Steam Early Access and the now-defunct App Lab for Quest, Ancient Dungeon was designed as a single player experience, taking you through 20+ hours of twisting dungeons for physics-based combat against blocky wizards, skeletons and other classic D&D-inspired foes.
While Quest and the SteamVR version gained four-player co-op in mid-2024, unfortunately this didn’t include the PSVR 2 version at the time, which […]
New School Leader Starter Kit
If you’ve just become a leader in your school, here’s some advice, resources, and more to help you get started
Using free resources to connect the environment to education
Key points:
- Dynamic resources make a significant difference in student engagement and learning outcomes
- Turning classroom boredom into student brilliance
- 3 tips to authentically engage students in real-world STEM learning
- For more news on teaching trends, visit eSN’s Innovative Teaching hub
As a National Board-Certified Teacher, I love incorporating media literacy, environmental literacy, and civic engagement into my teaching. I want my students to think critically about how things interconnect, and I am always […]
Membean: How to Use It to Teach Vocabulary
Membean doesn’t just teach vocab, it builds word consciousness.
The Power of the Equals Sign
What takes Google Sheets spreadsheets from ordinary to extraordinary? The equals sign! Type this into any cell to get going.
The post The Power of the Equals Sign appeared first on Teacher Tech with Alice Keeler.
Is Vision Pro Worth Buying in 2025? Our No-nonsense Recommendation
Vision Pro, Apple’s very first headset, just turned one year old. Now that we’re into 2025, is it still worth buying? Read on for our no-nonsense recommendation.
Vision Pro isn’t worth the cost for most people.
Why: Vision Pro is an incredible headset by many measures. The interface, ease of use, and ecosystem integration are second-to-none. And while it has standout features like immersive FaceTime, support for almost all existing iPad apps, automatic 3D photo conversions, and an excellent ultrawide virtual monitor, […]
Paid ‘Quest Games Optimizer’ Tool Now Has Over 100,000 Users
Quest Games Optimizer, the paid software that lets Quest users boost game performance, has now topped over 100,000 users.
Initially released in 2022, Quest Games Optimizer is a tool Quest users can run in the background during gameplay that can increase resolution, performance, frame rate, and increase battery life across all Quest headsets—from the 2019 original all the way up to Quest 3S.
Now, its creator ‘Anagan79’ announced Quest Games Optimizer has reached over 100,000 users. Provided all were paid full-price users, this would […]
Apple Reportedly Cancels Mac-connected AR Glasses Due to Poor Internal Reviews
According to a Bloomberg report, Apple has shuttered an AR glasses project aimed at mainstream consumers.
Originally planned for release in 2027, the device, codenamed N107, was a Mac-connected pair of AR glasses which the company was positioning as a more accessible alternative to the $3,500 Vision Pro mixed reality headset.
The report, citing internal sources, maintains Apple initially planned for N107 to pair with iPhone, however processing power and battery life was a major factor, prompting the company […]
Meta CTO: 2025 is a ‘Make or Break’ Year for Meta’s XR Ambitions, Internal Memo Reveals
Meta CTO Andrew Bosworth released an internal memo to employees, stating 2025 is going to be “the most critical year” for the company’s XR efforts yet, Business Insider reports.
Titled “2025: The Year of Greatness”, the memo (seen below) largely takes an inspirational tone, urging Reality Labs employees to do “the best work of your career right now.”
Bosworth, who also leads the company’s Reality Labs XR division, offers hope and motivation for teams to succeed, stating the company needs to “drive sales, retention, […]
Using Instructional Rounds As An Alternative to Traditional Professional Development
Using instructional rounds, much like how doctors do, can provide a viable and more dynamic alternative to traditional PD.
Organize, Summarize, and Cite Your Research with One SciSummary
Working on an advanced degree? Organize, Summarize and Cite your research with AI in SciSummary. Easy to use!
The post Organize, Summarize, and Cite Your Research with One SciSummary appeared first on Teacher Tech with Alice Keeler.
Meta’s VP of XR is Departing the Company Citing Family Health Concerns
Meta’s VP of XR, Mark Rabkin, is departing the company after leading its XR efforts for more than four years. Rabkin cites family health issues as the primary driver for his departure.
Today Mark Rabkin announced his plan to leave the company in March. In his public announcement he said, “devs and fans [of XR]—I will leave you in good hands. More to come.” Which likely means we’ll soon learn who will take over the role in his place.
As Meta’s VP of XR for the […]
‘Batman: Arkham Shadow’ Counts Over 1 Million Quest Players, In-game Achievement Reveals
Batman: Arkham Shadow (2024) has just topped over 1 million players, evidenced by an in-game achievement that nearly everyone is bound to earn just by booting up the game and playing for a few minutes.
Camouflaj’s Batman: Arkham Shadow, the Quest-exclusive game released last October, was poised to be a big draw for the holiday season last year, prompting Meta to bundle the VR native continuation of the Arkham series with every new Quest 3 and Quest 3S purchase.
Exploring Implementation of Trauma-Engaged Practices in Alaska Schools
To help schools address the negative impacts of childhood trauma, Alaska released a Framework for Trauma-Engaged Practice in 2019, as well as a suite of resources to support implementation. REL Northwest examined the extent to which schools used the framework and resources or implemented trauma-engaged practices consistent with the framework.
Apple Reportedly on Track to Bring PSVR 2 Controller Support to Vision Pro
Apple is reportedly making good headway on its quest to bring controllers to Vision Pro, as Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman maintains a collaboration with Sony to bring support for PSVR 2’s controllers to Apple’s headset is still on track.
Gurman noted late last year that Apple had approached Sony in early 2024, which allegedly was a part of a “monthslong undertaking” to bring PSVR 2 controller support to Apple’s $3,500 XR headset. At the time, Apple was also reportedly […]
Google’s XR Modeling Tool ‘Blocks’ Gets a Second Life with ‘Open Blocks’ on Quest
Known for its work on the open source version of Google’s Tilt Brush, Open Brush, The Icosa Foundation has now released a version of Google’s low-poly 3D modeling app Blocks for Quest.
Like Blocks, the studio’s appropriately named Open Blocks has the same simple interface as the original, allowing creators to design low-poly 3D assets in VR.
Previously only available on PC VR headsets via Steam however, Open Blocks is now available for free on the Horizon Store for Quest 2 and above.
Key features include […]
The Remembered Success Effect: Adding Easier Math Questions Can Boost Student Motivation
A new study of the remembered success effect finds that adding less challenging questions to the beginning or end of an assignment can improve student motivation.
Enlighten AI: How to Use It For Grading
Enlighten AI is smart grading assistant developed to improve student feedback.