Latest education updates from around the world
6 Great Tools to Add Text to Videos
It’s true that pictures speak louder than words but sometimes words are inevitable which is why despite the ubiquity of video content we still need to add words to videos to further enhance the comprehensibility of our message. For us in education, we have seen and experienced this phenomenon first hand. Annotated videos are amenable to higher engagement and ultimately result in enhanced comprehension.
Indeed, adding text to videos allows you to create engaging and compelling video content. There are various reasons behind adding text to videos including to add captions, subtitles, opening and closing […]
Keep, Quiz, and Templates – The Week in Review
Good evening from Banner County, Nebraska! I’m here for the next few days to visit my good friends Kris and Beth Still. Those of you who have followed by blog since its early days may recall that Beth is the person who organized the NECC Newbie project way back in 2009. It was through her initiative that I was able to attend my first NECC (now ISTE) conference. For that, I am eternally grateful to Beth and all of you who supported that project because it dramatically altered the course of my career […]
Free, Customizable Clip Art
CoCoMaterial is an online library of almost 2,500 drawings that you can download and re-use for free. I’ve been using it for about a month and I really like the style of the artwork found on CoCoMaterial. It has been a hit with the folks participating in my Animated Explanations course this month. This week one of those people, Sarah G, pointed out that the drawings in CoCoMaterial can be customized before you download them. I’m not sure if this is a new development or just something that I’ve been […]
10 Ways to Enhance Students Cultural Literacy Using Google Arts & Culture
VR Modding Monthly: ‘Final Fantasy XIV’, ‘Jedi Outcast’, DLSS for VR Ports, & More – November 2022
Welcome to the November 2022 edition of VR Modding Monthly, a monthly article to keep you up to date about all the exciting things going on in the wonderful world of the Flat2VR Modding community!
As always, this has been a huge month for VR modding! As if right on cue to mark the fictional start date of Sword Art Online, one of the best and largest MMO’s in the world, Final Fantasy XIV is getting a VR mod, Praydog has made some huge breakthroughs on his Universal Unreal Engine Injector VR mod, Puredark and Praydog have made some […]
ENGAGE Launches ‘Link’ Metaverse Platform for Enterprise & Education
ENGAGE, the XR education and enterprise metaverse company, has launched its Link social platform which the company calls a “fully featured corporate metaverse.”
Update (November 11th, 2022): Engage has officially launched Link, its business-focused metaverse platform designed for corporations, professionals, education, and event organizers.
Engage already counts 14 launch partners who have set up or are in the process of building their metaverse locations within Link, including Lenovo, KPMG US, KIA, Adtalem, MTN Group and Musical Icon, Fatboy Slim and more. To learn more about Link, check out the company’s website.
The studio also threw out a […]
YouTube Studio Settings for Teachers
Many years ago I was at the annual ISTE conference when I heard a speaker say, “if you want the biggest authentic audience for your students’ work, put it on YouTube.” I think he had a good point because it is possible for your students’ work be seen by millions of people if it’s really good and it fits the algorithm-of-the-day at YouTube. The reality is that using YouTube is just a convenient way for you to share your videos with the your students and for them to share with you.
There are a few YouTube settings […]
Making and Leading Virtual Tours With Expeditions Pro
Many of use lamented the loss of Google Expeditions because it was a great tool for leading students on virtual reality tours of all kinds of interesting places around the world. Similarly, many of us were disappointed when Google shuttered Tour Creator because it was a great tool for students to use to create their own virtual tours. Fortunately, earlier this year a good alternative to Google Expeditions and Tour Creator emerged in the form of Expeditions Pro.
Expeditions Pro can be used on your iOS or Android device to guide students on a […]
Some Schools Use 2,000 Apps. Here’s How One District Protects Data Privacy
Data privacy is a priority at Lafayette Public Schools. Jim Farmer, the chief technology officer, discusses how the district made that happen.
6 Good Project and Task Management Tools for Teachers
The purpose of this post is to provide you with a list featuring some good project and task management tools to try out. The purpose is to help you enhance your focus and improve your productivity knowing that all your tasks and projects are arranged and managed in the most optimal way possible.
1. Trello
Pimax Portal is a Hybrid VR Headset with a Nintendo Switch-style Handheld at Its Core
Pimax, the China-based creators known for its fleet of large-FOV PC VR headsets, announced a new product in its lineup that’s set to straddle a number of device classes thanks to its convertibly between a Nintendo Switch-style handheld and snap-in VR headset display, replete with 6DOF tracking.
Called Portal, Pimax is first pitching the device via a Kickstarter campaign in what it calls a global pre-sale event starting November 15th.
Following the recently announced Pimax Crystal, Portal is the company’s second standalone VR headset with an onboard processor—a Qualcomm Snapdragon XR2—and it’s slated to […]
Best Digital Portfolios for Students
These top digital portfolios allow students to showcase their schoolwork with pride.
Fun Facts About Turkeys – And a Digital Turkey Project
.png){kind=link}
We frequently have wild turkeys come through our backyard. And almost as frequently one of my dogs will chase them until they fly off. I was recently telling a friend about this pattern and he said, “I didn’t know that turkeys can fly.” That’s actually a pretty common response if you don’t live where wild turkeys live.
The fact that turkeys can fly is one of many fun facts about them. A couples are that they eat a lot of acorns and they will tear up your lawn looking for grubs and insects to eat.
Now You Can Use Focusable Without Registering for an Account
I have been using Focusable since September to help me stop procrastinating and focus on the work that I need to get done when I’d rather be doing something else. Focusable isn’t just for adults. In fact, it was created for classroom use. However, Focusable has always required that users register for an account in order to use the platform. That can be an obstacle to using it in some school settings. Focusable has remedied that problem by now offering an option to use the platform without […]
Quizplus- A Good Homework Help Website for College Students
The Internet provides college students with a wealth of educational materials to support them on their learning journey. However, finding quality resources to complete challenging assignments is a time-consuming task, which is why you should seek online assistance that not only saves you time but also adds value to your learning experience.
If you’ve previously struggled with challenging assignments, you may have encountered learning platforms like Chegg or Quizlet. However, have you come across the EdTech startup: Quizplus? If you’re new to this platform or don’t recognize the name, you’ve come to the right place as we’re about […]
Mixkit- Free Sound Effects and Video Clips for Your Multimedia Projects
DeltaMath- Practice Math through Randomized Problem-sets (Full Review)
10 Best Homework Help Websites for Students
Best Educational Websites for Teachers
7 of The Best Web Conferencing Tools for Teachers
Best Rubric Making Tools for Teachers
Video Series Shares the Secrets to Great Mixed Reality Capture for VR
There’s no better way to show off a VR game than with mixed reality footage which shows a real player inside of a virtual world; unfortunately setting it all up is no easy task. Luckily, YouTube channel TougeVR is sharing the secrets to great mixed reality streaming and capture in a video series called Mixed Reality Masterclass.
Update (November 9th, 2022): After a long hiatus, TougeVR is back with two more episodes of the Mixed Reality Masterclass series. The two latest episodes explore more about the filming and compositing process, including an overview of a quick workflow and a […]
Best News Websites for Kids (Teacher Approved)
Looking for kid friendly news websites? The list below has you covered. In it I featured what I believe are some of the best news websites for kids and young learners. These are platforms that feature non-partisan and age appropriate news covering current events and research news. News stories and . Some of these websites also provide educational activities and resources such as interactive games, kids shows, podcasts, puzzles, word games, among others.
Meta to Lay Off 11,000 Employees, Reducing Workforce by 13 Percent
Meta is decreasing its workforce by around 12.6 percent in a layoff that will affect 11,000 of its employees, making it the largest tech layoff this year.
Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg said this in an internal memo obtained by Reuters:
“Not only has online commerce returned to [pre-covid] prior trends, but the macroeconomic downturn, increased competition, and ads signal loss have caused our revenue to be much lower than I’d expected,” Zuckerberg said. “I got this wrong, and I take responsibility for that.”
Meta plans […]
Multiplayer VR Drawing App ‘Gesture VR’ Aims to Make You a Better Artist in Real Life
Gesture VR is an upcoming VR drawing program that aims to give you the same experience as taking a Life Drawing course, which its creators say will help artists sharpen their skill and translate what they’ve learned back into physical work.
Nick Ladd is an artist with a background in illustration and 3D animation, however recently Ladd has flexed his creative muscles in VR with the help of creation tool Quill, having used it to create art for VR experiences such as Namoo and Tales from Soda Island.
Now, along with two artist colleagues, the Canada-based indie is set to release […]