Latest education updates from around the world
Jotform- A Good Form Builder for Teachers and Students
Meta Reality Labs Latest Revenue & Operating Cost Figures Aren’t Going to Make Investors Happy
In Meta’s most recent quarterly earnings call the company shared the latest revenue figures of Reality Labs, the company’s XR division. In the third quarter of the year the division hit new milestones… unfortunately not the kind investors like to see.
Meta has been clear about its plan to spend aggressively on its XR initiatives over the next several years. So while it isn’t a surprise to see the company’s latest operating costs for Reality Labs reaching an all-time high, seeing that record in the face of an all-time low revenue record for the quarter isn’t a great […]
Meta Confirms Next-gen Consumer Quest Headset Planned for 2023
Meta quietly confirmed that its next consumer-focused Quest headset (likely called Quest 3) will launch in 2023.
While it was a bit more than a year between the launch of the first Quest and Quest 2, it’s now been more than two years since the launch of Quest 2 and Meta has yet to formally announce the next consumer-focused Quest headset.
Just a day after the launch of the $1,500 Quest pro, Meta today confirmed plans to launch what it called the “next generation of our consumer Quest headset” in 2023; ostensibly Quest 3.
Meta shared the brief confirmation with shareholders […]
Best Survey and Poll Creation Tools for Teachers and Educators
Teaching the Russia – Ukraine War
Addressing the Russian invasion of Ukraine is an opportunity for learning and discussion on a number of topics.
‘Myst’ Studio’s Upcoming VR Adventure ‘Firmament’ is Delayed Again, Now Releasing Q1 2023
Cyan, the studio behind iconic puzzle adventure games Myst (1993) and Riven (1997), garnered their fair share of success with their April 2019 Kickstarter campaign, which sought to bring to life their next VR-compatible title, Firmament. Now Cyan says the game is seeing another delay, bringing the game’s prospective launch to Q1 2023.
Update (October 26th, 2022): Once targeting a July 2020 launch, Firmament has slipped again and is now targeting a Q1 2023 launch date. Here’s that statement is full; we’ve also included a 9-minute look at the work-in-progress game, embedded below this update:
As a result of discussions with […]
‘Wooorld’ is a Multiplayer Version of ‘Google Earth VR’ for Quest 2 & Quest Pro
If you’ve played around with the PC VR app Google Earth VR, you’ve probably lost yourself visiting your hometown, or mapping out new adventures thanks to its extensive 3D building scans. Although Google Earth VR is a PC VR only app, a third-party Quest app called Wooorld has launched on the Quest platform that not only offers up much of the magic of Earth VR but also the multiplayer fun that lets you tour around the world with friends and family.
Update (October 26th, 2022): After a long wait, Wooorld is finally here on Quest 2 and Quest Pro, priced at $15. Featuring […]
How to Set Notifications for Individual Google Documents
Google Drive has long let you receive email and desktop notifications for edits and comments to your shared Google Docs. Unfortunately, it was an “all or nothing” setting. In other words, you could either receive notifications or not receive notifications for all documents. Recently, Google Docs was updated so that you can now set notification preferences for individual documents. Watch this short video that I recorded to see how to set individual notifications for your shared Google Documents.
Applications for Education
Long ago I turned off all notifications for files in […]
Have We Learned Any Lessons From Administering Federal Stimulus Funds for Education?
Looking back at how federal stimulus funds have been administered can help guide current efforts
Five More Things Students Can Explain With Simple Animations
Last week I shared five suggestions for things that students can explain with simple animations. This week I have five more ideas to share with you. But first I’d like to remind you that creating simple animations to illustrate understanding of concepts can be done by just about anyone in just about any context. That’s kind of the idea behind Dan Roam’s book The Back of the Napkin and it’s the idea behind my upcoming Making and Teaching With Animated Explanations course.
What happens when water freezes? (A question from my five-year-old).How the Internet […]
ISLCollective Review- Access Free ESL Worksheets, Presentations, and Video Lessons
Free Halloween Printable Worksheets for Teachers
Halloween is a time of (spooky) fun and learning. There are various ways to use the theme of Halloween to boost students’ engagement and increase their participation. These include creating Halloween-based activities and games to use in class, sharing Halloween readings and stories, creating Halloween-themed presentations, using Halloween pictures and posters, and many more.
The purpose of today’s post is to share with you this collection of educational resources where you can access a wide variety of printable Halloween worksheets. While some of these Halloween worksheets […]
‘Demeo’ Mixed Reality Update Arrives Today Amid Launch of Meta Quest Pro
Resolution Games’ popular turn-based strategy game Demeo (2021) is getting an update today that lets you play the immersive VR tabletop game in passthrough AR mode on Quest 2 as well as the newly launched Quest Pro.
As with all mixed reality games on Quest 2 the headset’s passthrough capabilities only provide a monochrome view of your room, which decidedly focuses today’s Demeo update on the launch of Meta Quest Pro—at least if you’re looking for the most immersive mixed reality experience, that is.
As you’d imagine, the game plays in full-color on Quest Pro thanks to
Sci-Fi Adventure ‘Hubris’ Coming to PC VR Headsets in December, Quest 2 & PSVR 2 in 2023
Belgium-based 3D animation and VR studio Cyborn today announced its sci-fi adventure Hubris is finally set to launch on PC VR headsets on December 7th.
In Hubris you serve as a recruit of the Order of Objectivity on your way to the Twin planet system to search for agent Cyana. Making your way through a hostile world in the midst of being terraformed, the game puts heavy focus on environmental storytelling as well as shooting, swimming, climbing, and jumping.
Cyborn says Hubris also includes resource salvaging, weapon and tool crafting, and a host of mechanical devices and vehicles. To see […]
HaptX’s Latest Haptic Gloves Are Smaller and Cheaper, But Still Bulky and Expensive
HaptX, the company known for its haptic gloves, today announced it’s launching pre-orders for HaptX Gloves G1, a cheaper and more refined haptic glove device that’s squarely targeted at businesses.
The company says the new device includes a number of improvements over its HaptX Gloves DK2, which it launched in early 2021 for enterprise. It’s said to include improved ergonomics, multiple glove sizes, wireless mobility, and improved haptic functionality.
Above all though, the company has improved the device’s price point, with pre-orders launching today for as low as $4,500 with the purchase of multiple units.
The Differences Between Crows and Ravens
Edgar Allan Poe’s The Raven gets read a lot in schools at this time of year. Why you should read Poe’s work is explained in one of the Halloween-themed TED-Ed lessons that I shared a few days ago. What’s not explained in those lessons is the difference between a raven and a crow. To answer that question, turn to a couple of resources from The Cornell Lab’s Bird Academy.
Caw vs. Croak: Inside the Calls of Crows and Ravens is an interesting three minute explanation […]
Top Sites for Differentiated Instruction
These online platforms offer a wide variety of tools to help teachers differentiate instruction in their classrooms
A Fun Tool for Creating Avatars
The internet is full of websites on which you can make little icons and avatars. What it’s not full of is free sites for that purpose that aren’t littered with pop-up ads and similar annoyances. That’s why I was happy to find Mustachio. Mustachio is a free site that anyone can use to create a simple avatar.
To create an avatar on Mustachio simply go to the site and click on the flashing avatar until you see one that you like. You can then customize the basic avatar you’ve chosen. Some […]
What Is Halloween? 4 Explanatory Videos for Students
Halloween-themed Presentation templates to Use with Students in Class
Free Halloween Google Slides and PowerPoint Templates for Teachers
Tons of Free Halloween Pictures to Use with Your Kids and Students
Halloween’s joy is upon us. Our kids are excited and the spooky fun is everywhere including in our classrooms. There are numerous educational Halloween activities and games to help you create meaningful learning experiences in your class without sucking the Halloween joy out of them.
In today’s post, I am sharing with […]
Creator Behind One of Quest’s Best-rated Puzzle Games is Working on New Title Built Entirely Around AR
Thomas Van Bouwel, the creator behind popular VR puzzle game Cubism (2020), says he’s working on a new game for Quest built entirely around passthrough AR.
Called Laser Dance, the Quest game aims to turn any room of your house into a laser obstacle course—basically recreating the old laser hallway trope you may recognize from a ton of films, TV shows and video games over the years.
There’s no word on release dates yet, although progress is looking good. Check out a work-in-progress level of Laser Dance in action:
How to Create a Timed Quiz in Microsoft Forms
Microsoft Forms recently got some new features that are helpful for teachers. One of those new features is the ability to set a time limit for completing a quiz once it has been started. This is different than the setting to automatically close a form at a given date and time. This new timed quiz option automatically closes a form based on how long it has been open on an individual viewer’s computer. Watch my new video to learn how to create a timed quiz in Microsoft […]
My Top Five Tips for Creating Instructional Videos
Over the years I’ve made more than 1,000 videos for my YouTube channel and nearly as many for students in my classrooms. Here are five tips that I’ve figured out along the way.
Keep it short and sweet.
Two five minute videos are better than one ten minute video. Even though it’s the same amount of time, watching two five minute videos seems like less of a chore to students than sitting through one ten minute video. Additionally, by breaking it up into smaller chunks you give your students the chance to […]