Latest education updates from around the world

Reinventing IT With Customer Service In Mind

By |November 12, 2024|

Focusing on personal interaction can help an IT department go from a dreaded environment to the superheroes of the school.

3 keys to making math engaging

By |November 12, 2024|

Embracing game-based learning and using data to adapt tools to students’ needs will bring math to life and make math engaging.

Key points:

One of the challenges to getting students engaged in math is the perception that it’s a subject where you sit at a desk and do 30 math problems alone.

There […]

‘Wall Town Wonders’ is a Mixed Reality City Builder with Tons of Charm, Coming to Quest 3 Next Week

By |November 11, 2024|

Cyborn, the team behind VR sci-fi adventure Hubris (2022), announced it’s releasing mixed reality city builder Wall Town Wonders on Quest 3 next week.

Coming November 21st to Quest 3 and Quest 3S, Wall Town Wonders promises to turn any room in your house into a magical miniature town.

Supporting hand-tracking, the mixed reality game lets you interact with tiny characters as you help them rebuild and customize their world, rightfully built across your real-world walls.

Image courtesy Cyborn

Wall Town Wonders also […]

Sony to Discontinue Free PSVR Camera Adapter for PlayStation 5 This Month

By |November 11, 2024|

If you’re one of the few remaining PSVR owners looking to use the original 2016 headset on PlayStation 5, you only have a few more days to request your free PS Camera adapter, as Sony is discontinuing the device later this month.

Sony released its PlayStation Camera Adapter for free in 2020 to help bridge the gap for PSVR users looking for a console upgrade to PS5, which notably didn’t offer full PSVR support out of the […]

‘MYST’ Successor ‘Firmament’ Delayed on PSVR 2 to Early 2025 Following 2.0 PC Update

By |November 11, 2024|

Cyan, the studio behind MYST and RIVEN, announced its PC VR-supported puzzle adventure Firmament (2023) is coming to PSVR 2 later than expected.

The news comes following the release of the game’s big PC and Mac 2.0 patch, which includes the studio’s upgrade from Unreal Engine 4.27+ to Unreal Engine 5.3.2.

“Doing this has resolved a WIDE number of stability issues related to the game running on various platforms,” Cyan says in the 2.0 patch notes.

The studio says Firmament for PC and PC VR headsets now includes […]

How to Harness AI in the Classroom

By |November 11, 2024|

Collaborators at the Deeper Learning New York Conference discuss how they’re using AI as a tool for teaching and learning

Lalilo: How to Use It to Teach

By |November 11, 2024|

Lalilo gives powerful personalized phonics and comprehension learning tools to K-2 students and teachers.

Vision Pro Ultrawide Display Turns a Little MacBook into a Productivity Powerhouse

By |November 9, 2024|

Apple has finally dropped the ultrawide virtual display for Vision Pro in beta, giving the existing virtual display feature the ability to stretch to wide and ultrawide widths for extra screen real-estate. Out of the box it’s impressive, but default MacOS window management makes it kind of a pain to use. But with the right third-party window manager, it’s even better than I hoped for.

I’ll be honest, I didn’t know just how useful the new ultrawide feature would be. I’ve used Vision Pro’s […]

Meta Opens First Ray-Ban Pop-up Store in Hopes of Making Smartglasses Fashionable

By |November 9, 2024|

Ray-Ban Meta smartglasses are already pretty fashionable, as they look nearly identical to a few of EssilorLuxottica’s best-selling sunglasses, albeit with the inclusion of neatly integrated cameras, speakers, battery and onboard AI driven by a positively tiny Qualcomm Snapdragon AR1 Gen1 processor. With the launch of a new pop-up store in Los Angeles today, Meta is hoping to test out whether it can move the needle with broader adoption.

Meta calls the LA pop-up store “experiential retail,” having modeled it after the […]

‘Alien: Rogue Incursion’ Quest Launch Delayed to 2025, PSVR 2 & PC VR on Track for December Release

By |November 8, 2024|

Alien: Rogue Incursion is coming to Quest later than expected, as developer Survios announced the Quest 3 version of the game is now delayed to “early next year.”

The studio announced the news in an X post, noting that both PSVR 2 and SteamVR versions of the game will still arrive on the original December 19th launch date.

Survios says the delay, which affects Quest 3 and Quest 3S, is to “ensure Alien: Rogue Incursion meets these high standards and provides the Alien VR […]

‘Metro Awakening’ Review – Atmospheric, Claustrophobic, and Eventually Monotonic

By |November 8, 2024|

Metro Awakening brings the post-apocalyptic tunnel-dwelling franchise to VR for the first time, but is it a good fit? Read on to find out in our full review.

Metro Awakening Details:

Publisher: Vertigo Games
Available On: Quest, PC VR, PSVR 2
Reviewed On: Quest 3
Release Date: November 7th, 2024
Price: $50

Editor’s note: all clips in this review are from the Quest 3 version of the game. Screenshots are from the PC VR version.

Gameplay

Developer Vertigo Games did a fine job of making Metro Awakening […]

‘Stranger Things VR’ is Leaving Quest Exclusivity, Coming to PSVR 2 and PC VR Headsets in December

By |November 7, 2024|

Stranger Things VR (2024), the Quest game from Tender Claws, is leaving timed Quest exclusivity next month.

Originally launched on Quest 2/3/Pro in February, the studio announced it’s bringing Stanger Things VR to to PSVR 2 and SteamVR-compatible headsets on December 5th.

Here’s the breakdown, courtesy of Tender Claws:

Experience the world of Stranger Things from the never-before-seen perspective of Vecna as he explores unknown realities, forms the hive mind, and enacts his plan for revenge against Eleven and Hawkins.

Players will invade the dreams and memories of […]

Meta Reportedly Slashes Funding for Third-party VR Games Amid Greater Push for Lifestyle Content

By |November 7, 2024|

Meta may be rethinking its approach to third-party app funding, as the company has reportedly cut funds to some outside VR game developers whilst reshifting its focus to non-gaming apps.

According to a report from The InformationMeta is becoming “more discriminating” in how it spends to stock its Horizon Store for Quest.

Citing unnamed Meta staffers, the company has reportedly cut funding for some outside app developers amid a wider shift to fund apps that have seen comparatively better traction. […]

Grammarly Authorship: I Tested The New AI and Plagiarism Tool

By |November 6, 2024|

Grammarly Authorship has some great features that could help teach about citation and prevent AI cheating, but it won’t solve all the problems around AI writing, says our contributing writer.

Apple Releases Long-awaited Panoramic Display Feature on Vision Pro in 2.2 Beta

By |November 6, 2024|

Apple has released initial access to the long-promised panoramic display feature for Vision Pro’s Mac Virtual Display, which now brings three virtual screen sizes via its visionOS 2.2 beta release.

Having initially launched with Vision Pro back in February, Mac Virtual Display only included a single virtual screen size, albeit allowing Vision Pro users to have multiple app windows open at the same time.

Many were hoping Apple would release the new ‘Wide’ and ‘Ultrawide’ display formats for Mac Virtual Display last month during the company’s online […]

Interactive VR Film ‘Human Within’ Brings ‘Black Mirror: Bandersnatch’ Style User Choice to Quest in January

By |November 5, 2024|

Human Within is a sci-fi interactive VR film coming to Quest in January that explores how AI affects humanity. Departing from standard VR films, which are usually pretty ‘one-and-done’, the upcoming interactive experience promises to give you the choice in how the story progresses and ends.

Created by Signal Space Lab and Actrio Studio, Human Within is set to arrive on Quest on January 9th, and “soon” to SteamVR headsets.

Like the interactive Black Mirror episode Bandersnatch, Human Within is slated to offer the user choices and consequences, but also explore […]

Best STEM Apps For Education

By |November 5, 2024|

Top STEM apps for teaching biology, chemistry, math, physics and more

Only One PSVR 2 Game Confirmed for PS5 Pro Enhancements at Launch, VR Performance Patch Expected Later

By |November 5, 2024|

PlayStation 5 Pro is launching on November 7th, priced at $700, and while Sony is boasting a list of over 50 games getting day-one enhancements, so far only one PSVR 2 title has been confirmed to get a launch day bump: Kayak VR: Mirage from Better Than Life.

The ultimate expectation is PS5 Pro will allow all PSVR 2 titles to run at higher frame rates and possibly without reprojection, which supplements lower frame rates with ‘synthetic frames’ to reach a higher perceived refresh rate.

Hopes rest on the […]

Apple Reportedly Delays Cheaper Vision Pro Beyond 2027, M5 Chip Refresh May Arrive Instead

By |November 4, 2024|

Apple may be taking a beat before it releases a cheaper follow-up to Vision Pro, which would more broadly appeal to consumers, instead releasing a hardware refresh next year that includes the new M5 chipset.

According to independent tech analyst Ming-Chi Kuo, Apple has delayed the cheaper version of Vision Pro “beyond 2027”. Kuo, who is a respected figure in Apple supply chain leaks, claims in an X post that “Apple’s only new head-mounted display device in 2025 will be […]