CoSpaces Edu has carved out a stellar reputation in the last couple of years as one of the best options for introducing VR into the classroom. I actually got to try CoSpaces back when it was still in beta form (alongside my former colleague Ronan McNicholl who went on to become one of their very first ambassadors.) It’s always impressed me and truth be told it’s been remiss of me to never really shine a spotlight on the app here on VirtualiTeach. So it’s time to right that wr

I’m a huge fan of Simon Sinek’s “Start with the why?” concept and the Golden Circle model that stems from it which is why it forms the backbone on which this new series on VirtualiTeach. Each edition will focus on a specific VR or AR app and break down the Why, How and What of its use in education. I hope that teachers find this approach useful and it helps them get to grips with some new tools. First up – Google Tour Creator. The Why Empowering students to use technology to

Like anyone interested in augmented reality, I have been closely following the launch of iOS11 and the debut of the much heralded ARKit apps. Like many other educators though, I’m not in a position to harness them in school as our devices are not powerful enough to actually run them. The buzz around AR has made me reflect on my own experiences with augmented reality though and in the five years I’ve been using AR in education, one platform has definitely been harnessed more c

A couple of years ago I played around with an iPad app that allowed you to create a virtual art gallery. The app (3D Gallery) allowed you to import images to place on the gallery walls then use a touchscreen interface to move around and view them. It was basic but effective though it lacked a lot of features that could have elevated it (like the ability to screencast or share the gallery.) I featured it in one of my all-time favourite features over on iPad Educators – my Bank

Yesterday I went hands-on with the IBM Watson Sandbox app on the HTC Vive. Harnessing the IBM supercomputer that combines AI and analytical software, this tech demo offers a unique glimpse at what could well become the future of user interfaces – the human voice. The app allows you to create in VR using just speech. Say “dog” and one appears. Want a gorilla or a burger or a table or a dragon? All of these and more can be spawned by simply speaking their name. In fact the app

There are lots of platforms available that offer AR and VR experiences for the classroom. There are far fewer though that allow educators to actually design the learning experience by framing the content effectively. Nearpod lets you build presentations around 360s, Expeditions scaffolds their experiences with information and focal points whilst other apps will enrich their virtual content with facts and figures. Eon Creator AVR offers something quite different - the ability

14 years ago, a company called Linden Labs created something unique: a virtual world that thousands of users across the globe could enter simultaneously to socialise. It was called Second Life - I'm sure many of you have heard of it. With close to a million active users, Second Life has been one of the most consistently popular digital spaces for over a decade and was even adopted by educational institutions as a platform for learning. (read more about that here) Second Life

My six year old daughter has recently decided she's going to be a fashion designer when she grows up. She means business too - from drawing sketches of dresses to using her junior sewing machine to sew pieces of material together to make herself a skirt (which she then wanted to go to the shops in!) I originally showed her the Quiver Fashion app last year and she enjoyed testing it out but with her budding interest in fashion, it seemed like a great time to remind her of the

I am fortunate enough to be a part of the alpha testing group for a new VR app called Mindshow. Really fortunate - because Mindshow is one of the most exciting VR apps I've used so far on the Vive. Mindshow allows users to create scenes from a growing range of detailed worlds, engaging characters and interactive props. You start by selecting a scene and the choices here include everything from an alien planet to the Wild West to more down-to-earth locations like a news room

About six months ago I managed to get hold of something really unique - Maze by Seedling. It's unlike anything else I've seen before or since in the way that it integrates VR with physical building and design (hello STEM fans!) The kit comprises of a wooden frame for a traditional marble maze. These are built by sticking small wooden "walls" to the cardboard floor. Holes can then be poked in the floor to make the maze more difficult. Have you ever built a maze? It's surprisin

When I first saw an advert for Google Tilt Brush in May 2016, I knew I would have to get an HTC Vive. It blew my mind and for the first time in a long time gave me the feeling of seeing something genuinely groundbreaking in action. Here is that promo clip- When I got my Vive in January 2017, Tilt Brush was the first app I downloaded. The second I painted my first line of light, my breath held and I was in absolute awe. This really was a new level in VR - true creation INSIDE

When Luke Rees (@LukeReesEdu) first showed me Aurasma back in 2011, I called it a game changer. As someone with a background in film, I often recorded video clips but there was no easy way to share them like you could with images. Aurasma provided a way to essentially put videos on a display board. It did more than that though as you could create some startlingly magical effects with a little creativity and attention to detail. I remember working in Year 4 at Jumeirah the yea