The Benefits Of AR/VR Usage In The Classroom Environment

The Benefits Of AR/VR Usage In The Classroom Environment
Now that app developers are utilizing augmented reality and virtual reality on a more frequent basis, it is time to take a closer look at the benefits that these technologies have to offer. For example, there are a number of teachers who are now relying on these technologies in their classroom environment.

How can augmented reality and virtual reality be used in the educational field? How can app developers help teachers to get the most out of the technology? Meanwhile, there are teachers who have already met with app developers and have begun to incorporate the technology. These are not mere trends. They are not the wave of the future.

In fact, they are here to stay. That’s why this helpful guide is here to provide further background on the advantages of AR and VR in a classroom environment. Gone are the days of relying on the good old fashioned chalkboard. Teachers are now able to keep their lessons fully up to date and streamline any number of typical processes. These are just a few of the benefits that these technologies and their associated app developers have to offer.

The technology may be in its infancy but the potential is limitless. The proper care must be taken to ensure that it is being used in the correct manner. App developers offer further insight as to what the best practices are supposed to be. There are some great uses for augmented reality and virtual reality and the following guide is here to provide the necessary insights.

Increased Levels of Student Engagement

Let’s face the facts here. The average student is always going to struggle to remain engaged. It can be tough for teachers to make certain lessons come to life. This makes it more difficult for teachers to impart the information needed. Now that technology has advanced to a stage where augmented reality and virtual reality can be used, these problems are going to start to fall by the wayside.

With the help of these technologies and app developers who have their specific interests in mind, teachers can now tailor their lessons to the students in a more direct way. While there is nothing wrong with using textbooks or more traditional learning materials, a student is more likely to sit up and take notice when cutting edge technology is used.

That’s just the nature of the beast. Even a child that is not all that enthusiastic about certain subjects will be more likely to pay close attention when the lesson is presented to them in a new and exciting way.

Taking Students On More Field Trips

There is no hiding the fact that students love to go on field trips. This is one of the best parts about being a student. Thanks to augmented reality and virtual reality, students will no longer have to head home with a permission slip in hand. The school systems are no longer forced to budget for various trips. Once the upfront costs associated with app developers who work with these technologies have been paid, the students are free to go on as many field trips as necessary.

The headsets that are used come with a variety of price points, as well. This allows schools to choose the models that work best for their needs, without being forced to break the bank in the process. There are various tools (like Google Cardboard) that are also designed to make the process of implementation easier than ever before. Google Expeditions is another common tool being used in today’s schools.

Teaching Students How To Code

The days of saying “it would be nice if more students could learn how to code” are now over. With augmented reality and virtual reality apps, teachers are able to pass these lessons along far more easily than ever before. Early studies show that these platforms offer students untold advantages when it comes to learning how to code. Augmented reality platforms are believed to be especially useful.

Mobile platforms are becoming the most commonly used by students looking to learn coding. These platforms offer the sort of interactive study that other platforms simply cannot match. Studies show also show that these students are more likely to have a positive learning experience and pass all of the necessary tests when they learn on these platforms.

Assisting With Content Creation

When students are given the chance to visit various sites in their region, they are more likely to become passionate about related topics. From there, augmented reality and virtual reality can become key agents when it comes to the creation of content about these locations. Turning trips into virtual reality/augmented reality experiences is a great way to inspire students.

From there, students who are given the chance to enjoy these experiences will work harder to virtualize other sites that they have yet to learn more about. These forms of technology give students the chance to serve as the creators of their own personalized learning experience. The added engagement is one of the many benefits.

Teachers and administrators are already enjoying the various advantages. While there are some who remain skeptical, educators and researchers alike have begun to share the benefits that they are experiencing with the general public. With the help of app developers, schools are now able to modernize the learning business and give their students the opportunity to position themselves for greater levels of future success.

Author Bio:

Melissa Crooks is Content Writer who writes for Hyperlink InfoSystem, a mobile app development company in New York, USA and India that holds the best team of skilled and expert app developers. She is a versatile tech writer and loves exploring latest technology trends, entrepreneur and startup column. She also writes for top app development companies.

5 Reasons to Switch to the J2SE 5 Platform

The J2SE 5.0 platform released back in the early 2000s with a purpose of adding new features to the existing Java framework. There have been multiple updates that enabled it to work based on real-world models. In addition, the testing of software running on this kit has also provided with a smoother experience. It also enables better products for businesses. Looking at the multiple improvements in the J2SE 5.0 version, you have to understand the reasons for choosing it for your business development. The following reasons should give you an idea of why to move to this environment.

  • Your application may already use the version 5.0

To make sure that your system works proficiently, your do not have to recompile or redesign your applications for running a new version. In fact, old applications have an algorithm that keeps them running smoothly even on newer runtime environments, such as the J2SE 5.0. Moreover, this feature also saves any extra costs that may have been subjected otherwise. One such reason behind the success of this feature is the compatibility tests that ensure the working of backward applications. Java’s test suite contains over 250,000 tests that help in keeping the Java applications up and running.

  • Improvement in performance

With the J2SE version 5, you can increase the performance of software for both server and the clients. The coding is smoother in this platform, which makes it run the applications at a much faster speed without interruptions or lagging. Even developers prefer it to other runtime environments because of enhanced regression properties. You may also like to learn about Runtime Polymorphism.

  • Manageability and monitoring

This kit offers state-of-the-art manageability and monitoring framework that is developed in the machine for the virtual environment, which is Java Virtual Platform (JVM). In fact, you can easily use the consoles for managing without changing the protocols without worrying about low conditions of memory. This feature makes it great for SNMP and JMX protocols.

  • New Design and Interface

Java has enhanced its design and interface features to help the user feel more connected to the framework. The Ocean interface has offered a multi-platform compatibility environment so that you can switch between the newer design and the traditional one. In addition, one can do this without the need of recompiling.

  • Faster in speed

J2SE 5.0 also adds more speed to the framework, thus enabling a decreased booting time. In fact, more than 30% time has been reduced when one starts the application with the newer version. JVM has also known to offer self-tuning and self-governing features on the various server-type machine, which offers more than two CPU processors connection.

Thus, Java platform with the newer version is a boon that you should grab a soon as possible. You will love the new environment that offers such impressive features for improving your business productivity. Also, keep checking for updates related to this platform so that you can keep up with the latest features and improve your performance.

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How Virtual Reality is Changing the Construction Industry

How Virtual Reality is Changing the Construction Industry

Virtual reality, for many, sounds like something from an old sci-fi movie, not something that’s becoming commonplace in modern-day businesses, but that’s exactly what’s happening and this new way of doing business is taking many industries by storm. Virtual reality is, and will soon be for most businesses, an indispensable tool that drives productivity and sales like nothing that’s ever been seen before.

What Is Virtual Reality?

Virtual reality is a computer-generated technology that provides an immersive experience using projection technology, 3D glasses, or 3D headsets to show lifelike images, sounds, and other sensations to reflect an actual presence in a virtual reality or imaginary environment. This technology will provide anyone the opportunity to see how a product or service will look and function before it has been completed.

How Is Virtual Reality Changing the Construction Industry?

Virtual reality will help construction teams with building information modeling (BIM) to see what a finished project will look like when completed. This technology works by collecting a wide range of images using 3D laser scanning and drone collected pictures to design a set of vivid, lifelike images which are then used to create three-dimensional pictures.

Other Ways Virtual Reality Is Changing the Construction Industry

Virtual reality is helpful in other ways as well. For example, making changes once a building is under construction is extremely time-consuming and expensive. But virtual reality helps correct conflicts and mistakes because using this technology allows a team to find and correct any issues for free before any type of construction has begun. It can streamline the process of building new construction by providing a concrete vision beforehand of what the end appearance will be.

The Benefits of Using Virtual Reality In Construction

The list of benefits that come from using virtual reality in construction is growing quickly as more and more uses of this technology surface.

Here are just a few of the benefits you can expect when using virtual reality in your construction business.

  • Faster decision making and project approvals
  • Increased collaboration and positive client interactions
  • Greater client satisfaction
  • More accurate projections during the course of a project
  • Easier visualization of future projects

Common Virtual Reality Applications in the Construction Industry

Construction can be an extremely difficult business because there are so many moving parts that need to be precisely coordinated to achieve the best possible end result. Therefore, any tool or technique that can make the process come together with the least amount of error, the highest chances of success, and the lowest possible cost, is not something that should be considered. It’s something that should be a requirement if you want to become or remain an authority in the industry.

Here are some of the most common virtual reality applications currently being used in the construction industry.

  • Training and virtual conferencing
  • VR plan reviews
  • Communication and improved collaboration
  • Leveraging specialized knowledge
  • Remote jobsite walks
  • Augmented reality worker assistants
  • Improving pre-production design and building processes
  • Finding and correcting errors and mistakes
  • Complete immersion to perfect the flow, workability, and proper placement of equipment or other requirements of a building
  • Avoiding duplication and creating shortcuts for better proficiency

What’s Ahead

Other applications on the horizon that should also be considered are augmented and mixed reality.

Augmented Reality. This is a technology that superimposes a computer image on a user’s view of something real providing them with a composite view.

Mixed Reality. This is also known as hybrid reality and is the merging of the real and virtual worlds in an effort to produce a new environment or visualizations where physical and digital objects co-exist and ultimately interact in real-time.

The Bottom Line

Virtual reality is quickly replacing the construction of scaled mock-up building models. This trend opens up so many more potential opportunities for any business who jumps on board. And with the numerous virtual reality software programs and apps surfacing, the use of this technology will continue to grow and influence the construction industry in an even bigger way.

1 Minute fix for WordPress XML-RPC Pingback Vulnerability to Quadratic Attack

At 3PRIME, we are stewards for quite a few hosting customers, many of whom love wordpress. As such, we support that platform so that we may support the efforts of our disparate clientele.

By now everyone has heard of XML Quadratic Blowup Attack vulnerability in wordpress.

The WordPress Core Team has done there due diligence and have submitted a patch for the vulnerability. You can implement it readily by updating your wordpress runtime to the latest greatest version (or the latest greatest patch build of your current installation). If you haven’t already, you should absolutely update your installation the next chance you get.

XML-RPC is a Problem

Something that bears mentioning here is the WordPress XML-RPC itself.

Unless you are using a plugin that requires using this now nearly ancient form of site access and control, XML-RPC is otherwise extra baggage that you need not carry around.

Given the utter lack of usage of XML-RPC throughout our client sites, the best fix for the current vulnerability, a great preventative measure against similar attack vectors, is to simply disable XML-RPC altogether.

In our case, we did this server-wide. Setting up a directive for Apache couldn’t be easier.

In your configuration file (httpd.conf or, preferably, a pre-VirtualHost Include file), simply include the following snippet:

Apache – Disable xmlrpc.php

<Files xmlrpc.php>
    Order Deny,Allow
    Deny from all
</Files>

For the Nginx crowd out there, you can use the following:

Nginx – Disable xmlrpc.php

server {
    # stuff
    location = /xmlrpc.php {
        deny all;
    }
}

If your site (or your clients’ sites) are not coupled to WordPress XML-RPC, disabling XML-RPC altogether is a great way to reduce one attack vector that is often overlooked, exposed, and effectively exploited.

The Last Weekly Round up of mobile news from Mutual mobile.

 

Well guys here is my last a weekly Mobile blog post coming from you by Mutual Mobile.  Please feel free to go and signup at mutualmobile.comI apologize for the formatting look, MM changed their format which makes it a pain to copy over in here but here it is, The info is still great.

Starting in a couple weeks you will be seeing new stuff brought to you by my new employer Chaotic Moon.  Please go check us out www.chaoticmoon.com

What To Expect From Apple’s October 22nd iPad Event
The Verge

New iPads are a certainty, but there’s plenty more that Apple could have in store for consumers ahead of the holiday shopping season. Here’s what you should — and shouldn’t — expect from Apple’sOctober 22nd event.

 

NEWS AND INSIGHTS
The New York Times

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The race for the tablet market has become a full-blown sprint. The intense competition will be highlighted on Tuesday, as Apple, Nokia and Microsoft each introduce new tablets.
The Huffington Post

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While the Surface 2 is probably most fairly compared to an iPad or high-end Android tablet, the Surface Pro 2’s processing power makes it more like a laptop.
The Verge

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 While we wait for someone, anyone, to deliver the ultimate smartwatch, what can the best devices available today tell us about perfecting the smart wrist-accessory?
Mobile Commerce Daily

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Mobile’s immersion in our everyday lives actually provides retailers a valuable opportunity to embrace mobile as an asset and use it to foster the biggest advantage a bricks-and-mortar store has to offer: personalized, superior-level customer service.
TIME

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Even though Apple really did make the iPad for consumers, Jobs and his team fully expected it to also become attractive to business users.
Consider us your mobile update. Trends, platforms and strategies. Covering the biggest news in mobile, in just around a minute.
RESEARCH
ZDNet

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Pew Research found that tablet ownership among Americans has now hit the 35 percent mark, up 10 percent from a year ago.
VentureBeat

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The wearable devices industry, which includes smart watches and glasses, will be worth $19 billion by 2018. That’s a big jump over the $1.4 billion the industry is expected to pull in this year, according to Juniper Research, which produced the numbers.
eMarketer

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This year, more than half of US adult internet users, or 102.5 million people, will redeem a digital coupon via any device for either online or offline shopping. New data indicates that there was a significant increase in the number of digital coupon users during the first half of 2013.
ReadWrite

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Apple’s iOS 7 has been available to the public for exactly one month. In that time, about 73% of all iOS users have updated their iPhones, iPads and iPods to Apple’s new operating system, amounting to a little more than 250 million devices.
Forbes

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iOS dominated as the platform of choice for enterprise app deployment with 98% and 95% share in the June and September quarters, respectively.

Eruption, for the Oculus rift game jam contest has been released!! (Shameless self promotion)


https://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=uTMI-E0A-N4

Game Description:
Deep in the bowels of a top secret building of S.T.Z.M.N. research facility a lab assistant works late into the night tending to their quadrant smears. In the lab next door things go horribly wrong with a timeline experiment and in an instant the lab assistant is sucked into the void and transported millions of years into earth’s primordial past.

Our hero, dazed and confused, is shaken back into consciousness by a massive quake. Looking around they are surrounded by a harsh, unfamiliar, and unforgiving terrain. The ground shakes again and our hero looks around in time to see a massive volcano erupting in the distance. As the shockwave hits our hero’s fight or flight instincts kick in and they take off running for their life.

Eruption, is a 2.5D platformer designed to challenge the player to escape the hostile world they find themselves in and make it to safety. The user will be forced to look around and dodge incoming objects from all directions. Players will have to think on their feet running, jumping, and sliding in order to save themselves from almost certain doom.

The path to the end is never as easy as it seems.

Controls:
Left/Right – L/R Arrow keys or A and D
Slide – Down key or S
Jump – Space
(Beta) Zoom out – Ctrl

Eruption!!
Built by myself and 4 other guys for the VR Game Jam (@zach, @sorensilk, Nick, and Tom). Most of us were brand new to Unity and game development so it was a great learning experience. We were up until the deadline last night (2am our time) putting in final touches.

We figured most teams would make first person view games so we decided to mix it up with a 3rd person platformer. We think the end result really works well with the Rift. We placed obstacles above and in front of you to force the player to look around the level and not just stare straight ahead.

Not sure where development is going from here but we’d love feedback.  Please visit the official game posting https://developer.oculusvr.com/forums/viewtopic.php?f=51&t=3879

This Week’s Must-Read Mobile Headlines // June 24

Once again your weekly collection of Mobile News is brought to you by our friend over at Mutual Mobile

This week, Instagram integrates video to its app in an attempt to defend itself against Vine. But is it a smart move? Plus: new data from Forrester on Glass, a first look at iOS 7, and more.

News and Insights

Video Killed The Instagram Star – TechCrunch, In an attempt to overcome Vine, Instagram has added video. But is it a smart move?

Forrester: Google Glass Will Be the Next iPhone (But Now it’s Just a Newton) VentureBeat, A new report says roughly 21.6M Americans would buy Glass.

A Week With iOS 7: The Search for Innovation Amid Renovation – BGR, Does Apple’s bold new mobile vision pave the way for innovation?

Think ‘Mobile Unique’ To Deliver Mobile Delight – CMO, Move beyond “vanilla” mobile apps, and personalize the experience for users.

Disruptions: Mobile Competition Shifts to Software Design – New York Times, Software, not hardware, is allowing mobile companies to leap over competitors.

Gauging the Natural, and Digital, Rhythms of Life – New York Times, The Big Data health impact of wearables is going to be significant.

Apple Scores $30M iPad Deal With L.A. Schools – Mashable, Los Angeles public schools plan to equip every student with the device by 2014. (If you wanna get a better understanding of what this means to education http://www.redefiningliteracy.com/what-is-ilit)

Research

Smartphones And Tablets Have Revolutionized Consumer Connections – MediaPost, 45.3M US consumers watch video on their mobile phones.

How Mobile Is Shaping Global Digital Behavior – eMarketer, Comparing most popular activities across smartphones, tablets, and PCs.

Online Customer Experience Still Easier to Understand Than Mobile, Say E-Commerce Execs – Marketing Charts, Many execs believe it’s simply harder to deliver positive mobile experiences.

88% of Smartphone Shoppers Have Negative Experiences – Mobile Commerce Daily, “If you don’t do it right, customers will go to a competitor.”

Connected Car Market to Take Off – Mobile Marketer, Over 35M car shipments in 2018 will come with embedded mobile technology.

In response to the whole Snowden PRISM thing. The folks at Codecademy said it right…

Excerpt from http://techcrunch.com/2013/06/17/encrypting-your-email-works-says-nsa-whistleblower-edward-snowden/

For my money this hits the nail on the head.  If you call yourself a technologist NONE of this better be a surprise.  Because if it is, your not a very good technologist. For those that aren’t Continue »

This Week’s Must-Read Mobile Headlines // June 17

Bought to you from our friends over at Mutual Mobile

Last week, Apple held its annual World Wide Developer’s Conference. We dive into some of the biggest announcements: a groundbreaking new “flat” redesign in iOS 7, new Macs, iOS for cars, and more.

News and Insights

Apple Debuts iOS 7, OS X Mavericks, and New Macs: Everything You Need to Know – The Verge, All the top news from WWDC, in one place.

Cook Unveils Mission Statement, iOS 7 Gets Colorful, New iPhone – Forbes, A few of the things that happened around Apple this week.

How Apple’s iOS 7 Changes Everything For App Designers – ReadWrite, Everything app designers know has been tossed out the window.

Why iOS 7 Looks Unfinished (Spoiler: It’s Because It’s Unfinished) – TIME, A collection of top mobile analysts’ thoughts on the new OS.

Why Do Super-Elite Customers Get All The Attention? – Forbes, How to use big data and mobile to delight both the “super-elite” and regular joes.

With Wearable Tech, Human Behavior is Now a Design Problem – GigaOM, Wearable devices will be able to influence our behavior in ways both good and bad.

Saks Deploys 2,000 iPads in Stores, to Launch OFF 5th Website in Fall – RIS, Saks’ multi-channel shoppers spend 3-4x what single-channel shoppers spend.

Mobile Marketing Isn’t About Screens or Devices, It’s About Behavior – AdAge, Consumers move fluidly across devices and platforms; brands must do the same.

Research

[Infographic] Mobile at WWDC – The Push, The buzz, the snark, the hits, and the misses from Apple’s annual conference.

A Day in the Life of a Mobile Consumer – Flurry, How consumers are using apps throughout the day, and how it relates to wearables.

82% of eCommerce Merchants Not Tracking Mobile Sales – Mobile Commerce Daily, The majority of merchants don’t know whether a purchase comes from mobile or PC.

One-Third of Americans Now Own Tablet Computers – New York Times, The fastest-growing segments: affluent households, college graduates, parents.

Smart Mobile Devices Account for Small Share of TV Viewing – eMarketer, Only 2% of total TV viewership occurred on a tablet or smartphone.

Webinar on 6/25 w/ Forrester: Wearables – The Next Frontier of Mobile

Ever wonder whats next for mobile?  Smartphones feeling old hat? Then why not make a smart hat or hop on the google train and code some GoogleGlass.

TUESDAY 6/25 we have another webinar focused on Google Glass and smart use cases for professionals that need to be hands-free (think policemen, EMTs, surgeons, firefighters, pilots, etc.). Joining us for the webinar will be Sarah Rottman Epps, Senior Analyst, Forrester (I’ve attached two of her reports for your reference).

Link to register (Hey its free): http://www.mutualmobile.com/webinars/google-glass