Implications of using MinecraftEDU
When Joel Lavin started to use Mindcraft for learning in his classroom in 2011 the challenges he encountered were purely technical, but I had full control of how I introduced the game since none of the kids had seen it before. Today, it’s the exact opposite. MinecraftEdu makes the game easy to get up and running in a school setting. However, so many of the kids have had their own experiences playing at home. It is often challenging to get the students to abandon preconceptions about the “right” way to play the game. You have to clearly set the expectations that there are differences in playing Minecraft in school and at home. Levin makes the practical analogy between MinecraftEDU and that game that students may be familiar with in this way, It’s really similar to how playing basketball in phys-ed class will be different than playing a pickup game in the park.
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Benefits and Barriers of using Game Based Learning
Teachers are finding that video games used as GBL (Game Based Learning) can be a great way to engage students and personalize lessons. They provide “an opportunity to focus our energy, with relentless optimism, at something we’re good at (or getting better at) and enjoy” [McGonigal, 2011].
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MinecraftEdu’s modifications to the code of the original game provides additional features to help Minecraft to be used in the classroom, giving the teacher control over what the students are able to do, perhaps setting them challenges, or creating special maps and buildings, or whatever they want to guide their students, work with their students and, most importantly, teach their students but within the virtual world of Minecraft
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Teachers are learning to teach with digital games VIA more informal means (ie., from fellow teachers and be self teaching) than formal training programs (inservice days). As a result, teachers may not be getting exposure to the broader range of pedagogical strategies, resources, and types of games that can enhance and facilitate digital game integration
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Digital game integration is hard. Educators who do not teach with digital games are more likely than game-using teachers to report that they are "not sure how to integrate games" into their teaching, suggesting how consequential this uncertainty can be. That said, 8-% of digital game-using teachers wish it were easier to find curriculum-aligned games, and just 39% believe that a sufficient variety of such games even exist
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What's Next for MinecraftEDU?
MinecraftEdu new owner, Microsoft (see more on the Business page), is building upon on the proven success of the game to date and is committed to creating a new version dedicated to learning in its Mindcraft Education Edition. Microsoft’s current CEO Satya Nadella stated that a major reason for acquiring Mojang was for the possible integration with HoloLens. Microsoft HoloLens, known under development as Project Baraboo, is a pair of mixed reality head-mounted smart glasses developed and manufactured by Microsoft Corporation. HoloLens is gaining popularity for allowing Mindcraft/Mindcraft Education Edition players to interact with the game for a totally immersive experience.
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To learn more about the Microsoft acquisition and how Minecraft, and Mojang, as a company begun, click the button to the left!
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