Today we had a guest visit from some students and their teacher from a local middle school coming to talk to us about the use of Minecraft in classrooms and education. Minecraft has an educational universe where students can collaborate with each other and learn at the same time.

Minecraft education edition is an open-world game full of lesson examples to guide a teacher to teaching students in a different way. They offer ages 3-14+ lesson plans in: math, science, language arts, history, and visual arts. Other topics for lessons include: government, tech, geography, animals. business, environment, digital, theater, gaming, music, health, religion, safe schools, social good, SEL, comp sci, careers, special ed, and leadership.

AKA sooo many options! And the lessons cover many aspects that could be a great tool to help all students thrive in every subject.

Minecraft makes it easy for a teacher to control what is going on in the game and making sure that the students are on track. Options for the teachers include:

  • Changing the game mode (survival, creative)
  • Allowing fire and TNT
  • The ability to generate structures
  • Allowing animals
  • The time of day
  • Difficulties
  • Allowing weather effects
  • Allowing other dimensions
  • Allowing villagers
  • Allowing monsters

 

Minecraft isn’t only just an educational tool, but builds life skills for the students. One of the students that came to speak to us today said he though he knew what he wanted to be when he grew up but now with the aid of Minecraft he feels interested in exploring architecture. Another one of the students uses Minecraft to make art.

 

Though the minecraft on the big computers made me feel really sick, it was still very enjoyable to learn about and I am interested in how it comes into play when I am a teacher.