How to Purchase Minecraft

Minecraft in the Classroom

When deciding how to bring Minecraft to your school it is important to consider which version of the game will best meet your needs. Factors to consider when planning what version of Minecraft to purchase:

Minecraft Pocket Edition (MinecraftPE)

• For use on iPads.

• The app costs $9.99 per iPad and can be purchased for school iPads through Airwatch by submitting a helpdesk ticket.
• How to request an app in Airwatch
• The ticket must be submitted by the school principal and include a budget code.
• VPP store link that you will need: https://volume.itunes.apple.com/ca/app/minecraft-pocket-edition/id479516143?mt=8&term=minecraftpe&ign-mpt=uo%3D4  (copy and paste this link into the helpdesk ticket.)
• Getting Started with MinecraftPE on the iPad
• How to Play Multiplayer with MinecraftPE on a SCDSB iPad

Minecraft

• The original version of the game. For purchase by families for home use.
• Some students ask if they may bring their own device (BYOD) to school to show their learning using their home game and personal Minecraft account. Before you okay this option, have a discussion with your principal as you must use your professional judgement to decide if this is an option for your students as it requires norms to be built for use and strong classroom management routines.  
• Access to servers for multiplayer is restricted.

MinecraftEdu

• MinecraftEDU, the education version of Minecraft for school computers (Windows and macOS) has been discontinued and replaced with Minecraft Education Edition.
• Transition resources for MinecraftEdu

Minecraft: Education Edition

• Minecraft: Education Edition is the new education version of Minecraft for school computers.
• COMING SOON! Minecraft: Education Edition requires Windows 10. The good news is that our ITS department is working hard on preparing Windows 10 for school computers and it will be available soon (sorry no timeline to share, yet!).
• Minecraft: Education Edition does not work on Chromebooks.
• The cost of Minecraft Education Edition is $5 per user, for every school year and is linked to the students Office 365 account. This means that a student would sign in with their SCDSB username and network password. We are currently investigating bulk purchasing options.
• Supports Classroom Mode for Minecraft.
• Supports multiplayer game play.
• The Minecraft: Education Edition starter kit provides resources to get you started, including training videos, sample lessons, and example worlds.