MinecraftEdu at Allison Union

Today the Grade 4s at Alliston Union had their first go with MinecraftEdu. It took some time to get the program loaded on all the computers but once the students were in you could hear the excitement as they explored together.

One of the best activities for getting started is to have the students try the tutorial world (which can be found in the MinecraftEdu launcher). The students can play independently or you can start the server and load the tutorial world.

This tutorial will walk you through how to start the server with the tutorial world:

MinecraftEdu Pilot Inquiry Begins!

Today a group of passionate students and teachers came together to share their learning. The goal of our day was to understand more about how the engaging game of Minecraft can be used in the classroom. The students were showing teachers and administrators how to play the game as they worked on a challenge to build their dream learning environment. Soon they were not only showing all the adults how to play but they were guiding them through the game! The students were the Minecraft experts and the educators were asking lots of questions. Knowing how Minecraft works helps to understand what is possible in the game and how it can be used for creation and making thinking visible.

By the end of the day, educators were inspired to use Minecraft for learning. Lots of resources were shared that have been created by other educators to be used in the classroom. We also started talking about and designing our own engaging learning experiences that explored mathematics, social studies, character, collaboration, critical thinking and digital citizenship.

The students and the educators all took risks today and that made all the difference in the world. We were co-learners and together our learning was much deeper. Teachers were experiencing being a learner alongside their students and how this can transform the learning culture in the classroom.

Thank you to all of the students - you made a big impact today!

The educators who participated today were given the opportunity to use the MinecraftEdu program in their classrooms. We will be working closely with the IT department to set MinecraftEdu up in their schools and test how the server will work. We will update you as we learn more!

Inquiry into Early Societies

For the last few weeks the grade 4s have been learning about early societies. Kris and I used the following two questions to frame our inquiry:

• Why are early societies important to learn about?
• How similar and different was the life in early societies from the way we live today?

Through discussion with the students we decided to create a comparison of early societies and the way we live today in Minecraft. The students researched into Medieval Times, Ancient Greece and Ancient Egypt. As they began building their communities in Minecraft many questions came up around materials that were used to build houses and create tools. I heard kids talking back and forth about design and if that was historically accurate. I overheard two students talking about whether they would build a library. Asking each other if they had libraries back then, if they had books, what they were made out of and who would own them. They decided to do a bit more research and then started talking about who would know how to read, what they would read and how that impacted their lives.

At the end of the three days the students had to work on their builds, they took me on guided tours explaining their constructed society and comparing it to the community they live in. In the end they came to the conclusion that kids from back then were not that different than them in what they needed: to have a home and be happy. They were particularly concerned that many of the kids from ancient societies didn’t have the opportunity to go to school.

MinecraftEdu: Tech, Engagement, Purpose.

The next step in our Minecraft pilot is to set up MinecraftEdu. To do this we have been working closely with our IT department, who have downloaded the game and set it up to work on the school network. A very helpful Mike has helped troubleshoot too!

With the technology in place we focused our attention on the learning. This all begins with student engagement and using their excitement for the game as an advantage. The activities we plan need to be fun and linked to an academic purpose at the same time. We do this by designing lessons that have clear learning goals but are also open for kids to do what they do best: play the game, imagine, problem solve and create!

MinecraftEdu and MinecraftPE in SCDSB

http://services.minecraftedu.com/wiki/Main_Page

MinecraftEdu is a modified version of the original Minecraft game (regular Minecraft is usually called vanilla Minecraft). MinecraftEdu is an educational version, that was designed for use in the classroom. It provides additional supports to make it easier to use Minecraft for learning. This includes an easy to use teacher interface for classroom management while playing, offline functionality and access to a library of lesson idea for a variety of subject areas, from STEAM to language, history, art and mathematics. Currently MincraftEdu is not accessible on our network in SCDSB but we are looking into how to make it work!

MinecraftPE on iTunes

MinecraftPE or Minecraft Pocket Edition is the iPad version of the game. It does not have the same functionality as the MinecraftEdu version but is easy to set up as it requires only the downloading of the iOS app. At this time, MinecraftPE can be downloaded onto school based iPads for $7.99 per app with the permission of your administrator. This requires using your school created Apple ID to download the game. Students can play in single player but at this time multiplayer is not support on our network.

On the MinecraftEdu wiki you can read more about what makes MinecraftEdu different from the original vanilla version and view a chart showing a comparison of the features between Minecraft, MinecraftEdu and MinecraftPE.

Over the next few months we are going to pilot the use of MinecraftEdu and MinecraftPE at West Bayfield ES. This will include working closely with ITS to determine the best way to bring Minecraft into our classrooms.

Why Minecraft in the Classroom?

Using MinecraftEdu or MinecraftPE in the classroom is about more than playing a game, it is about learning, creativity and communication. It is about using the magic of Minecraft to engage learners, foster essential 21st Century skills and to create a bridge between the physical and virtual classrooms.

A screenshot by Marci (with MF!)

At it’s heart Minecraft is a tool for creation, that supports teaching and learning. The game can be used to teach curriculum, from language, to media literacy, STEAM concepts, social studies, art and mathematics. Learners can use Minecraft to communicate their ideas and show their understanding of a concept, while at the same time applying new skills, problem solving and communicate with others. It’s an opportunity to learn about digital citizenship in an authentic way and challenge students to explore global issues.

With the popularity of Minecraft, we know that many students are already experts and we can use this to partner with students as co-learners. Through conversations we can build stronger relationships with students, that support risk taking in their learning. Empowering our learners by asking what they think we can learn or teach with Minecraft. Students will feel that what they are learning about is important and that they are connected to it because it matters to them. We see the results of this as students spend time outside of class continuing their learning.

Engaging in deep learning experiences with Minecraft opens up the possibility for real-world connections, building essential skills, cross-curricular connections and connection to the local and global community. Empower your students with Minecraft and see how the journey inspires a culture of thinking and learning!  

What is Minecraft?

“Minecraft is a block-building sandbox game with no set rules, where you can build anything you can possible imagine.” (MInecraft Beginner’s Handbook)

Minecraft Basics:

• Many people describe Minecraft as a game for building with digital lego.
• Minecraft is available on a number of platforms and has multiple versions. This blog will focus on how we can use MinecraftEdu (the computer based educational version) and MinecraftPE (the iPad version) in SCDSB.
• You can play alone in single player or with others in multiplayer.
• Different modes of play:
• Creative Mode - you have a full inventory to build, no monsters will attack you.
• Survival Mode - you have health and hunger. You can die in this mode. You need to craft and mine to survive. This is the mode that most kids play at home because it is challenging and adventurous.
• Hardcore Mode - like survival mode but when you die you lose everything in your inventory and the game is over.
• The Overworld is a dimension where you might explore different environments (or biomes) like swamps, extreme hills, desert forest, plains, jungle, ice plains, or even the ocean biome. This opens up a lot of possibility for inquiry in the classroom.

Minecraft and Minds on to Media

Minecraft in the Classroom by Jen Apgar

At the ECOO 2014 Minds on to Media event I sat down at the session Minecraft in the Classroom and learned more about why and how to play from facilitator Jen Apgar. She introduced the GamingEdus website, which Jen describes as “a network of Ontario Educators with the goal of introducing educators to the learning potential of video games with a focus on equity, diversity, inclusion and student-led, inquiry-based learning.” Jen’s presentation and the GamingEdus website helped to answer questions and sparked many new ones. I learned even more from Jen a couple weeks later when I participate in her OTF Webinar Making Curriculum Connections with Minecraft. 

Sitting to my left at the Minds on the Media was Scott McKenzie, an amazing educator who blogs about integrating technology. Scott believes that Minecraft gives students an opportunity to be creative and critical thinkers while removing the barrier of language. We talked about his experience with Minecraft and he shared some tips that you can read about here.

Sitting to my right was Dean and throughout the presentation our exciting grew. We decided to take action and bring minecraft to West Bayfield ES!