Minecraft is turning out to be more than a simple game. Educators are seeing the potential of this game to give students the opportunity to be creative while having heaps of fun - that is a great recipe for learning. It is just up to us and OUR imagination to see how we could use it. As of 2014, Minecraft has sold more than 54 million copies for computers, consoles, and mobile devices.
Critical thinking skills and goal-setting are tantamount to being successful. Because of these thinking processes, educators have grabbed hold of Minecraft’s popularity, including it in their classrooms to teach these valuable skills.
If you have never seen Minecraft - it is like a cross between Lego and Sim City, with infinite space, blocks, Zombies and farm animals. My 5 year old is an expert so anyone can play!
Check out some of these resources from http://globaldigitalcitizen.org/epic-examples-of-minecraft-in-the-classroom
Teaching Digital Citizenship through Minecraft:
Check out some of these resources from http://globaldigitalcitizen.org/epic-examples-of-minecraft-in-the-classroom
Minecraft in the Classroom—Who’s Done It?
Here are some shining examples of how innovative educators are employing Minecraft in the classroom.
1. Use Minecraft to Build a Replica of Your School
Take a page from the playbook of the kids at Marriots Ridge High School who are using Minecraft to replicate their own school. This awakens so many inquiry strategies, it’s hard to miss.
source: minecraftforum.net
Students have to come with a plan, measure out rooms, determine each room’s purpose, and then furnish the rooms. The skill of seeing the big picture and then implementing it on a small scale is a valuable tool in architecture, as well as understanding how the world works in general.
2. Use Minecraft for World-Building and Exploration
Minecraft educator Mike Harvey went so far as to make a world of exploration and treasure hunting for his students, using various mathematical concepts. Imagine doing this for your classes! Hide treasure with tasks that need to be solved through adventure. The process of finding answers can be collaborative as students help each other in this virtual scavenger hunt.
source: minecraftedu world library
3. Use Minecraft to Practice 21st Century Skills
Employ Minecraft to hone student skills like collaboration, teamwork, creativity, innovation, mathematical understanding, leadership, peer learning, and more. Kerilee Beasley makes a solid case for “misunderstood minecraft” in this article on her blog.
How Will YOU Use Minecraft in the Classroom?
Minecraft is now making accessible what gamers have known all along—that gaming can serve as a rewarding learning vehicle, and is a great way to get even the most difficult child engaged. One needs to suspend any bias against using “video games” in school.
If you have fears of children lost in sim worlds and not in the real world, gazing in front of computers not communicating, you should know that students can collaborate and work together within a virtual environment. You don’t just rid yourself of teaching responsibilities and let them play online; you have to craft your learning environment as you explore and use ones that others have made up.
The idea of teacher as facilitator becomes more apparent here. As they do immerse themselves in the virtual world, you are walking around seeing what they are doing, engaging them with guiding questions.
It’s a brave new world. Enjoy!