One
article that I found this week was very well timed with this week's class
discussion- it pertains to the educational version of Minecraft that was just
released. Minecraft Education looks highly promising as a game that can provide
educational benefits such as spatial and architectural skills, along with
creativity and problem-solving skills. This game is already quite popular, even
among teenagers, so it's no surprise that educators are trying to
incorporate it in the classroom. Some schools are already using Minecraft in
math, science, and history lessons. It may not be as well-suited for language
learning, although I can see potential for using it to practice following and
giving directions. The education-specific version of Minecraft contains
features such as the ability for teachers to observe all game activity on one
screen, portfolios for students to put pictures of their work, and the ability
for a whole class to collaborate on the same map. This development is very
exciting for teachers looking to incorporate gaming in their curriculum, but
the article cautions that it may take a while until the IT department can
prepare the technology and teachers can get trained in the software. I’m
looking forward to seeing how quickly Minecraft Education catches on and what
different teachers decide to do with it.
Article:
http://www.edtechmagazine.com/k12/article/2016/11/getting-started-minecraft-education-edition
