Notes

Minecraft To Launch Education Edition

Minecraft to launch education edition By Leo Kelion Technology desk editor



19 January 2016



An "education version" of Minecraft is scheduled to be released by Microsoft.



Teachers will discover new ways to use this world-building game in a variety of subjects.



In 2014, Microsoft paid $2.5bn (PS1.8bn) for Mojang, Minecraft’s Swedish creator. It also bought the four-year-old MinecraftEdu game from TeacherGaming an independent Finnish developer.



It's promising to add features however schools could face extra expenses.



It says more than 7,000 schools around the world already use Minecraft in some form.



"Teachers are using Minecraft for a variety of reasons," Anthony Salcito (Microsoft's vice president of education worldwide) told the BBC.



"Once we make the tools more accessible for schools to get access to and employ I believe you'll see the number of classrooms] grow quite quickly."



In-game camera



MinecraftEdu already gives teachers the ability to edit content and access a library with education-themed assets.



Microsoft promises to improve user experience:



Allowing characters created by children to keep their characteristics between sessions



The students can let students take "photos" of their progress with an in-game camera, and later save them in an online journal along with their own notes. They can be used to help other children or by teachers to track their progress.



Children can download software that lets them continue playing Minecraft in a classroom setting outside of school. They don't have to buy the game.



Teachers and children need to have their own Office 365 ID to access the service. This ID can also be used to get access to the cloud-based productivity software by Microsoft.



Microsoft claims this will enable teachers to manage fewer online accounts that they have to manage.



It could also assist the company to promote its word processing, file-sharing and email applications on other platforms such as Google and others.



Microsoft plans to charge an annual fee of $5 (PS3.50) for each teacher and child.



That could prove more expensive than the current set-up that requires schools to pay a one-off fee of $14 multiplied by the number of users they wish to allow to log in at once, plus an additional $41 for server software.



"We believe we're bringing an added value," said Deirdre Quarnstrom director of Minecraft education.



"In addition to having a permanent identity, they will also be able to access the most up-to-date version of the game.



"MinecraftEdu was one of the mods, along with other Minecraft mods. This was due to the nature of the development process.



"We are also replacing the need for schools to have and maintain separate server hardware."



Virtual Shakespeare



The new features were well-loved by Leigh Wolmarans, the head teacher at Lings Primary School in Northampton.



His school uses MinecraftEdu to teach their students about A Midsummer Night's Dream. He requested students to create a Shakespeare-inspired production within MinecraftEdu.



He added that other teachers should be aware of the limitations of the software.



"Technology can lead to extraordinary learning, but it has to be utilized in conjunction with other tools," he said.



"If all you do is sit them down and leave them to play Shakespeare through Minecraft Then you're doing something wrong."



"Dance and art, drama and music remain the most effective ways to educate children.



"But technology can enhance it as an additional tool."



Microsoft has announced that it will allow teachers to start "beta-testing" Minecraft's education edition "in the summer" without charge, ahead of the official rollout.



Minecraft was used to teach the science of chemistry



5 November 2015



The schools use Minecraft in their lessons.
Motors'n'more


20 June 2014



Minecraft



MinecraftEdu



Lings Primary School


My Website: https://motorsnmore.net/