Notes

Minecraft To Launch Education Edition

Minecraft to launch education edition By Leo Kelion Technology desk editor



19 January 2016



An "education edition" of Minecraft is to be launched by Microsoft.



The product will offer teachers new ways to utilize the world-building game video game across a range of subjects.



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



It's possible to add features now, but schools could face additional costs.



It is believed that Minecraft is used in more than 7,000 classrooms around the world.



"Teachers are using Minecraft to accomplish a variety of things, such as teaching maths, science poetry, religion and even poetry," Anthony Salcito, Microsoft's vice president of education worldwide said to the BBC.



"Once we make the tools easier for schools to get access to and employ I think you'll see that number [of classrooms] grow very quickly."



Camera in-game



MinecraftEdu already provides teachers with the possibility of editing content and access a library of educational-themed resources.



Microsoft promises to improve user experience:



allowing characters created by the children to keep their characters throughout the sessions



letting pupils take "photos" of their progress via an in-game camera, and later save the images in an online book along with their own notes. These can then act as tutorials for other children, or be used by the teacher to assess their progress.



permitting children to download programs that allow them to continue playing the educational version of Minecraft outside school without having to purchase their own copy of the game.



To use the service, students and teachers require their own Office 365 ID, which can also be used to provide access to Microsoft's cloud-based productivity software.



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



It can also help the company to promote its word processing, file-sharing and email apps on other services like Google and others.



Microsoft will charge a $5 annual fee (PS3.50) per teacher and child.



This could be more expensive than the current set-up, where schools pay a one-time fee of $14 multiplied by the number of people they wish to be able to connect at one time in addition to an additional $41 for server software.



Deirdre Qarnstrom, director for Minecraft education, said that "we believe we're creating value".



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



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



"We are also replacing the requirement 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.



The school he works at utilizes MinecraftEdu to teach students about A Midsummer Night's Dream. He asked students to create a Shakespeare-inspired production within MinecraftEdu.



He also said that teachers should be aware of the limitations of the software.



He also said that technology can be utilized to achieve exceptional learning but it must be used in conjunction to other tools.



"If all you are doing is sitting them down and leaving them to play Shakespeare through Minecraft You are doing something wrong.



"Dance, music, art, and drama are the best methods to teach kids.



"But technology can be a part of the toolbox as an additional tool."



Microsoft said it would allow teachers to begin "beta-testing" Minecraft's education edition at some point "in the summer" without charge, ahead of the official rollout.



Minecraft was used to teach Chemistry



5 November 2015



The schools use Minecraft in their lessons.



20 June 2014



Minecraft



MinecraftEdu



Lings Primary School


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