Months after announcing that Minecraft will be used in the classroom, it has increasingly served as a learning tool for kids under twelve. The popular game has released trailers and a new website showing its new niche.
Microsoft bought Minecraft's creator, Mojang, September last year. The software company has been grooming the game for classroom use. Minecraft's market is composed largely of children under twelve years old. The game involves creating tools, fighting monsters, and collecting materials for the player's survival, among others. It is a sandbox where various activities can be done and "worlds" can be explored.
Minecraft's new web destination, education.minecraft.net, states that subjects such as Math, Science, and English can be learned while playing the game.
"It's exploring mathematical concepts like perimeter, area, and volume by breaking and placing Minecraft blocks. It's practising collaboration, problem solving, digital citizenship, and leadership skills through creative thinking and innovative design," the site explained this as an example.
The tools used in the game integrate the subjects being studied and specified. The Book and Quill, for instance, can train students in writing and note-taking. The Inventory has items that will allow students to practice reading the names and consquently, learning new words.
The crafting system in making new things such as paper or bookshelves applies mathematics. It requires students to calculate how much material is needed to make a specific item while also teaches them measurements. Parents can participate in teaching their kids while they play, too.
In 2011, New York computer teacher Joel Levin saw the potential of Minecraft as an educational tool. He integrated the game in his classes, introducing it as a series of projects for his sessions.
"In my eight years of teaching, I have never seen students so excited and engaged," he stated in an article in The Scotsman. Levin helps run Minecraft Edu in New York.
Below is a video of Minecraft played in a classroom setting.
