Minecrafting Education

This past Christmas my brother showed me a video game called Minecraft. I had heard of it before, but not really experienced it. Minecraft is a free form game where uses have access to a low-resolution world full of resources to build and craft as they please. There are other challenges, but the idea is it is a nearly limitless work for construction and creativity. At the moment, I am busy and do not know if I could commit to it, (because I know me, and I would get sucked into it.) Then I saw this:

This is just one of the many creations of the Old Globe people have released. There is so much potential for this in the classroom, it will not fit into this blog post. A quick Google search, and I found someone beat me to it. The Minecraft Teacher has a great blog of resources and ideas.

Personally, thought I am not even playing the game, thousands of users have uploaded videos and downloadable versions of their creations online. This is great visual way to present a setting for a story in English class that is inherently engaging.

For students who are playing Minecraft, I cannot imagine the joy of creating something out of a story or in response to a piece of literature by using this "game." For example building a setting would require detail and attention to the novel/story they might not have otherwise experienced. The in-depth nature of crafting means they are going to be thinking about what ever they are working on in a way that would dramatically increase retention.

History teachers, search on YouTube to find recreations of historical locations (such as: Pyramid of Giza or Colosseum)that will engage students and get them visually excited. This is also a great way to present geometry, algebra, engineering, and so on. I cannot wait to what happens to this "game" that can transcend all contents.