Minecraft Education Edition in South Africa

Minecraft in Education. It's now in South Africa as well! I definitely should have been born later! The children are playing while learning! That is the best kind of learning!

The possibilities of using Minecraft in learning are huge, and according to the expert, Stephen Reid, there are options in every single subject to make use of the game!

Minecraft is "an open world game that promotes creativity, collaboration, and problem solving in an immersive environment where the only limit is you imagination."

I was at the informal launch of  Minecraft Education Edition on Monday. 

Minecraft Education launch - with Tamzyn and Mariaan from FleishmanHillard South Africa

Stephen Reid is a Minecraft ambassador/creative consultant in education and director of Scottish-based company ImmersiveMinds. He spent the last ten years working with game-based learning, with the last six years focused on Minecraft.

The benefits of game-based learning are in creativity, collaboration and problem solving! All qualities that are so much needed in the careers of today and definitely tomorrow!

Stephen Reid

The benefits of Minecraft in Education: 

Student Engagement

Minecraft: Education Edition brings the classroom and curriculum to students in an environment they are already comfortable with. It offers the same Minecraft experience many students enjoy already, but with some additional capabilities that enable them to collaborate in the classroom, as well as support for educators to deliver learning activities within the game.

Collaboration

The game is designed so that students can work in teams to solve problems, or as a whole class to master challenges within the game. Engaging in work teams and learning environments that foster co-operation in the classroom helps prepare students for their futures. It has the same benefits associated with teamwork for teachers. One of the biggest perks is the almost immediate sharing of knowledge from teachers all over the globe.

Creative Exploration

Children learn naturally through a combination of observation, trial and error and play-based practice. An open-learning environment like Minecraft allows students the freedom to experiment and challenge themselves. Much like real life, there are no step-by-step instructions — students must try, fail and try again to achieve the result they want.

Tangible Learning Outcomes

To create a fully inclusive classroom, educators are challenged to create learning activities that cater to all types of learners. With Minecraft: Education Edition, educators are able to align projects and activities directly to specific learning outcomes and curriculum standards. What’s more, learning-by-doing gives students a sense of accomplishment when they can demonstrate their knowledge.

Brescia House girls on their experience with Minecraft

The Brescia House Teacher that was at the launch says that the  trick is not to claim you are an expert, but to learn with the children.

This note! 

Microsoft Minecraft Education Edition offers a digital version of the real world. It is a safe environment to make mistakes. 

The Minecraft Education Edition has extra applications for education. The support and the community are available on the website! The software needs a Windows 10 or Mac OS operating system, and work on mobile devices which use Windows 10. It is matched to the CAPS Curriculum.

Download it here: Minecraft Education