minecraftinschool This wiki is devoted to hosting ideas, lessons, implementation strategies and more related to using the game, Minecraft in a school setting Whether you use it in a computer/gaming club, as part of your regular curricular instruction, or even at home with your own children, Minecraft's simple yet scalable "sandbox" virtual environment can be an excellent tool for engaging student learning. The open-ended nature of the game lends it to application in a variety of subject areas. That's why this wiki was created. -Lucas Gillispie, Director of Academic and Digital Learning, Surry County Schools. Recent News (11/10/15) - Here's a Sustainable Community Project we're working on at Gentry Middle School. (6/1/15) -Alice Keeler (@alicekeeler) is awesome, but you knew that, right? (12/18/13) - Great tutorial video on how to level in mcMMO by Aidan. (12/8/13) - Lots to share! We have a number of tutorials added by our community in recent weeks: Inverted Restone PCS Minecraft Grants
Sokikom Math Game: an MMO Education Through Social Interaction Sokikom math game teaches through social interaction Educational games have come a long way since The Oregon Trail and Math Blaster. Sokikom is a MMO math game that aims to help teachers educate their students by using this interactive and math-based online world. Similar to many MMORPGs (Massively Multiplayer Online Role-Playing Game) that have many different worlds, regions, and countries, Sokikom has different math regions that each correlate to a different subject in math. The games are all progressively difficult and each math type begins with a fun tutorial to introduce students to the game. Educational games are nothing new; many people have learned math and language from retro games or further back. Times have changed and many schools, colleges, and parents won’t settle for a lecture-based education with a talking head in the front of the classroom anymore. Parents can also benefit greatly from this. via TechCrunch Save $150 on your ticket by using code GBLOG14 at checkout!
MinecraftEDU wiki Interactive Fiction Game Design // Crossposted on my blog with video at The Pew Research Center reports that approximately 97% of teens play video games in their free time. Science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) subject-areas have used programming and game design to teach 21st Century skills, but what can an English class do to leverage the potential of game-based learning? Return to Zork I remember when my family brought home our first computer, a used Commodore 64. After analyzing several essays containing descriptive imagery and composing a short piece of writing about a favorite location in San Francisco, students honed their descriptive writing skills by creating text-based interactive fiction games using PlayFic.com and the Inform 7 programming language. Zork Quest Day 1 Interactive Fiction What is interactive fiction? Extension Play through a few games in the 2012 International Fiction competition and vote on them (you must register with the site to vote). Homework Day 2 Day 3
MorrowCraft - home Action video games boost reading skills Related images(click to enlarge) <I>Current Biology</I>, Franceschini et al. Much to the chagrin of parents who think their kids should spend less time playing video games and more time studying, time spent playing action video games can actually make dyslexic children read better. In fact, 12 hours of video game play did more for reading skills than is normally achieved with a year of spontaneous reading development or demanding traditional reading treatments. "Action video games enhance many aspects of visual attention, mainly improving the extraction of information from the environment," said Andrea Facoetti of the University of Padua and the Scientific Institute Medea of Bosisio Parini in Italy. The findings come as further support for the notion that visual attention deficits are at the root of dyslexia, a condition that makes reading extremely difficult for one out of every ten children, Facoetti added. And, guess what? Source: Cell Press
Minecraft Lesson Plan « Shaping the World Lately, I have been researching ways to use Minecraft in the classroom for game based learning. Here is a rough outline of how I would introduce students to this amazing, educational game. Prior to this lesson students will have learned basic design and sketching skills. This lesson would be the first within a unit designed to teach students how to plan a community. Minecraft is a computer game that combines mechanics, design and creativity within an RPG. By using Minecraft as an educational tool students will be able to: Apply knowledge of 3 dimensional landscapes to construct a digital landscape and community. Collaborate with classmates to plan and create a digital community. : Students will develop an understanding of the cultural, social, economic, and political effects of technology. : Students will develop an understanding of the effects of technology on the environment. : Students will develop an understanding of the role of society in the development and use of technology. Like this:
Virtual World Links This year there are a number of virtual world tours planned which require you to download and install software prior to embarking on your virtual adventure. This is a listing of the software that you will require if you want to participate in some of the tours. Second Life Obviously this is where the majority of the conference will be held. World of Warcraft You can get a free trail subscription to WOW. NIAUniverse Minecraft Minecraft is a game about placing blocks to build anything you can imagine. Club Penguin New World Grid Inworldz Minecraft Lesson Plans Minecraft allows players to explore, interact with, and modify a dynamically-generated map made of one-cubic-meter-sized blocks. The environment features plants, mobs, and items. Some activities in the game include mining for ore, fighting hostile mobs, and crafting new blocks and tools by gathering resources found in the game. The game's open-ended model allows players to create structures, creations and artwork on multiplayer servers or on their own single player maps. Game developers seem to be great believers in learning theories and brain research. They recognize that if the brain is not engaged in many ways, people will not play their games. The term "gamification" is described as "the concept that you can apply the basic elements that make games fun and engaging to do things that typically aren't considered a game." The creators of Minecraft recognize the importance of the quality of experience the player has and amount of effort he or she must exert to play the game. 1. 2. 3. 4.
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