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Microsoft's acquisition of Minecraft for over $2 billion last year took many of us by surprise and left us feeling dumbfounded as to what they were thinking and where they would be going with the idea.

It looks like the blocks are finally starting to settle following the new announcement of Minecraft Education Edition launching later this year for use at home, and even in schools around the world.

The title will build on the learnings from MinecraftEdu while also offering an expanded set of features. In the coming months, Microsoft will help shape Minecraft: Education Edition with the help of a growing community of educators online at education.minecraft.net. The community pages hosted on the site will host a variety of resources, such as lesson plans, and a new Minecraft Mentors page that can help educators experienced in the ways of Minecraft to connect with new players.

“One of the reasons Minecraft fits so well in the classroom is because it’s a common, creative playground,” Mojang COO Vu Bui shares in a statement submitted to Shacknews. “We’ve seen that Minecraft transcends the differences in teaching and learning styles and education systems around the world. It’s an open space where people can come together and build a lesson around nearly anything.”

Minecraft: Education Edition will be available as a free trial this summer, while all existing MinecraftEdu customers will receive the first year of the title free of charge.

Microsoft is quick to emphasize that its keeping the changes minor because it doesn't want to make Minecraft into a straight educational product; it's still a game first a foremost and therefore something kids want to use in the classroom and at home.

It would appear the foundation of the new product is of an education mod that Microsoft seems to have acquired as the basis for their team to work with. Either way, expect to see and hear more about Minecraft Education Edition in the coming months.

SOURCE

 

[Deleted User]

I can't believe there's a market for this. Education + Minecraft seems like an unlikely combination.

 

[Jiehfeng]

Something similar, I heard one particular school is replacing gym class with esports, and will have classes later on. Can't find the article atm tho.

 

[mashers]

I think this is an excellent idea. The links between education and Minecraft aren't immediately obvious, but working with autistic kids you have to find any way of making even the most abstract and tedious topic meaningful and motivating. Think of the concepts involved in building a house in Minecraft - size, volume, ratio, proportion, measurement, and that's before you even start thinking about the properties of the materials, the functions of the spaces they are constructing, and the really complicated stuff like functional moving parts with redstone and other mechanisms. They also need to think about planning, resourcing and problem solving, particularly if they are not in creative mode. Add to that the potential for developing social interaction skills like cooperation, collaboration, negotiation, explaining, describing, and the possibilities are endless.

If anyone is really interested in stuff like this, I encourage you to read some of the research by Legoff and Shermann into social skills programmes based on Lego, which can be used in a similar way.

I for one am really excited about the use of Minecraft in education and am interested to learn more about the education edition.

 

[gamefan5]

I think this is an excellent idea. The links between education and Minecraft aren't immediately obvious, but working with autistic kids you have to find any way of making even the most abstract and tedious topic meaningful and motivating. Think of the concepts involved in building a house in Minecraft - size, volume, ratio, proportion, measurement, and that's before you even start thinking about the properties of the materials, the functions of the spaces they are constructing, and the really complicated stuff like functional moving parts with redstone and other mechanisms. They also need to think about planning, resourcing and problem solving, particularly if they are not in creative mode. Add to that the potential for developing social interaction skills like cooperation, collaboration, negotiation, explaining, describing, and the possibilities are endless.

If anyone is really interested in stuff like this, I encourage you to read some of the research by Legoff and Shermann into social skills programmes based on Lego, which can be used in a similar way.

I for one am really excited about the use of Minecraft in education and am interested to learn more about the education edition.

And that is exactly the reason why I thought Microsoft has acquired Minecraft initially.
Not surprising in the least, I even thought they could implement Minecraft with VR for education purposes.

That said, it is a fantastic idea.

 

[DesuIsSparta]

I don't understand why this is such 'big news', other than within the Minecraft community. Minecraft has been used for educational purposes since alpha. Beginning at custom maps, then progressing to modding and modded servers, and MinecraftEdu started a few years ago and did very well, though the subscription model was a bit strange in my opinion. This isn't something new that Microsoft nor Mojang have thought of, it's simply buying out MinecraftEdu and progressing it.
There's nothing different than before besides that.

That said, I find that Minecraft and other sandbox games are a great way to teach children nowadays. Not just autistic or otherwise mentally handicapped children.

 

[chavosaur]

I don't understand why this is such 'big news', other than within the Minecraft community. Minecraft has been used for educational purposes since alpha. Beginning at custom maps, then progressing to modding and modded servers, and MinecraftEdu started a few years ago and did very well, though the subscription model was a bit strange in my opinion. This isn't something new that Microsoft nor Mojang have thought of, it's simply buying out MinecraftEdu and progressing it.
There's nothing different than before besides that.

That said, I find that Minecraft and other sandbox games are a great way to teach children nowadays. Not just autistic or otherwise mentally handicapped children.

The big news imo is the fact that it's going to be mainstreamed into everyday education. And in mainstreaming it, there's the possibility of beginning to utilize gaming in new ways that isn't just an entertainment medium.

Seeing this happen and be taken seriously is a big step in looking at gaming as more than just mindless brain dimming entertainment.

 

[mashers]

It's big news because most schools won't dedicate time, money and resources to an intervention or education method which isn't packaged up specifically for education. Microsoft have realised this and hence have packaged up a version of Minecraft and labelled it for education. My hope is that this will not only be a customised version of Minecraft, but will also be accompanied by lesson plans, target suggestions and ideas for educational activities.

 

[3DSPoet]

This is actually Microsoft stealing another idea that's already well-founded. I'm the computer lab EA for an elementary school and I can say that at least 3 of our elementary schools use the current system "MinecraftEDU". There's ALREADY a vibrant community of educators sharing resources and creating a lot of content and lesson plans. Currently, it's a one-off expense unless you pay to have your world hosted on their servers (Our schools use our tech dept or host them locally at the school). What I'm getting from this is that Microsoft intends to start charging everyone who already bought MCEDU a yearly fee instead of paying once.

As far as if Minecraft has a place in schools, yes, it certainly does! Aside from the creativity and problem-solving inherent to the game itself, there are a number of worlds and angles you can use the game for education targeting pretty much any subject such as math, social studies, geography, biology....because MC is such an open world with so many complex parts, it can be tailored to a vast array of different uses.

 

[mashers]

@3DSPoet
Actually I think I read on the MC Education Editon site that it's based on MinecraftEDU. So I don't think they "stole" anything. How it works in terms of the licensing though I have no idea.

 

[3DSPoet]

Well, the article actually mentioned MinecraftEDU, but it just sounds like Microsoft is pretending it was all their idea..though that could just be how the article is written.

 

[Tom Bombadildo]

This is actually Microsoft stealing another idea that's already well-founded. I'm the computer lab EA for an elementary school and I can say that at least 3 of our elementary schools use the current system "MinecraftEDU". There's ALREADY a vibrant community of educators sharing resources and creating a lot of content and lesson plans. Currently, it's a one-off expense unless you pay to have your world hosted on their servers (Our schools use our tech dept or host them locally at the school). What I'm getting from this is that Microsoft intends to start charging everyone who already bought MCEDU a yearly fee instead of paying once.

As far as if Minecraft has a place in schools, yes, it certainly does! Aside from the creativity and problem-solving inherent to the game itself, there are a number of worlds and angles you can use the game for education targeting pretty much any subject such as math, social studies, geography, biology....because MC is such an open world with so many complex parts, it can be tailored to a vast array of different uses.

Microsoft is buying MinecraftEDU. Kinda hard to "steal" what you already bought People who bought MinecraftEDU are also getting a free year subscription to this separate "Education Edition", too, and anyone who doesn't want to pay a subscription can still use MinecraftEDU whenever they want. I think it'll go off sale officially when EE releases, but that's not for another half a year or so.

 

[DesuIsSparta]

Well, the article actually mentioned MinecraftEDU, but it just sounds like Microsoft is pretending it was all their idea..though that could just be how the article is written.

I got the same vibe from it too. I feel there wasn't enough credit to the already-well-established project that they will or did buy it.

It's big news because most schools won't dedicate time, money and resources to an intervention or education method which isn't packaged up specifically for education. Microsoft have realised this and hence have packaged up a version of Minecraft and labelled it for education. My hope is that this will not only be a customised version of Minecraft, but will also be accompanied by lesson plans, target suggestions and ideas for educational activities.

Ah, I understand. Great way to make money is just to bundle things. It's easier to look for a bundle than it is all the individual parts.

Anyhow, I highly doubt they'll have lesson plans or anything of the sort. As someone who's worked indirectly with Mojang (Prior to Microsoft's purchase), they aren't the type of company to go beyond developing for the game. Unless they create a department at Mojang specifically to work on MCEDU (Which is very unlikely) and 'the classroom', it won't be much more than modifying the base game.

 

[Foxi4]

I can see how Minecraft could be morphed into an education tool, but it'd have to be severely altered. Crafting could teach basic chemistry, for instance. The use of red stone or water can make for a good basic physics lesson. There are things you can do with it that could potentially be educational, but it's still a bit of a stretch.

 

[Flame]

you now what? we should just get rid of schools and homework all together. fuck it while we at it... get rid of gravity, sun, the moon, atoms, numbers, internet, technology, trees, water... cause none of those things are helpful for every day world stuff and fill it with Minecraft.



to be a dumb
or not to be that is the question.

 

[3DSPoet]

I can see how Minecraft could be morphed into an education tool, but it'd have to be severely altered. Crafting could teach basic chemistry, for instance. The use of red stone or water can make for a good basic physics lesson. There are things you can do with it that could potentially be educational, but it's still a bit of a stretch.

In actuality, some of the things they've created for MinecraftEDU are pretty amazing. And the Teacher account gives you lots of admin privileges at your fingertips while you're logged into the game with your students. There are also special, EDU specific blocks that can be used to outline areas where students can and can't build, you can restrict access to certain areas of the map, and many other nice features. *grin* When my kids are arguing or not doing what they're supposed to, I turn on Self-Creative mode, which puts the teacher in creative mode, then I fly up way into the sky and then teleport the entire class to me...and let them fall to their deaths! XD

 

[storm75x]

This reminds me of that Minecraft Teacher guy. Wouldn't be surprised if this is a legacy dedicated to him.

 

[Deboog]

Did they mention one way they would use Minecraft to help kids learn? Other than say "build a house"? Sounds like a bunch of corporate hogwash to me.

 

[3DSPoet]

Well, foregoing the obvious "game" arguments...there are numerous maps and worlds created by the EDU community on many different subjects. A LOT of these have disabled building altogether and are more exploratory showcasing Minecrafted versions of historical sites and architecture. There are also specialized building sites that give students limited and/specific resources and they have to solve specific problems as laid out by their teachers. Minecraft can also be used to model various ecosystems or different types of landmasses or layers.

It's a sandbox..it can be molded to do anything you want it to, really...there's even mods to let you learn basic computer programming.

 

[Xzi]

Minecraft is something you do on your phone while the teacher is talking about something else. It's as educational as doodling in your notebook when you're supposed to be doing your assignment. Although to be fair, that actually led to a career path for some people, while Minecraft leads to nothing but more Minecraft.