Classroom Mode for Minecraft. Learning revolution or just another gimmick?
Minecraft is one of the most popular and influential video games of all times. In 2019, after 8 years the full version was initially released, the game still attracts over 91 million players monthly, overtaking Fortnite and Grand Theft Auto. Even more, it is the best-selling video game in history with a record of more than 176 million copies.
One of the versions of the video game is Minecraft: Education Edition launched in 2016, specially optimized for learning and designed to be user-friendly in educational institutions.
This version comes together with a companion application called Classroom Mode, meant to make the teacher-student communication smoother. Using the app teachers can set up the Minecraft world for a particular purpose, teleport students in it, give them constant guidelines and feedback.
More and more teachers are exploring this tool, either by using the models presented on the official website of the version or shared by fellow teachers across the Internet, or by creating from scratch their own lesson plans. On the other side, more conservative voices are contesting the benefits of learning through gamification and of Minecraft Classroom Mode in particular.
In time, various modes of the game came to life, enabling different experiences of the Minecraft universe.
In Survival mode the user would need to gather resources through interaction with the environment and only after that use them for creation. He also needs to protect himself from monsters by building shelters, maintain his health while facing different natural dangers and find food to eat. Beyond constructing, the user can also use the resources to craft tools or weapons that will help him survive.
On the other side, in Creative mode, unlimited resources which can be instantly placed or removed are accessible from the start. This version allows creativity to flow without any restrictions or distractions. Also, it is a practice arena where users can develop structures that can then be reproduced in Survival mode.
The Education version of Minecraft is not meant to make the gameplay different in any way. Its purpose was rather to encourage the use of the Creative Mode in an educational environment. Extra features were added to facilitate this goal: students may use Minecraft on their PCs from home without having to pay for their own copy, there are a bunch of new communication tools, a set of specialty blocks and some others.
Classroom Mode, the companion application of this version, allows the teacher to step into the position of the gamemaster. He is enabled to take decisions that will affect the Minecraft environment for all his students like for example:
- Pause and resume the game;
- Enable or disable chat;
- Teleport all players around the world or drag and drop them individually;
- Affect the weather;
- Grant resources;
- Create non-player characters that act as guides.
- Students may get a visual image of history in a certain period by constructing themselves a regular city. They can be guided on how to build a fortress and its surroundings, they can cast characters learning about the various social classes and occupations, they can get a sense of proportions by assessing the density of a city;
- A math teacher can use Minecraft to create visualizations for basic algebraic operations. Fractions can be represented as gardens where students may choose what to plant and then play around with their crops.
- Other successful stories include reproducing famous historical buildings and assess their social functions, simulating natural disasters, create a glimpse of wildlife or representing organisms starting with the cell level.
Why is it so great?
Teachers who are using Minecraft for classroom claim that the block-building phenomenon provided them with a platform to create interactive lessons for their students. Here is how this strategy can positively impact the learning process:
- Gamification succeeds in keeping the attention of the students focused for longer periods of time;
- The visual interface brings a new level of understanding to otherwise abstract concepts;
- The game offers a pretext to develop story telling abilities, like for example when they are encouraged to write the biographies of their characters or a story plot that may occur in the scene they settled;
- The simple 3D interface develops creativity. They see a draft of the reality and are encouraged to imagine themselves the details;
- Teamwork and communication are practiced when the students need to cooperate for a common assignment;
- Minecraft for classroom has a vivid community of users which allows a permanent and fertile exchange of ideas, strategies and lesson plans;
And most important, kids love it! School stops to be a burden and becomes fun. There are no more language barriers between generations. Minecraft becomes a unique language that everybody understands and enjoys.
On the other side, there are also well argued cons, which state that using Minecraft in classrooms is just another gimmick. According to contesters, the tool not only fails to achieve the desired effect, but eventually damages the education process.
Let’s see a few of the opposition’s points:
- The software is not time or cost efficient. Instead of focusing on learning, teachers will spend time on setting up the technological logistics.
- Minecraft inhibits imagination in comparison with the classical teaching tools, like books. Students are provided with a visual design of the lesson and are not motivated anymore to create it by themselves, in their minds.
- The use of technology to facilitate group interaction and communication among students will just distance them from real face to face communication a more traditional group assignment would require;
- Using Minecraft in the classroom legitimizes the consumption of video games in general, which are highly addictive and dangerous for the physical and mental health of an individual.
Furthermore, you can help your children understand abstract information learned at school using this technology without the need to move further than the classical version.
While Minecraft can not replace traditional education and it is certainly not the ultimate universal method in alternative learning, using it in a smart way may lead to some memorable lessons. And who knows, maybe some students will never forget these lessons! As you can see, there are very good reasons why Minecraft ranks first in tops of the most popular video games of all times.
One of the versions of the video game is Minecraft: Education Edition launched in 2016, specially optimized for learning and designed to be user-friendly in educational institutions.
This version comes together with a companion application called Classroom Mode, meant to make the teacher-student communication smoother. Using the app teachers can set up the Minecraft world for a particular purpose, teleport students in it, give them constant guidelines and feedback.
More and more teachers are exploring this tool, either by using the models presented on the official website of the version or shared by fellow teachers across the Internet, or by creating from scratch their own lesson plans. On the other side, more conservative voices are contesting the benefits of learning through gamification and of Minecraft Classroom Mode in particular.
What is Minecraft?
Minecraft, currently owned by Microsoft, started as an idea of the Swedish developer Marcus Peerson and gained a lot of attention from the very beginning. Designed as a sandbox game, where the user is placed in an open world which he can explore and influence without limitations, the strengths of the project relied in its simple interface and the versatility of the resources available.In time, various modes of the game came to life, enabling different experiences of the Minecraft universe.
In Survival mode the user would need to gather resources through interaction with the environment and only after that use them for creation. He also needs to protect himself from monsters by building shelters, maintain his health while facing different natural dangers and find food to eat. Beyond constructing, the user can also use the resources to craft tools or weapons that will help him survive.
On the other side, in Creative mode, unlimited resources which can be instantly placed or removed are accessible from the start. This version allows creativity to flow without any restrictions or distractions. Also, it is a practice arena where users can develop structures that can then be reproduced in Survival mode.
How is Classroom Mode different from the classical game?
The Education version of Minecraft is not meant to make the gameplay different in any way. Its purpose was rather to encourage the use of the Creative Mode in an educational environment. Extra features were added to facilitate this goal: students may use Minecraft on their PCs from home without having to pay for their own copy, there are a bunch of new communication tools, a set of specialty blocks and some others.Classroom Mode, the companion application of this version, allows the teacher to step into the position of the gamemaster. He is enabled to take decisions that will affect the Minecraft environment for all his students like for example:
- Pause and resume the game;
- Enable or disable chat;
- Teleport all players around the world or drag and drop them individually;
- Affect the weather;
- Grant resources;
- Create non-player characters that act as guides.
How can Minecraft be used in education?
Like in the classical game, the only limit is the imagination. Basically any lesson can be represented in the sandbox of the block-building universe. Let’s see a few examples:- Students may get a visual image of history in a certain period by constructing themselves a regular city. They can be guided on how to build a fortress and its surroundings, they can cast characters learning about the various social classes and occupations, they can get a sense of proportions by assessing the density of a city;
- A math teacher can use Minecraft to create visualizations for basic algebraic operations. Fractions can be represented as gardens where students may choose what to plant and then play around with their crops.
- Other successful stories include reproducing famous historical buildings and assess their social functions, simulating natural disasters, create a glimpse of wildlife or representing organisms starting with the cell level.
Why is it so great?
- Gamification succeeds in keeping the attention of the students focused for longer periods of time;
- The visual interface brings a new level of understanding to otherwise abstract concepts;
- The game offers a pretext to develop story telling abilities, like for example when they are encouraged to write the biographies of their characters or a story plot that may occur in the scene they settled;
- The simple 3D interface develops creativity. They see a draft of the reality and are encouraged to imagine themselves the details;
- Teamwork and communication are practiced when the students need to cooperate for a common assignment;
- Minecraft for classroom has a vivid community of users which allows a permanent and fertile exchange of ideas, strategies and lesson plans;
And most important, kids love it! School stops to be a burden and becomes fun. There are no more language barriers between generations. Minecraft becomes a unique language that everybody understands and enjoys.
Is the Classroom Mode for Minecraft just a gimmick?
On the other side, there are also well argued cons, which state that using Minecraft in classrooms is just another gimmick. According to contesters, the tool not only fails to achieve the desired effect, but eventually damages the education process.Let’s see a few of the opposition’s points:
- The software is not time or cost efficient. Instead of focusing on learning, teachers will spend time on setting up the technological logistics.
- Minecraft inhibits imagination in comparison with the classical teaching tools, like books. Students are provided with a visual design of the lesson and are not motivated anymore to create it by themselves, in their minds.
- The use of technology to facilitate group interaction and communication among students will just distance them from real face to face communication a more traditional group assignment would require;
- Using Minecraft in the classroom legitimizes the consumption of video games in general, which are highly addictive and dangerous for the physical and mental health of an individual.
Is Classroom Mode for Minecraft useful outside a classroom?
Furthermore, you can help your children understand abstract information learned at school using this technology without the need to move further than the classical version.
While Minecraft can not replace traditional education and it is certainly not the ultimate universal method in alternative learning, using it in a smart way may lead to some memorable lessons. And who knows, maybe some students will never forget these lessons! As you can see, there are very good reasons why Minecraft ranks first in tops of the most popular video games of all times.
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A student of life and probably for life. She likes putting theory into practice and to challenge norms. Currently on a mission to understand human behavior and interaction. Always on the lookout for the next challenge.