IN THE CLASSROOM
Others are dreaming up ways to harness the popularity of Minecraft in the classroom.
Joel Levin, a computer teacher at a primary school in Manhattan, co-founded a company a couple of years ago called TeacherGaming that has taken Minecraft and adapted it so it can be used by teachers in the classroom. They call their customized interface
MinecraftEdu.
Teachers are drawn to the game because it taps into something kids are into anyway -- games -- and brings lessons to life by making it hands-on.
Some teachers, for example, are using the game to pre-build virtual ancient worlds and then assigning students to work in groups to complete quests, such as fortify a village against marauders. Not only do the kids learn to work together and problem solve, they also pick up a few history lessons about ancient urban planning and warfare along the way without even realizing it.
Other teachers are downloading Minecraft teaching mods to set up experiments to teach students about gravity, velocity and other forms of physics. Still others have created giant models of animal cells, to teach biology.
Matthew Oldridge, who teaches math in the Peel District School Boards, uses Minecraft with his Grade 6 class to teach linear and volume measurement. He says the game is a natural fit.
"Provided the learning goal is strong, and the math concept behind it is strong, it will work," he
told CTV Toronto's Naomi Parness earlier this year.
Sara Grimes, with the University of Toronto's Faculty of Information who researches children's digital media culture, says using Minecraft and other video games in the classroom can help get students excited about what they're learning.
"It presents an exciting opportunity to get kids engaged in a way that other more traditional means don't always achieve," she said.
READING
Even school librarians are embracing Minecraft. The children’s book publisher Scholastic recently released three new Minecraft illustrated books that librarians report they can’t keep on the shelves.
The books, aimed at kids in Grades 3 through 7, have already sold more than 6 million copies combined since their release in November and now Scholastic is aiming to release another later this month. The books not only appeal and fascinate children, they encourage kids to become better readers so they can learn more tricks to get ahead in Minecraft.
One Grade 2 teacher, Elizabeth Madarang, told the Associated Press that she ordered the Minecraft books for her classroom after her students kept referring to the game in their writing reports.
“I definitely see Minecraft manuals encouraging students to read,” Madarang said. “They use critical reading and analytical skills, then apply their new learning to their Minecraft games.”
