Minecraft: Education Edition is a special educational edition of the famous block-based game Minecraft. The Minecraft: Education Edition builds on the creativity of the original game to help enhance learning in virtually any subject area. From math to science to history to the Roman Colosseum, students can discover, create, experiment, and make mistakes during the learning process.
When combined with added teacher controls, the combination of an open-world game and the demonstration of higher-order thinking opens up greater levels of engagement among students. Students are able to showcase their knowledge and collaborate in an open, familiar setting, where they feel comfortable taking risks. Minecraft: Education Edition is suitable for students of all ages and classes. Many institutions have utilized Minecraft to provide virtual tours and orientation groups, as well as to help new students integrate digitally during remote learning periods.
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What is Minecraft: Education Edition?
The game Minecraft offers virtual design controls and block-based visuals, and it can be used to create virtual worlds where its players can play as a character and explore freely. There are a lot more sub-games, but we’ll simply focus only on Education Edition options. Over the normal edition, the Minecraft: Education Edition adds specific tools for educators that allow them to govern the virtual environment their students are in. This provides a comfortable environment, allows the instructor to keep students engaged on a topic, and allows for discussions. This game works on a wide range of devices, including laptops, computers, Chromebooks, and tablets. It’s a wonderful idea to provide a virtual world that doesn’t rely on a network connection.
What Makes Minecraft: Education Edition a Good Choice for Students?
It’s no wonder game-based learning is popular among educators. Minecraft is played by students all over the world, with the Education Edition being played in over 115 countries. Because it has a game element, it makes it immediately interesting and engaging for students.
The game creates project-based abilities and allows students to work on problem-solving topics independently or collectively. As a consequence, STEM learning takes place in an atmosphere that develops both digital citizenship and real-world confidence.
This enhances learning and assessment since students can capture a screenshot at any moment during or after the project activity and give it to the teacher for review. It’s also a good approach for students to start building a portfolio of their work.
There is even a Code Builder mode that allows students to learn coding while they play the game. Students can use code for chemistry experiments, and a biome underwater allows students to learn oceanography.
What Makes Minecraft: Education Edition a Good Choice for Teachers?
Teachers may experience the benefits of participating in a community with other teachers using Minecraft: Education Edition. There is a lot to do, from engaging in group discussions to collaborating with other institutions. The website provides a variety of tools teachers can use to learn how to use it. Teachers can watch tutorial videos, download lesson plans, and other materials to aid in learning. Mentors, trainers, and other instructors are available on the site to help them.
Through the Classroom mode, teachers can see a map of the virtual world and zoom in and out to engage with their students. They can also bring a wandering student avatar back to their proper location.
Teachers may also utilize chalkboards to write out tasks and objectives to students, just like they would in the real world. Teachers may also make non-playable characters that function as guides, guiding students from one activity to the next.
How much does Minecraft: Education Edition will cost you?
While the idea of an infinite world backed by a plethora of education-focused tools that kids genuinely want to use seems costly, in reality, it’s not.
There are two alternative pricing options in Minecraft: Education Edition –
1. There is a $5 per user per year price for a small, single-class school.
2. Microsoft offers volume licenses for schools with more than 100 students and several classrooms that want to use the game. This is included in the Microsoft Enrollment for Education Solutions program, and charges vary based on the size of the institution and the plan selected.
Furthermore, hardware must be kept in mind. Minecraft can be run on almost all laptops, PCs, and tablets. The game does not require high system requirements to run.
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