In today’s class we were joined by a teacher from Colquitz Middle School and several of her students. They showed us how Minecraft can be used in schools as a way of enhancing students’ learning experiences and engaging classes that are hard to keep focused.

I was very skeptical of using Minecraft at first, but after the presentation, I understand why this teacher is so passionate about educational Minecraft. Traditional Minecraft has two modes (survival and creative), whereas EduMinecraft is a blend of the two and allows the teacher to control the students’ settings and controls. Through this program, teachers can teach math, language arts, science, history and culture, computer science, and art and design.

Here is a link to a website that provides Minecraft lessons plans for each of these subjects https://education.minecraft.net/class-resources/lessons/

Despite the clear benefits that Minecraft can have in an educational setting, I would still hesitate to implement this sort of technology in my own classroom because of its association with video games and its addictive aspect. In today’s world, children are surrounded by screens so often that it is important for them to learn to navigate technology; however, it is also important that they be taught ways to learn and entertain themselves without technology. For this reason, I’m not sure it would be my first choice as an educational tool, but I am happy to now have it in my tool belt in case I ever change my mind.