Minecraft Education Edition: A glimpse at the future of teaching [For an Assignment!]

How I Use It

Utilizing Minecraft Education Edition, just like any game, is a difficult task primarily due to the ability to keep students on track. Ironically, teaching using a game often requires similar knowledge and skills as when designing a game, particularly when it comes to objectives, goals, and predicting and guiding player/student behavior. What I mean by this, is when using Minecraft to teach, students might get distracted, or focus too much on the game and too little on what they are actually learning. Good game designers "trick" their players into "wasting their time," by actively engaging them, and distracting them from the idea that their time is being "wasted." What this means, is a good game engages its players by diverting focus from monotonous tasks, and instead recontextualizes them in a way that makes them enjoyable. This is precisely what a good teacher needs to do as well, especially when using a game to teach. It is essential to predict how students will behave, and utilize that assumption of behavior to design an experience that creates a better learning environment.