Minecraft: Education Edition Using In-Game Virtual Worlds to Teach SEL Skills, Expand Girls’ & MS
Minecraft: Education Edition Using In-Game Virtual Worlds to Teach SEL Skills, Expand Girls’ & MS
Minecraft: Education Edition Using In-Game Virtual Worlds to Teach SEL Skills, Expand Girls’ & MS Students’ Interest in STEM During Pandemic
By Tim Newcomb
September 27, 2020
Summary
Though the coronavirus is twisting the education landscape, students have entire worlds where they can go to interact with their teachers and classmates, unhindered by the pandemic.
Those worlds are ever-changing, created by students and teachers alike within Minecraft: Education Edition.
Now, Minecraft is expanding to increase student interest in STEM and to support social-emotional connections.
"If we can create the same interest and engagement in coding or fractions , then we have helped educators out," says Deirdre Quarnstrom, general manager of Minecraft: Education Edition, "And students can follow their own curiosity and lessons instead of having to wait for a teacher."
"Teachers can reach all learners and use Minecraft as a tool in STEM and for social-emotional learning, giving students that social connection they are missing," Quarnstrom says.
Along with additional instruction, training and guides to support students and teachers from home, the company built new sets of lesson kits designed so that teachers could assign shorter activities for groups of students to work on together.
In June, the New York City Public Schools offered a Minecraft challenge, inviting students to virtually create a sustainable version of their park and then submit their work.
As remote learning became a necessity for students at all income levels, Microsoft made Minecraft: Education Edition available for Chromebooks for the first time.
"Our design and goal is to make the education edition available to as many educators and students as possible," says Quarnstrom.
"We are hearing questions about equity in education and technology, so we had additional urgency to get this out. For schools already using Chromebooks or a mix of Chromebooks with other devices, we want to make it available so there are not issues of students not having access."
Reference
Newcomb, T. (2020, September 27). Minecraft: Education Edition Using In-Game Virtual Worlds to Teach SEL Skills, Expand Girls' & MS Students' Interest in STEM During Pandemic. Retrieved October 01, 2020, from https://www.the74million.org/article/minecraft-education-edition-using-in-game-virtual-worlds-to-teach-sel-skills-expand-girls-ms-students-interest-in-stem-during-pandemic/