Microsoft launching a site on helping teachers master ‘Minecraft’

[TwistedDictator]

Minecraft has been recognised to be an invaluable tool for educators and students. With the game being very popular with all age groups, the game is open, customisable, which can be used for all sorts of things including education. We have seen many YouTube videos in the past, such as learning how to code in Minecraft, users creating a real city in Minecraft, or even art. Tech Giant Microsoft has identified this, so they launched a new portal where teachers can discuss the game and share classroom resources.

The full site isn’t just their yet, but trailer give you an idea of what Microsoft is aiming for. It is obvious that the company sees its $2.5 billion acquisition as more than just a game with a guaranteed smash-hit sequel.

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Microsoft has been making some big changes over the past few months. I guess Microsoft make a good purchase with Minecraft, I can see them doing making Minecraft bigger.

[mr.skyrim_pc]

Education...Minecraft.....lol

[werto165]

Education...Minecraft.....lol

It's not as absurd as it seems, I mean you can learn lua programming in it with the right mods. Controlling and automating your own little miners for your own gain.

[mr.skyrim_pc]

It's not as absurd as it seems, I mean you can learn lua programming in it with the right mods. Controlling and automating your own little miners for your own gain.

Seems like a stretch, why not just learn programming instead of wasting time at school.

[spartaman64]

Seems like a stretch, why not just learn programming instead of wasting time at school.

its more interesting to learn things that way than being handed a text book

[SkywardKkalox]

Seems like an interesting way of learning, sign me up!

[Camul]

Seems like a stretch, why not just learn programming instead of wasting time at school.

 

I assume that it's more of a way to get kids or maybe other people interested in learning programming.

[dalekphalm]

Education...Minecraft.....lol

You have no idea... Minecraft is THE big thing in Education here. Not only can you learn things like Logic and the basis of programming, but you can also have life-sized electrical circuits that teach basic AC/DC theory.

 

Furthermore, you can integrate it with any class in school, History (take a virtual tour of medieval Forbidden City in China), Geography, etc.

 

http://minecraft.gamepedia.com/Minecraft_in_education

Just a few examples of the possibilities.

 

Hell, there's even a specific variant of the game designed for Education. Meet, MinecraftEdu:

http://minecraftedu.com/

[evilarceus]

I swear someone's going to make a petition at my school when this comes out (cause that's the shit that goes down at my school )

 

Thing is though, how much will it cost? My school's saving up money for a gym sooo shit. Unless they use their money whore strategy

Overall, I think this is a great program. People may not think Minecraft is educational, but it can be for architecture, electricity (kinda) and much, much more with mods. I can't think of the possibilities this can create. Now all they need to do is make this program for the HoloLens, that would be cool as fuck.

[dalekphalm]

I swear someone's going to make a petition at my school when this comes out (cause that's the shit that goes down at my school )

 

Thing is though, how much will it cost? My school's saving up money for a gym sooo shit. Unless they use their money whore strategy

Overall, I think this is a great program. People may not think Minecraft is educational, but it can be for architecture, electricity (kinda) and much, much more with mods. I can't think of the possibilities this can create. Now all they need to do is make this program for the HoloLens, that would be cool as fuck.

Education + Minecraft is actually one of the few practical applications of the Hololens... Not that many schools will event be able to afford a full class set of them.

[MajorVegas]

Ridiculous and stupid. I love it. 

 

 

Kidding aside microsoft is probably doing this to get Tax refunds 

[Yog]

Well, I'm glad Minecraft is being used for something after Microsoft killed it.

[YellowDragon]

It's not as absurd as it seems, I mean you can learn lua programming in it with the right mods. Controlling and automating your own little miners for your own gain.

 

its more interesting to learn things that way than being handed a text book

 

To be honest and this will sound cynical, but I think if you need a game to draw people to learning programming then your doing it wrong. If they need a game to hold their attention span then they will not like programming, those who would be interested would have already picked up a book or googled it.

 

Instant gradification is not a way to draw people to programming, might as well lie straight to their faces as even the most basic programs take alot of effort, time and patience, which unfortunately a lot of people simple do not have, or dont have the willpower to engage in.

[Yoinkerman]

To be honest and this will sound cynical, but I think if you need a game to draw people to learning programming then your doing it wrong. If they need a game to hold their attention span then they will not like programming, those who would be interested would have already picked up a book or googled it.

 

Instant gradification is not a way to draw people to programming, might as well lie straight to their faces as even the most basic programs take alot of effort, time and patience, which unfortunately a lot of people simple do not have, or dont have the willpower to engage in.

 

You don't teach 10 year olds programming theory by making them write lines of code.  That's daft.

[dalekphalm]

To be honest and this will sound cynical, but I think if you need a game to draw people to learning programming then your doing it wrong. If they need a game to hold their attention span then they will not like programming, those who would be interested would have already picked up a book or googled it.

 

Instant gradification is not a way to draw people to programming, might as well lie straight to their faces as even the most basic programs take alot of effort, time and patience, which unfortunately a lot of people simple do not have, or dont have the willpower to engage in.

 

 

You don't teach 10 year olds programming theory by making them write lines of code.  That's daft.

Not to mention that people who play Minecraft generally have incredibly long attention spans. They usually become utterly engrossed in the world. Working in Minecraft takes a lot of effort, time, and patience. Oh wait... those are the same things needed to learn coding

[Albatross]

I wonder when the new game fad will come and replace this one.

 

Anyways, if it can help teach someone something, then I say great!

[The Great Sayain Man]

Seems like a stretch, why not just learn programming instead of wasting time at school.

There are folks unlike you and me that cannot learn through traditional means. You'll be suprised how much Minecraft can help people with a mental disorder to interact and socialize with others and just generally learn all kinds of stuff I could not have learnt in school. 

[YellowDragon]

You don't teach 10 year olds programming theory by making them write lines of code.  That's daft.

Hmm I started at 8, Dad threw an old commodore at me and a Commodore users guide and said go at. To learn programming and theory you have to look at code, using pictures, diagrams and other tools cant get you very far.

 

The only real educational use I see minecraft as being is showing the concept of logic gates as minecraft does do a decent representation of boolean logic with redstone. That or actually moding minecraft using java programming would be a better

[kuddlesworth9419]

its more interesting to learn things that way than being handed a text book

Yea but Minecraft is limited in which code you can elarn. You will be better off in the long run just learning from a textbook. 

[dalekphalm]

Hmm I started at 8, Dad threw an old commodore at me and a Commodore users guide and said go at. To learn programming and theory you have to look at code, using pictures, diagrams and other tools cant get you very far.

 

The only real educational use I see minecraft as being is showing the concept of logic gates as minecraft does do a decent representation of boolean logic with redstone. That or actually moding minecraft using java programming would be a better

Your narrow and limited view on this matter is quite restrictive. Teachers are using Minecraft as a teaching resource RIGHT NOW all across the world. Whether you choose to believe that is irrelevant, as it's happening, and they are seeing wide success.

 

Not to mention, your dad throwing you a Commodore at 8 years old is highly atypical. Certainly, some kids can learn coding in that fashion. Most will not. Even ones that go on to become successful programmers. What if you had a Dad that had no interest in Programming or computers and didn't even own a Commodore? Your situation in that regard is quite unique.

 

 

Yea but Minecraft is limited in which code you can elarn. You will be better off in the long run just learning from a textbook. 

I'm quite confused by this comment. Minecraft is not meant as a replacement to traditional code learning, but rather as a precursor or supplement. MOST people don't even start learning coding until they are in high school (14-ish).

[Yog]

The only real educational use I see minecraft as being is showing the concept of logic gates as minecraft does do a decent representation of boolean logic with redstone. That or actually moding minecraft using java programming would be a better

There's a minecraft mod called computercraft that creates little programmable robots. To use them you need to write in lua...the creator has made them fairly easy to get into but if you're a decent programmer you can get them to do some pretty cool stuff. The same mod has functional computers and monitors, also controlled using lua...it's been a while since I've played the game so maybe the mod has even more stuff now.

 

Plus, education isn't just programming, if you're a half decent teacher you can relate a lot of the game content to real life and teach the kids about that stuff...really when I think about it the stuff I've learned that has stuck with me the most are things I've seen in a game, wondered about, and studied in real life.

[TheMidnightNarwhal]

You don't teach 10 year olds programming theory by making them write lines of code. That's daft.

You don't teach 10 years old programming at all lol.

[dalekphalm]

You don't teach 10 years old programming at all lol.

You'd be surprised. Some people have learned coding at even younger ages.

 

Though to be fair, for the average kid, you're right. Most people that will learn programming won't learn it until they're 14-16 or so.

[Bsmith]

Seems like a stretch, why not just learn programming instead of wasting time at school.

learning stuff through playing works much better then learning through reading text and following it's example's.

[Bsmith]

You don't teach 10 years old programming at all lol.

 

I would like to remind of you of the fact that there are hackers that started at 10y old with playing around with code.

 

my personal example:

Jake Davis aka topiary from lulzsec was 14y old when he started playing around with code and a few years later he defaced government sites and got into things like the first sony hack and even US government sites.