Jason Lane, a Minecraft: Education Edition Global Mentor and pedagogy leader, shares some insights into the benefits of using Minecraft Education Edition in schools and how to overcome possible barriers.

How Minecraft became educated.

Minecraft (Mojang or Java version) started life as a game, not an education tool. While some schools tried to adapt it for the classroom, it was missing educator controls to help students learn as they interacted with this virtual world. So, Microsoft and Minecraft partnered to create Minecraft Education Edition.
Schools across Australia and New Zealand are using Minecraft Education Edition for a range of studies and to support theoretical and practical learning. It has been adopted by the Victorian Department of Education and all public schools have access to it.

About Jason

Jason Lane is a Junior, Middle and Senior Schools eLearning Pedagogy Leader at Villanova College in Queensland – a longstanding JB Hi-Fi Education customer. He is also a Minecraft champion, Microsoft Innovative Educator Expert, Adobe Education Leader and has co-hosted JB Hi-Fi Education Esports webinars demonstrating the platform for educators.

From curious parent and teacher to mentor.

As a parent, Jason believes we need a greater understanding of the activities our children participate in and the gaming platforms they use.

“I was just interested as a parent with young children who love games and gaming. I wanted to understand their world.”

As an art teacher, he saw a lack of learning experiences in art and design.

“I wanted students to experience art and design language and vocab in a different way.”

The Global Mentor role includes working to build the platform alongside the greater education community, supporting teachers and developing curriculum learning opportunities using technologies such as augmented reality.

“Minecraft encouraged me to create more worlds and experiences that are based on religious education curriculum, art and design, experiences based on novels … and it just kind of grew from there.”

JB Hi-Fi Education is a proud supporter of gaming and esports in education. We can help your school embrace 21st century learning with a comprehensive range of devices and accessories, lesson plans, as well as the technical support of an experienced team of education technology specialists.

Experiential learning – engaging students and educators.

Minecraft Education Edition allows teachers to create worlds and narratives – guided or open – that engage and motivate students. Students, ideally in years 5 to 8, can easily engage in these interactive worlds and express what they learn, often more effectively than in traditional textbook learning.

“This is a very experiential way of learning … that can engage students who don’t get engaged through traditional means.”

From wandering ancient lands to conducting virtual science experiments, Minecraft Education Edition can be used to engage students deeply in narratives and in learning. Students can record their progress using the documentation, photo and notes features of the platform. Educators can create structures and activities for evaluation.

“You’re creating a textbook that students can walk through, or a textbook that students can choose their own path through in some cases … as long as it’s given context and learning objectives.”

The interaction and networking are totally secure, and educators and parents alike can assist students with the support of detailed in-game help functions.

Tips for success.

Jason acknowledges that there can still be some resistance to Minecraft in schools – some parents may see it is as ‘playing games’ and some educators may lack confidence in using the program - so here are some tips for success:

Communicate
Let parents know how Minecraft will be used and the benefits for learning – start a blog or newsletter to educate and involve parents.

Confidentiality
Assure parents that Minecraft is secure and does not collect their child’s data.

Tools
Ensure educators have the devices they need to easily facilitate the program.

Trial
Start with face-to-face classroom implementation so that educators can learn, control and pause the experience.

“If you can share the learning with parents… you can break down some of those barriers.”

The Villanova College experience.

At Villanova College, Minecraft Education Edition is used in a range of learning activities, such as:

• creating artworks within Minecraft that educators can assess
• creating augmented reality education spaces, such as outdoor recreation gyms and reading courtyards
• prototyping ‘green robots’ that clean the environment to imagine a more sustainable future
• using the built-in Library lessons to teach numeracy, literacy and history
• exploring historical simulations of Egypt and Israel as writing prompts
• play-based esports and building challenges

Where to start?

“Go straight to the Education Edition website. There are major menu items in there for teachers, parents, for students, and there’s even an Esports category.”

Jason recommends taking advantage of the information and support available – for parents and educators - on the Minecraft website.

The website has dedicated sections that support the needs of educators, parents and students.

There is also advice for schools and teachers about how to introduce Minecraft into your school or how to use it as a first-time teacher.

Get in touch if you’d like to find out more, or login to our Education Portal to start browsing our wide range of education gaming products from world-leading brands.