The MCSD IT Department will make the Minecraft Education Edition available on student Chromebooks over the Winter break. This is a special version built by Microsoft and focuses students on shorter-duration worlds and learning.
The app, currently blocked on Chromebooks, will be enabled at 3:00 pm on December 21 so that it can be downloaded at school on the 22nd. Over the years, this application has proven to be an excellent tool that complements student learning.
Many parents have heard of Minecraft, and some of you may have even played it yourself.
This simple, little pixelated strategy game was first released in 2009 (more fully in 2011), and is widely recognized as the best-selling video game of all time. As of 2021, more than 238 million copies have been sold, and it boasts more than 140 million active players per month.
In Minecraft, players explore a blocky, procedurally generated 3D world with infinite terrain while extracting raw materials, tools, and items used to build structures and machines. Competitive elements and strategies are embedded in the game that fosters and develop learning skills.
According to this 2016 BBC News Report, more than 7,000 classrooms worldwide were using Minecraft in some form at that time. It’s only grown since then, and children love it because they can write their own stories, team up with friends, and safely build an endless list of things. But here are 10 additional things kids get from Minecraft:
- Develops General Problem-Solving Skills
- Supports Reading and Writing Skills
- Promotes Curiosity and Exploration
- Helps Kids Solve Math Problems
- Teaches Resource Management
- Encourages the Concept of Teamwork
- Teaches Children About History
- Improves Creative and Imagination
- Instructs on the Basics of Computer Coding
- Simulates Future Work Environments
Minecraft will be uninstalled at the end of the winter break so that the focus returns to classroom use for the students’ Chromebooks.
