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Eric.ed.gov – Build Engagement and Knowledge One Block at a Time with Minecraft

eric.ed.gov har udgivet: The core of instruction is the interaction between the student, the content, and the teacher. Good instructional design accounts for the students’ needs and interests by personalizing the core to each student. Video games and simulations are one way to meet student needs and leverage their interests for increased student learning. In the 2011-12 school year, eighth grade students at Monroe Middle School in Eugene, Oregon, USA, participated in a pilot class that featured the popular online game Minecraft (minecraft.net). The project clarified for the author the question of how video games can be a tool for learning. It also brought into stark relief the misconceptions many career educators have regarding gaming in education. Peter Tromba, formerly a science, math, and computer teacher before becoming a middle… Continue Reading

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Eric.ed.gov – “Minecraft,” Teachers, Parents, and Learning: What They Need to Know and Understand

eric.ed.gov har udgivet: This article explores six effective principles for teachers to use to understand and apply “Minecraft” in today’s classrooms. Video games have become one of the fastest growing forms of media for youth and adult consumers. “Minecraft,” a multiplayer online game (MOG), is one of the most popular video games to date. By allowing its players to build simulated, virtual worlds, “Minecraft” aims to foster creativity, control, and imagination. Yet while the affordances of playing “Minecraft” spark collaborative learning, critical thinking, and problem-solving skills among youth, one constraint still remains: there appears to be a disconnect between some teachers’ and parents’ understandings about the “Minecraft” world’s mechanisms, uses, and benefits. Due to the success of “Minecraft” in the digital era and in some schools, studying this game is… Continue Reading