A new creative learning option?

I had never heard of Minecraft Education before the presentation from Kara Dawson. From her explanation, it sounds like an interesting tool that could help a lot of students learn and participate in class content. I do not foresee the appeal of video games being lost to future generations anytime soon, so instead of trying to avoid video games in a classroom, the concept of integrating it with the curriculum is definitely intriguing. 

I am used to seeing gamified learning apps in schools, specifically with younger years. The grade 4 class I volunteered with last year loved a math app that they got to battle each other through solving equations based on their competency level. Beyond that, I have not encountered many learning apps that are not based in learning mathematics, so seeing all the different subjects available through Minecraft Education was super encouraging. I assume students would love using Minecraft in school and be more engaged than with traditional work. I think there is also lots of room for collaboration and creativity within the Minecraft world, those were my favourite aspects as a kid! 

Realistically, when I think about how to implement this in a classroom, I think I would have to know more about how to limit distractions within the game. I think those unfamiliar with Minecraft are more likely to stay on task than those who are actively playing since they would know so many more of the opportunities the game supports. I wonder if having only part of something you enjoy (i.e. the game as it relates to school subjects and not to slaying the ender dragon or battling other players) is more discouraging than not. I don’t know if I would enjoy a toned down version of something I love… I don’t think I could read a book I love with my favourite parts removed. Also, I am not sure how assessment works in Minecraft Education. How can teachers gain formative assessment as they can with other hands-on, gamified subjects. If Minecraft Education had a way to report back I would be curious how it gauges student work. 

Although there is much more to explore about Minecraft Education, I do think I can reasonably see it being incorporated somehow in my future classroom. I was thinking that it would be a cool medium to use to create a visual of something. My education had me creating dioramas as a young student, but I think Minecraft could definitely be used to creatively show moments in books or other concepts. I think that would be easy enough to assess as it is somewhat product focused like a diorama. Anyway, lots to consider and think about when it comes to gamified learning. I am excited to meet with more educators along my journey and see why they may or may not use tools like Minecraft Education.