Minecraft Classroom

In 2013, I heard that other teachers were using MinecraftEDU in their classes as a tool for students to do almost any kind of project, from building, to inventing, to writing and video editing. I decided to learn and it was definitely a challenge!

I had another reason for using the program. I noticed that in my diverse population of students, I would assign a project and some students would go home and have lots of parent help, their family would sometimes go to great expense to buy materials and they might spend hours working together on the project. This was great for some families, but for others it was a challenge, and for some students whose families did not have the structure or financial means, it meant that they might be limited in their options for projects. I agonized over this with them, because many times I couldn't find the materials to give them and I was spending tons of my own money buying materials for those who couldn't. Something had to give!

MinecraftEDU leveled the playing field more so than any other tool I had ever used. Some students had prior knowledge of the game, but instead of creating a gap between projects, they were actually able to use their knowledge to work cooperatively with other students. The others quickly picked up skills they needed, just by playing alongside students who already knew the ropes. This included me because I started out as a "total nube" and over time I built up my skills as well.

All these years later, Minecraft has become a thread in the tapestry of our school. It has inspired myself and all my students to become tech-saavy. We now have expanded into Google Classroom, TinkerCAD, LittleBits, Sphero Robotics, and 3-D Printing. We are almost paper-free except for our writing journals, printing and special materials for projects not done on computer. We use blogging (actually, that was the beginning of our journey with technology, and my classroom blog began 9+ years ago. We also have been blessed with a class of 21 computers, which allows everyone, including myself to be in MinecraftEDU at the same time. This could not have happened without venturing out into the world of technology and then showing a need, which was thankfully filled by our district IT dept.

There are some non-negotiables in using the program in a school setting:

• The teacher absolutely must be in the game with students 75-100% of the time. Students have to have structure and constant monitoring when playing on the computer together. This is paramount to safety and success of the program.
• Students need input in every part of their world. They need to help decide what the projects will be, what rules need to be set up and they need to help hold each other accountable.
• Other things will arise according to your demographics, school culture and unknown variables that may need you to be incredibly flexible and understanding. Some students have no concept of cyber-ettiquette and this needs to be a learning situation instead of a gotcha when they make mistakes.

I am so grateful and blessed to have been given the opportunity to use these tools with my students. I feel our classroom is truly unique and a wonderful place to begin life-long-learning. If you have questions about something we can help you with, please contact me at vanessa.brower@ectorcountyisd.org and I would love to help you!

Vanessa Brower

Scholars in Progress Teacher

LBJ Elementary

Odessa, Texas