Minecraft Education Edition launched!

Realizing the potential of Minecraft for education, as it is basically an imaginative game, Microsoft has recently launched a version of the game for education purpose. The game will have tools to support teachers with lessons in class, and every students will be able to make an account just for this edition. This version has been in development since January, and now the game is available on both Windows 10 and MacOS.

It is reasonable to think that there will be major differences between this edition and the original game. However, Minecraft Education Edition is not that much different from the original Minecraft. There will be just some extra tools that will provide big help for teachers – namely a tool to see where the students are on the map, and the ability to give students different resources. It is now also possible to teleport people to different locations in a map. There will also be some minor extra in-game items.

One notable aspect is that, although the worlds and lesson plans can be collected on this version’s website, Microsoft will not be the one to make these. It will be up to the teachers to create the lesson plans and the appropriate worlds to go with it. That can be a problem, because creating a world in Minecraft takes a very long time, even for long-time players. The success of this edition depends entirely on the community of teachers, and Microsoft has to find a way help them with world creation, or at least a way to motivate them.

Minecraft Education Edition: A new way to teach?

With the intention of broadening students’ imagination, Minecraft Education Edition holds great potential. It can create a whole new way for teachers to interact with students, and new ways to teach and learn. However, there are problems that Microsoft have to deal with. The game is already available for schools, or $5 per student for one year subscription.