Minecraft to launch an education edition By Leo Kelion Technology desk editor
19 January 2016
An "education edition" of Minecraft is scheduled to be released by Microsoft.
Teachers will discover new ways to utilize this world-building game in a variety of areas.
In 2014, Microsoft paid $2.5bn (PS1.8bn) for Mojang, Minecraft’s Swedish creator. In the last quarter of 2014 it purchased the four-year-old MinecraftEdu version of the game from Finnish-based independent developer TeacherGaming.
It's promising to add features however schools could face additional expenses.
It is believed that Minecraft is used in more than 7,000 classrooms across the globe.
"Teachers are using Minecraft for a variety of reasons," Anthony Salcito (Microsoft's vice president of global education), told the BBC.
"Once we make it easier for schools to use and access the tools, I think you'll see that the number of classrooms] will increase quite rapidly."
Camera in game
MinecraftEdu already gives teachers the ability to edit content and access a library of educational-themed resources.
SOULDEVTEAM
Microsoft is promising to improve user experience:
Allowing characters created by children to maintain their unique characteristics between sessions
Allowing pupils to allow them to take "photos" of themselves using an in-game camera and then saving them in an online journal with their notes. They can then serve as a guide for other children or be used by teachers to assess their progress.
allowing children to download programs that allow them to continue playing the educational version of Minecraft outside of school, without the need to purchase their own copy of the game
To use the service, teachers and children each need their own Office 365 ID, which can also be used to grant access to Microsoft's cloud-based productivity program.
Microsoft claims that this will allow teachers to reduce the number of online accounts that they have to manage.
It may also help the company in promoting its word processing, file sharing, and email apps over other platforms like Google and others.
Microsoft plans to charge an annual fee of $5 (PS3.50) for each teacher and child.
It could cost more than the current basic setup, which is $14 plus $41 for server software.
Deirdre Qarnstrom, director for Minecraft education, said that "we believe we are adding value".
"On on top of having a persistent identity, players will also have access to the most current version of the game.
"MinecraftEdu was, along with other Minecraft mods. This was due to the nature of the development process.
"We are also replacing the need for schools to have and maintain separate servers hardware."
Virtual Shakespeare
The new features were well-loved by Leigh Wolmarans, the head teacher at Lings Primary School in Northampton.
The school uses MinecraftEdu to teach students about A Midsummer Night's Dream by asking students to create a production of Shakespeare's work within the game.
However, he added that teachers should be aware the software was not without its limitations.
He also said that technology can be utilized to achieve exceptional learning but that it should be used in conjunction with other tools.
"If all you're doing is sitting them down and allowing them to play Shakespeare through Minecraft you are doing something wrong.
"Dance, art, drama and music remain the most effective ways to educate kids.
"But technology can also be added to that as an additional tool."
Microsoft has announced that it will allow teachers to begin "beta-testing" Minecraft's education edition at some point "in the summer" without cost, ahead of the official rollout.
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Minecraft lessons in schools
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Minecraft
MinecraftEdu
Lings Primary School
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