Minecraft in the classroom

[Hulababy]

We are looking at getting the Minecraft Pocket Edition app for our school iPads.

However, in addition to just using it as part of the children's free choice/iPad games club time I want to explore ideas of how to use Minecraft in the classroom.

I have started some online research and putting together some ideas.

However I did wonder if anyone here uses Minecraft in their classrooms, or their children use Minecraft at school. And if so, could you share ideas of how you/they use it?

We are an infant school - so EYFS to Year 2 - though I am initially invisaging this being more a year 2 thing.

TIA

We don't have Minecraft at home yet (I expect we will at some point).
So I wouldn't mind if they wanted to use it at my son's school for educational purposes.

He doesn't spend far too much time playing computer games at home. And we have rules about it to limit screen time to weekends and school holidays. I guess I could say I'm lucky that he still spends his time after school doing other things rather than hooked to a computer game. We still get books and toys requests for Christmas and birthdays.

But I expect that might change with time. He is only 6 (Y1). And knows about Minecraft (more than me!) because he's seen his older cousins playing it in their tablets and has played it at their house whenever we visit them.

My issue is more with the fact that they get free time on the iPads and during that time they can play minecraft. I would really not be happy about that at all. Mine are 9 and 7 (nearly 8 and 10) and we have only just got minecraft. It is completely addictive (even though its shite) and they'd spend all day on it if they could. We limit their time and they are only allowed an hour on each weekend day. No computer games time during the week at all.

I do NOT want my children having free iPad time during school hours during which they can play minecraft. I'd be up at the school like a shot. If they're doing mathletics or conquer maths or something (i.e maths but on the computers then that's fine). Playing computer games like minecraft during school time - even during breaks - is not fine at all.

If you were trying to engage with a specific child or group of children and you were looking for one of their existing interests (i.e. they already use Minecraft at home) as a hook, then I could understand the value of using it. To introduce it however, then try and create educational value from it, seems to be a retrograde step. It is a very addictive game and given a choice, I would definitely choose something else. As a parent I would be extremely unhappy if it was introduced into lessons.

I'd be a bit annoyed, if out of all things, Minecraft was chosen as a tool in schools. My kids love it, I'm happy with it and am known to play it too! But imo school should be about expanding their outlook. They love using computers at school, they come back with new ideas, new programmes they want to look at. Scratch was a great success and they now like doing that at home. We'd never have found that by ourselves. They like to make power points which i'd never have thought to teach them.

Using Minecraft at school seems like a cop out tbh.

Oh I'd missed grassroot's comments. I agree to engage a specific group of children it could be useful if they were finding one particular concept challenging but not as general learning tool.

Nope not hidden away school. But also not a school where every child has home access to lots of computer and gaming devices.
But then my own daughter hasn't ever used Kinecraft eother.

Free iPad time would be possibly 10 minutes as part of golden time in SOME lessons or if they are part of iPad club - 2 children per class for half a term at a time, for 25 minutes. And they are limited to what is on the ipads and they share their time with at least one other hold.

All other iPad time is directed more formally.

You don't need lots of computers or gaming devices etc, Minecraft can be played on a phone or basic tablet.

Still wouldn't be happy at all I'm afraid. 25 minutes of iPad time in "iPad club" playing minecraft. No way.

10 minutes in some lessons is a fair chunk out of lessons and just unnecessary.

I don't get it. Why do children need 10 minutes of "golden time" playing minecraft? WTF is golden time anyway?

I am so glad my school doesn't do anything like this. It would really really wind me up.

Its no more educational then, than a parent handing a child her phone when they are doing something. Its not that Golden, just feeding into the idea that ipads (or whatever) are neccessary time fillers for children.

And we do all the other stuff as well anyway and infact our children are generally working ahead of national expectations for the new computing curriculum.

we use a range of apps and computer programs on and off line. All the ones mentioned here we've used and much more. This is just in addition and, unlike people seem to think, it's not going to be used all day every lesson. It would be used for a specific lesson for a specific goal by specific children. We don't envisage it being a whole class lesson generally - more specific groups. Or every week, not every session and not free play.

We engage our children in many ways. We don't need to rely on hair one option. But we do like to investigate new ways to do so and incorporate childrens likes and interests on our planning. So just like the International Hour of Code introduced Elsa and Anna into their work this winter we have looked at different things as well.

Golden time is used in some schools as part of a recognised reward system. Often used with lower aged children.

I don't think anyone envisaged you were going to let them play on minecraft all day.

I think using a short clip to demonstrate something is fine. I think using it as the basis of a lesson is fine i.e. "lets all make pyramids out of cubes just like in minecraft, this is how the egyptians did it"

I don't think getting them to play a bit of minecraft because there is an "educational" angle is a good idea.

I think minecraft as part of any ipad free time/ golden time whatever you like to call it whether in class or as part of a club is a very bad idea and as I've said I would be up at the school like a shot complaining.

Golden time much loved by my DC, Minecraft also much loved. Doesn't mean a bit of gaming is a suitable reward in the school environment.

Many parents spend alot of energy dealing with screen obsessed children. Using it as a time filler in schools in this way is wrong.

It's the former we'd be looking at using it as not the latter.

The reality is that often classes do t even have iPads in golden time as most teachers select their iPad time to be in a specific lesson time not golden time. They prefer to have them in maths, English or topic sessions where they can use them effectively.
We have to plan for their use properly and show how their will enhance the teaching and learning in a lesson so this is far easier to do if used in A proper lesson.

I don't deal with golden time as I don't do general class teaching and the iPad club has nothing to do with me either. Obviously if pass on thoughts on free use of minecraft but ultimately what the club does isn't to do with me but the person running it.

I'm only interested in how I can use it in my computing curriculum and how I can provide suggestions of how class teachers might use it in specific lessons for specific goals with specific children including children with certain additional needs.

I now have many ideas of how I can use it in those ways. Thank you to those who have passed on links etc to me. They'll be really useful in my work this weekend.

I think you're focusing on the initially brief mention of potential golden time/iPad club whereas actually this isn't what I was asking about.

I was asking about learning angles beyond what I already know about in terms of the computing curriculum.
(Ie maths, English, topic, SEN, d&t, cross curricular etc)

Hulababy A bit later in education but my DS was set a project to build a model of a first world war trench system. Rather than building it as a physical model he built it in Minecraft. It was great as the user could explore the trench at 'ground level' rather than having a macro view of a scaled down model.

I am all for using technology in schools. I think there are huge possibilities.

What I see of how my DS uses minecraft is building things then getting inside them (if that makes sense) rather than looking at models from the outside.

Thanks. That's perfect - type of examples I'm looking for :)

Can you build pearls in minecraft? - you know, for people to clutch?

OP you sound like a great teacher. Please don't let the parents get you down

PS my son went on minecraft in school time yesterday. He has told me loads of stuff about his current topic. He is having fun and learning

We dont intend asking parents permission afaik anyway. I haven't asked parents permission before downloading and using any other app and so far all parents I've spoken to about the work we've done so far is always very positive and they're often asking for advise and suggestions. So def dont think i need to ask them of it's ok!

I'd have no problem with targeted projects for older children (prob yrs 4+). We are a very techy family so no fear here and Gnome's Ds's project sounds fab.

But it seems totally unnecessary for KS1. My DS2 is not academic at all but he's learning to work at school and that school can't pander to his likes, he has put the effort in. Throwing Minecraft in would be disruptive to this process and a general distraction for little ones.

I'm not trying to rain on your parade and I think you're perhaps feeling a little defensive but I do think the views of various posters on this thread are likely to be views shared by other parents and therefore might be an indication of the response you might get. Surely that is helpful to know?

And I didn't think you'd mentioned asking permission. Asking permission is not a prerequisite for parents going in and complaining if they're unhappy about something. Personally I would again have thought it would be useful information as to how parents might feel so that you can get in there first and explain. Otherwise I find out from my 6 year old that he has been playing minecraft at school (which makes me annoyed, concerned and frustrated knowing that I now have to spend time investigating) rather than finding out in advance from the teacher that minecraft is going to be used in a structured and controlled way to teach something in particular and engage the children (which means I am then far more likely to be on board with it). They are two very different parental scenarios.

I should say, my DSs are at an academically selective independent primary school where most of us parents are towards the "pushy" end of the scale and are probably far more likely to complain/be pro active about asking lots of questions.

Ds' school have used Minecraft for helping with social skills, eg teamwork and co-operation. I think it worked well (from what ds tells me).

As a parent I really wouldn't expect the school to tell me they were using it, unless it was to make suggestions about how it could be used at home.