Today in our Tech class, we discussed how teachers and educators are using Minecraft to help students learn mathematics. Minecraft is a video game that allows users to enter a digital community where they can build an environment using digital lego-like cubes. In the game, users can enter a creative mode which creates a sandbox environment that allows them to explore the concepts of algebraic patterns, measurements, perimeter, area, and volume. In the article “Learning mathematics through Minecraft” by Bos, Wilder, Cook, and O’Donnell, they give an example of a teacher who had their students explore the perimeter of an area in the creative mode by giving them a set of building that they needed to build using certain dimensions. Using mine craft as a medium allows for the students to use the blocks as a visual tool to see how the shape of the boxes affects the perimeter design. Minecraft not only allows for educators to teach math to their students but the game can also contribute to subjects such as language arts, science, history and culture, and computer science. At the end of this post, I have linked a website that is dedicated to different lesson plans created and shared by educators that use Minecraft to teach lessons in all of these subject areas. The link I have added goes to a Language Arts lessons that discusses the topic of diversity with students ages 11-13. We also had the pleasure of having Heidi James and her learners come visit our classroom and speak about how a local school has been incorporating Minecraft into their classroom. Heidi talked to our class about how she and other teachers use MinecraftEdu in the classroom.
me to teach them, as many parents today are trying to cut down on screen time. If you can sit down with the parents or communicate with them how the game is being used, I believe that many parents would reconsider.This version is different from the original Minecraft as it allows for the teacher to have control over all the features that Minecraft has such as fire, TNT, difficulty, weather, and creatures or villagers. Overall, Minecraft is a fun, creative and interactive way to use technology to help teach students many different subject areas and something I would like to look more into for my own future classroom. I do think that some parents may have an issue with their students using a video game to teach them, as many parents today are trying to cut down on screen time. If you can sit down with the parents or communicate with them how the game is being used, I believe that many parents would reconsider.
In today’s class, we also looked at an app created by Google called Science Journal. This app allows for students to create an experiment and record yours ideas and observations within the app. The app allows for you to upload photos, notes, and even take sensor readings. In the app, you can measure light, sound, motion, and atmospheric pressure using the metre mode. I believe that this could be a fun and interactive way for students to record their research and help develop their understanding of certain science topics. There is also the added bonus of it being easily accessible and free for teachers and students to download. As for the cons of using science journal, not all students have a smartphone to use and not all schools have a full class set of IPads to use. Also many schools have started limiting the use of cellphones in their schools, for example Dunsmuir Middle School in the Westshore has banned all cell phone use during school hours.
Link: https://education.minecraft.net/lessons/respecting-diversity/
