Minecraft To Launch Education Edition
Minecraft to launch education edition by Leo Kelion Technology desk editor
19 January 2016
Microsoft will launch an "education edition" Minecraft.
The product will offer teachers new ways to use the world-building video game in a range of subjects.
Microsoft paid $2.5bn (PS1.8bn) for Mojang Minecraft, the game's Swedish creator in 2014. It also purchased the four-year-old MinecraftEdu game from TeacherGaming an independent Finnish developer.
It's promising to add features now however, schools may face additional costs.
It says more than 7,000 schools around the globe are already using Minecraft in some way.
"Teachers are using Minecraft to do so many things, including teaching science, math poetry, religion and even poetry," Anthony Salcito, Microsoft's vice-president of worldwide education spoke to the BBC.
"Once we make the tools more accessible for schools to have access to and utilize, I think you'll see that number [of classrooms] grow quite quickly."
Camera in game
MinecraftEdu already allows teachers the ability to edit content and access a shared library that contains educational-themed assets.
Microsoft promises to enhance user experience by:
Children's characters to keep their characteristics between sessions
letting pupils take "photos" of their progress via an in-game camera. They can then store them in an online journal along with their own notes. They can then serve as tutorials for other children or be used by the teacher to score their progress
permitting children to download software that will allow them to continue playing the educational version of Minecraft outside school without the need to purchase their own version of the game.
Teachers and children should have their own Office 365 ID to access the service. This ID can also be used to gain access to the cloud-based productivity software developed by Microsoft.
Microsoft claims this will enable teachers to cut down on the number of online accounts they have to manage.
But it may help the company to promote its email, word processing and file-sharing apps over competing services offered by Google and others.
Microsoft will charge a fee of $5 annually (PS3.50) per teacher and child.
This is likely to be more expensive than the current basic setup, which costs $14 plus $41 for server software.
Deirdre Qarnstrom, director for Minecraft education, said that "we believe that we have added value".
"In addition to having a permanent identification and a permanent password, players will also be able access the most up-to-date version of the game.
"MinecraftEdu together with other Minecraft mods was a couple of versions behind due to the development process.
"We are also replacing the requirement of schools to have and maintain separate servers hardware."
Virtual Shakespeare
Leigh Wolmarans (head teacher at Lings Primary School, Northampton) welcomed the new features.
His school utilizes MinecraftEdu to teach students about A Midsummer Night's Dream. He asked them to create a Shakespeare-inspired play within MinecraftEdu.
However, he also said that other teachers should be aware that the software had its limitations.
He also said that technology can be utilized to achieve exceptional learning but it must be used in conjunction to other tools.
"If all you're doing is sitting them down and leaving them to play Shakespeare through Minecraft You are doing something wrong.
"Dance and art, drama and music are still the best methods to teach kids.
"But technology can be a part of the toolbox as an additional tool."
Microsoft has announced that it will allow teachers to "beta-test" Minecraft's education edition at no cost at some point during the summer months, prior to its official launch.
Minecraft was used to teach Chemistry
5 November 2015
Minecraft lessons in schools
20 June 2014
Minecraft
MinecraftEdu
Lings Primary School