If you’ve ever played Minecraft, it may have become apparent at some point in your experience that this game can be about way more than just building things and exploring.
With the announcement of Minecraft: Education Edition, Microsoft is hoping that developer Mojang’s gaming sensation will now be used by educators to help teach kids about math, science, history, and much, much more.
WHAT’S CHANGING?
According to The Verge, Microsoft isn’t seeking to change too much of the original Minecraft, with the only changes being brought to the game’s mapping feature:
That includes improving Minecraft’s mapping feature so that a class can actually find its way around, letting teachers lock in certain resources for students to use, and adding an in-game camera and scrapbook to handle screenshots for cataloging where you’ve been.
WHO MAKES THE LESSONS?
This is the most crucial part of this whole concept. Microsoft has created a website in which teachers can upload the content that they’ve created. Already, there are several examples that have already been uploaded.
One example is a map that represents feudal Japan in order to explain Japanese poetry. You can also find a setup that helps explain molecules and how they work under different conditions.
It’s Microsoft’s hope that a community will spring out of this, and as a result, so will new educational content. Teachers will conceivably be able to search for the subject they want to teach and find the map/mode that best fits their lesson.
WHEN AND HOW MUCH?
The game will get its release some time during the summer of 2016. The cost will be $5 per student, and each student will receive a Microsoft account will will allow them to access Minecraft: Education Edition at home.
What do you think about an educational Minecraft game? Let us know in the comments below!