Collaborate for Adventure in New Worlds
Community Review for Minecraft
My Take
Minecraft is highly engaging. The kids love the functionality and interactivity. I like the fact that the kids are creating and collaborating in meaningful ways.
A limitation is the account, which costs 27.00 per student. Also, students need to discuss away from the game if they are going to effectively plan and collaborate to create something that is directed with purpose.
How I Use It
My students used Minecraft to build a future world that was eco-friendly. They worked in teams of five and competed against other teams who were from around the world. Their world was judges using a rubric to determine winners in the simulation.
They were highly engaged to participate because they all had played Minecraft before and already had accounts. This activity was done during lunch, and was not part of our regular curriculum. The kids were excited to be creating alongside other students, who ranged in level from 6th grade to university.
The students could have used more support from me, as they were not quite self-motivated enough to complete the task entirely on their own. At times,. they had to be reminded to stick to the simulation, as they would wander off into their own personal games.