Minecraft will launch an education edition of Minecraft by Leo Kelion Technology desk editor 19 January 2016 An education version of Minecraft is to be launched by Microsoft. Teachers will discover new ways to utilize this world-building game across a range of subjects. In 2014, Microsoft paid $2.5bn (PS1.8bn) for Mojang Minecraft, the game's Swedish creator. It also bought the four-year-old MinecraftEdu game from TeacherGaming, a Finnish independent developer. It's possible to add features now however, schools may face additional costs. It is believed that Minecraft is used in more than 7,000 classrooms worldwide. Teachers are using Minecraft for so many things, Anthony Salcito (Microsoft's vice president of worldwide education) told the BBC. Once we make the tools easier for schools to have access to and utilize I believe you'll see the number of classrooms] increase very quickly. Camera in-game MinecraftEdu already allows teachers to modify the content of the game and access a shared library of education-themed assets. Microsoft is promising to improve user experience: allowing characters created by the children to be able to maintain their character throughout the sessions letting pupils allow students to take photos of their progress with an in-game camera, and later store them in an online book together with their own notes. These can be used to teach other children or by teachers to score their progress. Children can download software that allows them to continue playing Minecraft educationally outside of school. They don't have to purchase the game. To use the service, teachers and children each need their own Office 365 ID, which can also be used to provide access to the Microsoft cloud-based productivity software. Microsoft claims that this will allow teachers to reduce the number of online accounts they need to manage. It could help the company to promote its email, word processing and file-sharing applications over rival services from Google and others. Microsoft will charge a $5 annual fee (PS3.50) per teacher and child. It could cost more than the current basic set-up, where schools pay a one-time fee of $14 multiplied by the number of users they want to allow to login at the same time in addition to an additional $41 for server software. We believe we are bringing an added value, said Deirdre Quarnstrom, director of Minecraft education. In addition to having a permanent identity they will also be able access the most up-to-date version of the game. MINECRAFT JAVA MinecraftEdu was one of the mods, along with other Minecraft mods. This was due to the nature of the development process. We are also replacing the requirement for schools to purchase and maintain separate server hardware. Virtual Shakespeare Leigh Wolmarans (head teacher at Lings Primary School, Northampton) welcomed the new features. The school uses MinecraftEdu to teach children about A Midsummer Night's Dream by asking them to create a performance of Shakespeare's play in the game. However, he added that other teachers should be aware the software was not without its limitations. He stated that technology can be utilized to achieve exceptional learning however it should be used in conjunction with other tools. If all you're doing is taking them to a table and leaving them to experience Shakespeare through Minecraft you are doing something wrong. Dance, art, drama and music are still the most effective ways to educate kids. But technology can be added to it as an additional tool. Microsoft stated that it would allow teachers to beta-test Minecraft's education edition without cost at some point during the summer months, prior to the official launch. Minecraft was used to teach the science of chemistry 5 November 2015 The schools use Minecraft in their lessons. 20 June 2014 Minecraft MinecraftEdu Lings Primary School
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