The Pros and Cons of online learning

Most of our class was dedicated to spending time learning in Minecraft but before we got into it, our class participated in an interesting group discussion about what we have learned during our experiences with online learning. We recently passed the two year anniversary marking the beginning of the Covid-19 pandemic which provided many us with an opportunity to experience the pros and cons of online learning. My biggest takeaway from this discussion is how, as a community, we are so much more adaptable than we give ourselves credit for. For anyone who thought that online learning was not possible or they felt reluctant to try it, the Covid experience forced many people to adapt and hopefully realize the benefits of incorporating tech in support of learning.

Minecraft

What a buzz of excitement! It was so funny to “see” our teacher candidates in a Minecraft world. We were all logged in individually on a computer inside the same lab which made the gaming experience fun and interactive because we could hear people’s chat and reactions within the classroom.

A screengrab of my Minecraft character. I opted for a rainbow outfit with an eye patch from the options provided within the game.

Minecraft is a video developed Mojang studios that present players with a sort of virtual reality that feels a bit like being in lego world. You are a character that can explore many worlds and have the ability to build almost anything through it’s blocky and pixelated programming. Much like lego, the Minecraft game is very accessibile and even beginners can start building by way of putting blocks together. It is not an overly complicated design software which makes it popular among elementary aged children.

Today we explored a few different Minecraft worlds and discussed ways we might use this tool in the classroom as a way to collect evidence of learning. Minecraft even has an entire line dedidicated to educators called Minecraft Education that provides resources for teachers including lessons plans. As has been a common thread throughout this class, it appears that using Minecraft in the classroom might be an excellent way to engage learners and incorporate popular tech in the classroom to enhance learning. As a future educator, it will be important to remember the learning intentions and ensure that you are striving for those and note just using Minecraft (or other tech tools) because students like it.

Although potentially a bit dated (from 2016), I found this article titled, Minecraft Education Edition: why it’s important for every fan of the game, from the Guardian about the launch of Minecraft Education Edition which offers a newsworthy overview of the platform. This article also directed me to the self published video from Minecraft about the Education version of the game which can be viewed here:

Overall, it seems that Minecraft can be beneficial to use within the classroom. Anecdotally, the students that I have conversations with that are in grade 5 and older are telling me that Minecraft is a “kids game,” which tells me that incorporating it into future classrooms might be best suited in the middle-primary years.